The inspiration for this project was a West Elm Capiz shell chandelier we used to own in a former house, which is not sold in our current country. This is a retrofitting chandelier, which is designed to attach to any ceiling fixture hanging by an electrical cord. The lamp is printed in 4 parts and aligned with PLA or PETG “rebar” pieces. Each part containst the text “Part 1,” “Part 2,” “Part 3,” and “Part 4.” These are arranged clockwise to ensure correct alignment of the printed screw threads. The four pieces are secured with two printed nuts that are placed over the existing cord.

For assembly, parts 1&2 and parts 3&4 should be pre-assembled as separate halves. Small pieces of PLA/PETG can be placed into the 4 holes along the edge seams. This will ensure proper and long-lasting alignment. Height of the chandelier can be determined by placing a small amount of electrical tape at the desired level and using the nuts to clamp firmly against the tape (see picture). Bring the pre-assembled halves together around the electrical cord/tape. Small, pre-placed rebar pieces should allow 1 person assembly. When looslely fitted, secure with the provided nuts.

The chandelier has pre-drilled, equally spaced holes (32 inner, 48 middle, and 64 outer) for hanging decorative dangly bits. In a separate print profile, capiz-type crystals can be printed with translucent PLA or PETG. To ensure equal spacing, a tying jig is provided. Orther ideas include dangling feathers, decorative tassels or reflective fabrics. A 15 cm tassel tying jig is also provided. 4 possible looks are included in pictures. The chandelier can be decorated before or after placement; in our experience, pre-decorating was preferred, but heavier decorations increased technical difficulty of the install (i.e. it will likely require two people).

In my testing, the tassels and feather boas caused bowing at the chandelier part seams, suggesting they were too heavy for the current model. This would likely be resolved with gluing along the long seams/rebar, but this was not required for the stock “crystal” configuration or light fabrics.

My uploaded pictures include 4 decorative suggestions. I will upload a uniformly decorated crystal chandelier in the coming days.

The crystals were printed with eSun clear PLA. It worked, but I this was my first experience with translucent prints, so I don't have reference to compare it to (i.e. quality). Other crystal samples are shown using various forms of PLA (matte, clear, PLA+ and eSilk). Our favorites were clear, then white, then eSilk. Each sheet prints 24 crystals at 1 layer height (a second, brief layer ensures the holes are well printed). I used 7mm jump rings to secure and thin, nylon “invisible” thread to tie pieces. I have included a picture demonstrating how the jig works. My wife had a tiny clothes pin that helped secure the ring while tying, which was a necessary addition. Using a needle to guide the barely visible thread was also necessary. Secure each crystal with a two-handed surgeons knot to ensure they do not loosen and shift. The jump rings were opened and secured to the chandelier with a needle nosed pliers. All of that was tedious, but after a few trial and errors, it became relatively streamlined and I was able to tie the whole quarter chandelier over about 2-3 hours while watching movies. Full disclosure - I do have experience/training using surgeons knots, so others might expect a steeper learning curve and a few youtube tutorials (1,2). Alternatively, my wife used very thin, malleable wire to form a small s-hook with needle-nose pliers. That seemed to retain most of the motion of the crystal chain and it was significantly faster than tying crystals.

For the feathered appearance, I bought a feathered boa and cut to lengths (10 mm outer and 15 mm middle). The ends of the boa were tied with nylon thread/light fishing line to ensure they did not unravel and shed feathers. These were then tied to earring hooks, which can also be found at craft stores and Amazon. This was heavier than expected and may benefit from gluing the 4 parts of the model.

We made the tassels using the printed tassel jig. It's self-designed and I have no tassel making experience, so I'm certain someone could do better. We used 4 mm macrame cord, which was wrapped 5 full times (5 up and 5 down). The top is tied at the center, which will become the strings you it to the chandelier with. The strings are then tied together at the neck. Use the v-shaped slit at the bottom to cut the loops into the tassel. Decorative string can be used to wrap the tassel neck after it is removed from the jib. Then unwind the thick macrame cord and use a hairbrush to separate smaller fibers. These materials proved heavy; thinner material or yarn may be better.