
About Us
Welcome to Heirloom Lamps
where, yes, almost anything you like can become a lamp. For Bob
and Delores Fenn it was antique silver plated teapots. Little
did they know that one lamp would lead to a new business!
The first task, of course, is to find an
object worthy of becoming a lamp of which they could be proud. They
chose quadruple-plate Victorian silver because they could
provide the customer with a window of time in which the object
was manufactured. In Dorothy T. and H. Ivan Rainwater’s book,
“American Silverplate; A History of Silverplating", they state
that the use of “quadruple-plate” was discontinued between 1896
and 1912.
We take great pride in inspecting,
hand-cleaning and hand-polishing each piece using only the
gentlest silver polish and methods available.
Each piece is restored by hand to its
original luster, without resilvering, saving the antique patina
and giving each lamp its own personality. We do not use harsh
chemicals or home-made remedies which can permanently damage
antique silverplate. Since each antique quadruple silver plate
piece is hand-polished by Bob, you can be assured that no damage
is being hidden by accumulated dirt, dust or oxidation-tarnish.
We inspect each piece carefully for damage
and irregularities and include this information in the
description. Multiple photographs are provided to give an
accurate representation on each piece and any unusual silver
plate loss or damage is fully noted.
The Fenns are very proud of their pursuit
of reclaiming these old objects that have been discarded and
turning them into usable decorative one-of-a kind lamps.
Since we have retired, our
daughter (2nd daughter of five) Susan Fenn Williams, has
purchased Heirloom Lamps from us. We know Susan will
continue offering beautiful lamps and she has added some new and
fun lamps...retro, children's and many lamps recreated from
vintage pieces and other objects of art. |