We love talking about shape, colour and pattern when it comes to lampshades but we do also need to do some housekeeping and help with some technical detail.
Here we are going to try and unravel the mystery of lampshade fittings. It’s a wonder to us how, over time, the design of lampshades has evolved - resulting in a confusing array of fittings – and so, for the uninitiated here is a short guide which might help you when choosing your lampshade:
Duplex Fittings
All our larger lampshades – 40cm or more come with a duplex fitting which is an 11cm ring near the top of the lampshade to be used with either a shade carrier for a table lamp or a spider fitting if it is to be hung from the ceiling.
The reason we do this is to allow flexibility depending on how high you want your shade to sit on your lamp.  It also makes it easier to clean your lampshade as it’s easily removed from the base. We supply shade carriers in a variety of sizes from 3” to 10”
You can also attach a “Spider” fitting to the Duplex ring which will turn it into a ceiling or pendant shade (see below). We do also supply these but it’s best if you contact us to discuss which type you want.
Harp and Finial
In the US the most common form of lampshade fitting is the Harp and finial like this. We can supply shades specially designed for this type with the spokes placed at the top of the shade with a small hole which goes onto the finial and is then screwed into place.
Alternatively we can supply raised spiders such as the one below which you can attach to the Duplex fitting which effectively does the same thing. If this is what you think you need please get in touch.
Fixed Gimble
The majority of our smaller shades – 30cm and smaller come with the most common fitting known as a Fixed Gimble – where the spokes meet at a ring approximately 4cm from the bottom of the shade.
Clip-on Frames
This fitting is commonly used on small shades so that you can just slip the shade onto the bulb which would normally be a candle bulb for ease of use.
Pendant Fitting
This is where the shade is designed to hang from the ceiling so the fixed ring is placed approx. 4cm from the top of the shade.
Ring Fillers
All fixed gimbles and shade carriers are designed to fit onto a bulb carrier – which may be 42mm (ES), 28mm (BC) or 20mm (SES). The ring therefore is normally made to fit 42mm and comes with a removable filler which allows it to fit securely on a BC bulb holder.Â