Alabaster lighting is a fixture whose shade is carved from natural gypsum, a soft and translucent stone rather than glass or resin, so the lamp behind it glows through the wall of the stone instead of shining around it. Choose it on three numbers: the width of the fixture against the surface below, its installed height, and its lumens. What is alabaster lighting made of? Alabaster is gypsum — hydrous calcium sulfate — at a Mohs hardness of 2 and a specific gravity of 2.3. Geology.com's mineral data gives its diaphaneity as transparent to translucent, names "satin spar" and "alabaster" as the ornamental varieties, and adds that low hardness limits durability. Property Alabaster (gypsum) In a fixture Composition Hydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4·2H2O A quarried mineral Mohs hardness 2 Softer than a fingernail Specific gravity 2.3 Heavy for its size Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent Light passes through Trade varieties Satin spar, alabaster Ornamental cuts, worked thin Two habits blur the word: "alabaster glass" is opal glass styled to look like stone, and polyresin versions use the same name. A carved panel is heavy, feels cold, and veins irregularly; it also marks easily, which is why the care steps below assume a soft touch. The Hand-Carveds Alabaster Sconce H11" is that trade at its smallest: an 11 inch carved body at $356, in brass, bronze or nickel. Why does alabaster glow when the light is behind it? Because gypsum is translucent, a lamp behind an alabaster panel lights the stone rather than the room: light enters the panel, scatters inside it, and leaves from the whole front face, so the carve reads as a luminous surface, its veining darker or paler wherever the cut runs thicker or thinner. No glare source sits in the sight line, because the lamp hides behind stone. Output runs below the same lamp in an open cage, so buy more lumens than the room suggests. Color quality shows, and every panel is a one-off — hand-carving makes two fixtures from one order cousins, not twins. How wide and how tall should alabaster lighting be? Over a kitchen island, count and space the row as any pendant row is sized. Our pendant height guide works from the island's length, spaces fixtures 24 to 30 inches apart on center, and keeps the outer one 6 to 12 inches inside the ends. Island length Pendants Spacing Row width 4–5 ft 1, a large one — One third Up to 6 ft 2 24–30 in Half to two thirds 7–9 ft 3 24–30 in Half to two thirds Over 9 ft 4 24–30 in Half to two thirds Height is measured from the counter, never the floor, and the ceiling only shifts it: hang the shade bottom 30 to 36 inches above the countertop. Ceiling height Counter to shade bottom How it reads 8 ft 30–32 in Light pooled on the work surface 9 ft 32–34 in The common compromise 10 ft 34–36 in Clear of the sight line 11–12 ft 36 in or more Needs a longer body The Oscar Alabaster Pendant Lamp for Kitchen Island scales with that count: one light at $360, three at $1,060, five at $1,660. For a dining table, the Paige Round Alabaster Chandelier comes 35.4 inches across at $2,680 or 43.3 inches at $3,980. How much light should an alabaster fixture put out? Shop in lumens and buy high, because the stone diffuses the output. ENERGY STAR's brightness guide carries the conversion from the old wattage numbers: Incandescent it replaces Minimum lumens Behind alabaster 40 W 450 lm A small sconce or a bedside lamp 60 W 800 lm The workhorse: one pendant, or one of three 75 W 1,100 lm A tall sconce or a broad two-light body 100 W 1,600 lm A cluster, or a whole-room fixture The program floor is lower than most expect. Section 9.1 of the ENERGY STAR Luminaires V2.0 specification sets 250 lumens in situ as the minimum for decorative pendants, wall sconces and single-head bath vanities, against 450 lumens for other types, and UL's summary of the programme gives the band as 250 to 800 lumens at 65 lumens per watt. Those are floors, not targets: three 800 lumen lamps put roughly 2,400 over an island. The Thomas Linear Alabaster Lamp is the same answer in linear form — 40 inches at $860, 48 at $1,149, 59 at $1,349. What bulb color and dimmer does alabaster lighting need? ENERGY STAR's fixture guidance places 2200 to 3000K in the range that matches an incandescent lamp and 3500 to 4100K as noticeably whiter, so 2700K or 3000K suits stone, brass and wood. Section 9.4 asks indoor luminaires for a color rendering index of 80 or better, and section 9.3 requires at least one of 2700, 3000, 3500, 4000 or 5000K inside the seven-step chromaticity quadrangles of the ANSI/NEMA/ANSLG C78.377 standard from NEMA , the ANSI-accredited developer of the C78 series. Dimming belongs to the pair. Section 15.1 requires a luminaire marketed as dimmable to dim continuously from 100% to 20% of light output and to stay quiet at the bottom, no more than 24 dBA at one meter. Twenty percent of 2,400 lumens is 480 — a good bedside level, a poor kitchen one. One hard rule on the lamp: an alabaster body encloses its light source, so the lamp must be rated for enclosed fixtures. UL's note records that enclosed fixtures carry a thermal test with the lamp installed, and NFPA 70 requires equipment to be installed and used in accordance with its listing and labeling. The Toby Alabaster Wall Sconce runs that length in one family — a 19.68 inch body at $460, a 39.37 inch body at $960. How do you install alabaster lighting without cracking it or cooking the lamp? Read the listing label first: damp-location marking for a bathroom, and the maximum wattage at each socket. Set the height from the counter or table, never the floor: shade bottom 30 to 36 inches above a countertop. Convert to inches and subtract: 108 inches of ceiling, less a 36 inch counter and a 33 inch gap, leaves 39 inches to the shade bottom. Subtract the body height: the remainder is the stem, rod or cord the fixture needs, so compare it with the fixture's installed-height range before ordering. Match the lamp to the label — enclosed-fixture rating, socket wattage limit, a color temperature held across the room. Put the row on one dimmer and check the maker's compatibility list before confirming the 100%-to-20% range. Keep 6 feet 8 inches to 7 feet of clear height wherever people walk beneath the fixture. Dust with a dry or barely damp soft cloth — no abrasives, no ammonia or acidic cleaners, and never carry a pendant by its stone body. Can alabaster lighting go in a bathroom or a covered porch? Only where the fixture is listed for it. The stone decides nothing here; the marking does, and hard-wired equipment must be installed and used per its listing and labeling. Keep alabaster out of direct shower spray and off a porch that takes driven rain. Have the wiring done by a licensed electrician. Sources ENERGY STAR — brightness , light fixtures , Luminaires V2.0 ; UL — Luminaires V2.0 update ; NFPA 70 — nfpa.org ; NEMA — nema.org ; gypsum data — geology.com . FAQ What is alabaster lighting made of? Natural gypsum — hydrous calcium sulfate — carved into panels and shades. Its Mohs hardness is 2 and it is transparent to translucent, so light passes through the stone. How high should an alabaster pendant hang over a kitchen island? Shade bottom 30 to 36 inches above the countertop: 30 to 32 on an 8 foot ceiling, 32 to 34 on 9 feet, 34 to 36 on 10 feet. How many lumens does an alabaster fixture need? Buy toward the top of the range, because the stone diffuses the output: the program minimum is 250 lumens in situ for decorative pendants and sconces, and a 60 watt replacement lamp gives 800. What color temperature suits alabaster lighting? 2700K or 3000K. ENERGY STAR puts 2200 to 3000K in the range that matches an incandescent lamp; 3500 to 4100K reads noticeably whiter. How do you care for alabaster lighting? Wipe it with a dry or barely damp soft cloth and nothing abrasive. At a Mohs hardness of 2 the stone scratches easily, so skip acidic cleaners. Heights and clearances follow published sizing guidance and the arithmetic of ceiling height minus fixture drop; the output and dimming figures come from the ENERGY STAR Luminaires V2.0 specification and UL's summary of it. Check the fixture's label, and use a licensed electrician for hard-wired work.