Black Granite & Glass Hurricane Lantern, 14in

The stone base

Black granite is an igneous stone — dense, fine-crystalline, with almost no veining, and it holds a carved edge far better than marble does. On this hurricane lantern it does the structural work. A stepped circular plinth of three graduated tiers rises into a band of carved lotus petals, each petal chiselled and then rubbed back by hand so the ridges catch light while the hollows stay dark. The base is what gives the piece its weight: roughly five kilos of stone sitting on a six-inch footprint, enough to keep a 14-inch lantern steady on a dining table in a draught. It is finished to a soft satin polish rather than a mirror, so fingerprints and dust do not show the way they would on a high-gloss surface, and the carved band still reads clearly from across a room.

The glass chimney and brass collar

The clear glass chimney seats into a slim brass collar ring, turned to fit the top of the stone so the two parts lock together without any adhesive showing at the joint. Glass and brass are the only elements on this lantern that are not stone, and each is doing a job: the chimney shields the flame from moving air, and the brass warms up the join so the black base does not read as one solid dark block. The chimney lifts straight off for cleaning and for changing the candle, which stands on a recessed stone seat inside the collar. It takes a standard two-inch pillar candle; a tealight in a glass cup works equally well if you would rather keep wax off the stone altogether.

Where it earns its place

A hurricane lantern goes where an open diya would not last the evening — a dining table with people moving around it, a covered veranda, a console beside a doorway. Set as a pair at either end of a long table it reads as part of the table setting rather than as an ornament, and black granite sits well against both dark wood and pale linen. It is also one of only two stones in this palette that take weather without staining, so a sheltered balcony or veranda is fair ground for it. Wipe it down with a damp cloth; granite needs no sealer. The one caution is heat — the stone stays cool under a burning candle, but the glass does not, so lift the lantern by its base.

Making it yours

Everything on this lantern is made to order, so the parts that matter can move. The plinth can be cut taller or shorter, the lotus band swapped for a plain moulded step or a carved geometric band, and the chimney supplied in clear or lightly frosted glass. Makrana white and Vietnam white marble will both take the same form if black reads too heavy for your room, though the white stones want a matte finish rather than the satin. Pairs and sets of four are the usual ask for wedding and corporate gifting, and a fitted presentation box with a cut seat for each part can be made alongside. Tell us the table it is going on and we will size it from there.