venini polyhedral chandelier

As we do more and more custom restoration projects, we are beginning to amass a collection of interesting molds. They are a great way to produce complex forms, but mold-formed designs also require that replacements be made in the same mold, or one produced to the same specifications. One in particular that has been worthwhile is a mold for reproduction chandelier elements – they’re called “Polyhedrals”, and the Venini factory made a ton of them for all sorts of chandeliers and sconces. These faceted blown forms are designed to be tightly arranged in a matrix, with their broad faces aligned. It makes for a beautiful design, but one that rattles a lot when handled or shaken by an earthquake. That also makes for a lot of broken pieces, which has created a demand for replacement elements.

I decided it would be manageable and fun to build a mold specifically to reproduce these polyhedrals. As far as I know Venini no longer makes the elements, and no one else seems to have wanted to approach the replacement market for these. The mold is a simple two-part affair, cast from iron and hand-finished to the same dimensions as the originals. Some of the pieces were blown into this form straight from the furnace, while others were first dipped in an “optic” mold to give them ribs or other variations in wall thickness.

JBG mold

So, now we have become an aftermarket-manufacturer of near-OEM Venini components. If you know anyone who sloshed one of these lighting fixtures around and lost a few pieces, pass on our info and we’ll be happy to talk to them about getting some new pieces made.

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