Chandeliers at Porta Portese

Our flight home was on a Sunday evening so what better way to spend the morning than at the Porta Portese flea market? Among stalls selling clothes and factory-overruns of shoes (size 6 only, so no luck for me), there were some nice hardware stalls and this chandelier guy.

I should've bought some of the loose crystals to upgrade my wall fixtures that I bought online from an American site.

The crystal pieces I come across in the flea markets in Europe are not cheap. From 3 to 5 euros each! But European crystals are much heavier than the American or Chinese ones. Apparently, to be called "crystal" in the States, the glass has to have only 1% of lead in it. In the EU, it is regulated and has to be between 10 to 30% to be called "crystal".

Of course the heavier ones are thought to be more superior crystals, but for me, I don't really like the rainbow reflection of the "very crystal" crystals. I like glass to sparkle and shine, but not to reflect any color. So maybe I'm okay with the low end of the lead content.

So I have my dining chandelier and some sconces on the wall. I'm still thinking of where I can hang something--I still have my foyer and my bathroom! I want something from a flea market in Paris!