Ananas Candle Holder

The whole piece is glass, from the round base up through the thin clear stem to the cup at the top, and halfway up sits a pink glass bow, tied the way a ribbon is tied on a gift box or at the end of a school girl’s choti. When light comes from behind, it passes straight through the bow and falls on the table as a soft pink patch, so the holder looks far prettier near a window than it does inside a cupboard. With the tall cup and the stem, the shape is closer to a champagne flute than to a regular candle stand, and it is the kind of piece a wedding decor wala would set out on the main table.

• It stands around 22 cm tall on a base about 9 cm across.

The cup at the top is made for a taper candle, the long thin kind, and a twisted taper like the one in the photo shows the glass off nicely. Will a thick candle go in? It will not, and pushing one in could crack the rim, while tealights and pillar candles have nowhere to sit because there is no dish at all.

The bow does not keep one colour through the day. In morning sun it leans towards lilac, and under a warm yellow bulb at night it turns more rose pink, so the same holder looks different in the bedroom and in the drawing room.

Its place is a dining table, with 1 at each end for a candlelight dinner, or a dressing table, or a bookshelf where it can stand without being bumped. Being glass on a thin stem, it will break if it falls onto a tile floor, and since it weighs very little, a fast fan or a child running past can tip it over. A side table next to the sofa, where elbows keep landing, is the wrong spot for it. Keeping it on a tray or a cloth mat helps. When the candle is lit, it should stay out of the reach of children and never be left burning in an empty room. As a birthday or bridal shower gift it works well too, since the bow makes it look already wrapped.

Use Ivory, White or a Soft Pink Candle

Ivory, white or a soft pink candle suits it best, because the bow already brings the colour, and a dark red or deep purple candle will end up fighting with it. For cleaning, rinse it under plain water and dry it with a soft cloth. Do not use a scrubber on it, as the glass will get scratches that will not come out later.

Photos on this page were taken in both, so what you see is roughly the range you will get.

I’ll be honest about where it works. Dining table, yes, one at each end. Dressing table, yes. A bookshelf, yes. A wide side table near the sofa where somebody’s elbow will find it, no. It is glass with a thin stem and it will not survive a fall onto tiles. It weighs next to nothing so a strong fan or a running child will move it. Keep it on a cloth or a tray, and keep it out of the kids’ reach when the candle is lit.