Jim Lawrence has a reputation as being among the very best lighting money can buy. Hand made using traditional manufacturing techniques and skills that are kept alive at the Jim Lawrence factory in Hadleigh Suffolk.
Jim Lawrence started by making wrought iron products for friends and family and realised there was a real demand for artisan made iron products. The Jim Lawrence company moved to its current location in 2008. Jim Lawrence has an excellent website offering a wide range of handmade items, of course there is a wide range of lighting along with door furniture, curtain poles, locks and garden items as well as a range of fabric products and materials.
I have a real soft spot for Jim Lawrence wall lights, they are well-made and have an exceptional build quality in a wide range of both traditional and modern designs that can fit into a wide range of interiors.
Being hand made Jim Lawrence lighting comes at a cost, it is not cheap but it is worth the cost? Let’s look in detail at a Jim Lawrence Globe pendant and see where your money goes.
The Jim Lawrence Globe Pendant
The Globe pendant is a traditionally made light, manufactured from wrought Iron. The design is traditional, a touch Gothic and is a large centre piece of a light having 8 bulb holders set equally around a forged steel globe. Each bulb holder has a faux wax catcher and a painted candle cover which allows the light to be used bare bulb or with optional Jim Lawrence shades. The Globe is supplied with a 1M length of hanging chain and a hooked ceiling rose.
First Impressions.
Being made from wrought iron and steel the globe pendant light is heavy, when you pick up the globe you are immediately hit with the unmistakable feeling of quality, the light is quite clearly hand made and has many details which quickly led my imagination to a scene of a smokey & hot blacksmiths forge with a leather tunic clad workman banging away with a hammer, anyway enough of my boyhood fantasies lets have a close look at the Globe pendant.
The view from below.
Once the globe pendant is hung from a ceiling you start to get a feel of the size of the light, it is not massive in terms of width but the volume of the metal globe at the centre of the light makes it a real statement piece.
The forged straps used in the globe really come to life when viewed from below and the light takes on a whole new-look, the faux wax catchers and candle covers give a bit of a geometric feel to the light. When lit the globe pendant produces shadowing, detailing and reflection from the steel surfaces.
The Build Quality is in the detail.
Take a visual tour of the Globe pendant and you will see some fascinating details that will underline the quality of the manufacture and finished item. Everything on this pendant is solid, there are so many hand made details, small neat welds and signs of craftsmanship that can be seen on close inspection.
The faux wax catchers are made from really heavy gauge steel with neat welds and a solid finial under.
“Proper” Brass bulb holders, which is nice to see these days.
Heavy gauge ceiling rose, really well engineered and beautifully finished.
The candle covers are heavy solid steel tube with a painted finish which is such a top quality touch. Look at the hooked ceiling rose and check the lightly scalloped edge detail and the wonderfully detailed suspension hook.
Build quality is really good on Jim Lawrence lighting. The light shown in my images is a pre-loved version that was recently salvaged from the refurbishment of a large home. The light had been taken down and left in dry storage (a garden shed) and unused for a while; despite being left to moist and cold air the light was quickly bought back to great shape with a quick wipe over with an oily cloth, this may not sound much but it really is a compliment to the build quality that the light has not suffered while in storage.
Conclusion.
The Jim Lawrence Globe pendant comes in a choice of finishes. Beeswax, Black and Polished.
Dimensions from the Jim Lawrence website are 54 Cm W x 39 Cm H x 54 Cm D.
So back to the question – is the Globe pendant worth the money?
At the time of writing the pendant is for sale on the Jim Lawrence website at £390. https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/
To my mind you get an awful lot of quality lighting for your money with this globe pendant and other Jim Lawrence Lighting. Consider the build quality and craftsmanship that is put into each piece of lighting and really the light is an absolute steal.
I would highly recommend the Jim Lawrence Globe Pendant.
You can read my review of the Jim Lawrence Stonham Wrought Iron Wall Light HERE.
If you have any questions on this review or have anything to add I would love to hear from you. If you own a Jim Lawrence light (or lights) and would like to send me an image I would be happy to include them into this page.
Thank you.
michael@hertfordshire-lighting.com