Scored this baby last month as I was cruising down a street.......! A glass mosaic lantern.
I saw a few hanging from a tree and an old lady sitting by the tree selling them....! She must have been 80 years plus. I've seen these before in places, and on one of my trips to Goa almost bought a ridiculously priced one...but the thought of having to carry it back in my hand baggage stopped me.
So this is how our conversation went:
Not the greatest night shot ( I need a better camera)...but here's what it looks like all lit up....
All the work that has gone into it...sometimes I feel a twinge of guilt that I got it so cheap and bamboozled the old lady...? But she didn't argue at all????
I just realized this is my third "Moroccanny" post in one week!!!
Me: Kitne ka hai? (How much is it?). Theek daam bolo. (Give me a decent price)
Lady: Pandra sau rupaii (Rs 1500/$35).
Me: Pandra sau??? Nahi nahi, paanch sau ko dede na. (Rs 1500?? No, no, give it to me for Rs 500/$12)...bracing myself for a haggling match to follow to settle somewhere in between.
Lady: Theek hai, le lo! (Ok, you got it!!)
I almost died in shock. What a bargain huh?
So the electrician came by yesterday and wired it for me. Its hung where I can see it from my studio. I love it.
I just realized this is my third "Moroccanny" post in one week!!!
17 comments:
Drool..this is fabulous Kamini.
Fabulous. But, it's not the price that amazed me. It's the fact that you get it here. My parents carted two for me from Bahrain for Rs.3000. And I was going to post it today. I have it fitted in the dining with a bracket.
gorgeous !!gorgeous!! I've been eyeing for these mosaic lamps ever since I saw them at a place in Delhi.Thanks for posting yours.it looks beautiful.
What a cheerful, lovely lamp!
Would you have negotiated with a designer who designed the lamp? This same lamp would have been sold for rs. 5000 in a chic boutique and people would have bought it giving it that price and said that i bought a "brand name ". such is the power of a marketing concept called the brand ! another analogy - indian fabrics sold in US stores are "pottery barn" dkny etc. as a brand they covet "over the roof top price, but when sold as an indian design it does not fetch any money ? !that is the problem with indian fabrics - they are sold at a ransom in europe and us and in india we do not even get those beautiful home cotton, grown and weaved in india !
just wanted to make a point using the example of the lamp - that being said - that lamp rocks
Good point Indian yarn.....my mantra - for anything and everything I buy - has always been 'What is it worth to me"? If a boutique or a roadside vendor sells anything at a price I see reasonable, I will never haggle. To me the lamp is worth about Rs 600-Rs 800 and whoever had charged that amount, a boutique or a street side vendor, I would have paid it no questions asked! Now I feel really bad because I know its worth more than Rs 500...she did mention that they were packing up to move to another location, so one less lamp is the hassle one less lamp to pack up!! There have been numerous occasions when I have simply not bargained...cos I feel the price is right!
what a beauty!!!and I totally follow the same rule before haggling. if I find the price reasonable I never bargain.
That's a great lamp and I like how similar the flowers look to the little buds of the creeper. And wow it really glows at night.
what a marvelous buy Kamini! and it looks so beautiful amongst all those greens. must be wonderful to watch it from your studio. I am so tempted to shamelessly ask you to buy one for me if you find it again :-). We can compensate your guilt if and when we buy one more :-)
K! It's gorgeous! Ummm, may I join Shanthi in a request for one too? Feel free to pay the lady whatever you feel is reasonable---I'm sure if we all bought up her stuff, she'd be delighted!
That said, I wouldn't labor under the guilt for too long--till she makes a sale, it is worthless for her, she wouldn't have agreed if she didn't think she could work with those numbers. So relax and enjoy! And if you do happen to see her again, get one for me too! :)
Gorgeous!
In the second and third pics, what is the plant behind the lamp with the curled-up pink flowerbuds on it? That's beautiful, too.
What a find, Kamini-- it's gorgeous! And don't feel too bad about the old lady. Vendors in India always inflate the price, and I am sure she still made a good profit.
Very encouraging comments - am starting to fell not so bad now :-)
Laura - that flower is the pink Allamanda! Grows all over the place here in the city! Also comes in a yellow which is equally common.
It looks so pretty in the dark all lit up. Oh those colours! Have you seen the latest world makret lantern loots as yet K? They are reasonably priced too an infinitely lug-able back to India.. Just a thought ;)
Wow.. this lantern is a real beauty.. it looks even more prettier in the night shot. Lucky you :)
Wow.. this lantern is a real beauty.. it looks even more prettier in the night shot. Lucky you :)
could u please tell me where in india you bought thi s from?
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