A Tiffany-style shade is hundreds of pieces of glass, each wrapped in copper foil and soldered to its neighbours. It is far more robust than it looks, but it is not a single piece of glass and it should not be treated like one. A few minutes' care every couple of months keeps it looking new for decades.
Routine dusting
Switch the lamp off and let the bulb cool. Dust the shade with a soft, dry brush (a clean, wide paintbrush or a make-up brush is ideal) or a microfibre cloth, working from the top of the shade down. The brush gets into the solder lines where a cloth skips over them. Do this every few weeks and the shade will rarely need anything more.
Washing
When the glass is smeared or the solder lines have collected grime, wash it in place:
- Unplug the lamp. For a ceiling or wall fitting, switch off at the circuit and remove the shade if it is designed to come off; otherwise clean it in place.
- Mix a few drops of washing-up liquid in a bowl of warm water. No ammonia, no glass cleaner spray, no vinegar; ammonia dulls the solder and acidic cleaners strip the patina.
- Wring a soft cloth until it is damp, not wet, and wipe the glass panel by panel. Do not let water pool in the solder lines.
- Wipe with a second cloth wrung out in clean water, then dry with a lint-free cloth. Leave to air for an hour before switching on.
Handling and moving
- Lift a table lamp by the base, never by the shade. The shade sits on the base and its weight is carried through the fitter ring; lifting by the shade puts all of that weight through a few solder joints.
- Do not press on individual panels. The copper foil joint is strong along its length and weak under a point load. If you need to steady the shade, hold the rim with a flat hand.
- To move house, remove the shade from the base (loosen the finial, lift straight up), wrap it in bubble wrap with the open end facing up, and pack it in its own box with the base separate. Never lay a shade on its side in a box with anything on top.
The patina
The dark finish on the solder lines is a deliberate patina, applied to make the lines read as lead. It will darken slightly over the years and may show faint green or grey bloom on the metal in a damp room. A wipe with a damp cloth removes bloom; do not polish the lines with a metal cleaner, which will strip the finish and leave bright silver solder.
Bulbs and heat
Heat is the enemy of a foiled shade. Use LED bulbs, never a halogen or a high-wattage incandescent, and stay within the rating on the lampholder. Our recommended 7 W filament LED runs cool enough to touch. See the bulb guide.
Cables and switches
Check the flex where it enters the base and the plug once a year for wear. Keep the cable clear of walkways and away from radiators. If the in-line switch becomes stiff or intermittent, stop using the lamp and have the switch replaced; it is a five-minute job for an electrician.
If a piece of glass cracks
A single cracked panel is repairable by a stained glass restorer: the piece is cut out, replaced and re-soldered. It is worth doing on a 40 cm shade. If a shade is beyond repair, every shade in our range is available separately; see replacing a Tiffany lamp shade.
What not to do, in one line: no ammonia, no spray cleaners, no polish on the solder, no hot bulbs, no lifting by the shade.
