Bay Area stained glass artist Lorena Calcagni opens her home-lighting gallery, Shades of Tiffany, to the public. Calcagni, an artist/gallery owner in San Francisco since 1973, invites you to experience the beauty of these artisan lamps, handmade in the spirit of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the American designer who created the first stained glass electric lamps in 1899.

Shades of Tiffany History

During the late 1960s, a group of San Francisco artists became intrigued by the beautiful, intricate glass lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and began to meticulously reproduce them by hand. Although they were not the fashion at the time, these lamps drew attention for their sophisticated use of color and pattern. Calcagni displayed one of her handmade lamps (the world-renowned Tiffany's "Dragonfly" lamp) in the window of her first shop, Polk Street Tiffany, in 1973 and has been selling them ever since.

Well known to the Bay Area through her beautiful stained glass lamp boutique, the artist is also a veteran of many juried craft shows, fine art shows, art and wine festivals, and home and garden expositions. Throw away any preconceived notions of stained glass lamps as '70s rec-room fixtures, these lamps are an art form unto themselves. "Like Jazz, Tiffany lamps are a pure American art form, a design tradition that needs to be valued and shared with all."

Bring a piece of this uniquely American art form into your home. Enter Calcagni's gallery where you will find a collection of fine, one-of-a-kind collectibles, Tiffany replicas, Mission style lamps, Calcagni's signature Art Deco "Camel Oasis" lamp, all at surprisingly low prices - at nearly half of what you would expect to pay at other lighting or furniture stores. Calcagni is able to make her treasures affordable, because hers is a small operation - you are dealing with a small crew of artists who have been working together for the past 30 years. Calcagni's work adds color and light to any decor.

About 40% of Calcagni's business consists of made-to-order, bent panel lampshades in the traditional Victorian style. Customers can choose colors of the finest glass available to incorporate into lamp designs, as well as choose from a variety of ceramic decals to customize the shades. Calcagni's lamps also feature finely-finished metal bases.

For the discriminate art collector bored with familiar patterns, Calcagni offers exquisite, one-of-a-kind, stained glass shades on solid bronze bases. Each shade is signed and dated by the artist. These exclusive collectible works of lighted art will exist only in the homes of those who possess them.