Candle Pendant Light | Blackjack Lighting

Candle takes the oldest image in lighting and draws it inside a modern material. A slim rod of clear cast acrylic, just over an inch across and five inches long, hangs from a small cylindrical cap; within it, a candle and its flame are laser-etched into the solid acrylic. When the LED in the cap switches on, light travels down the rod and catches only on the etched lines, so the candle appears to glow from inside a column of clear glass-like material.

It is a piece of quiet wit. There is no wick, no wax and no bulb, only light made visible by a drawing. Unlit, the rod is nearly transparent and the etching reads as a faint frosted sketch; lit, the flame becomes the brightest point and the clear acrylic around it all but vanishes. The cap sets the tone: Matte Black gives a sharp graphic accent, White softens into pale ceilings, and Polished Chrome adds a jewel-like glint. Hung in clusters at staggered heights, the pendants read as a field of floating candles.

Design notes

• A drawing made of light: the candle and flame are laser-etched into the acrylic, so the image itself is what glows.
• Light guide optics: the LED sits in the cap and pushes light down the solid rod, keeping the source out of sight.
• Slender proportion: a 1.1 in (2.8 cm) by 5 in (12.7 cm) light guide under a 2 in (5.1 cm) cap, small enough to group freely.
• Quality of light: 133 lumens at 3000K and 90 CRI, a warm accent glow rather than a task light.
• Finish as accent: Matte Black, White or Polished Chrome on the cap; the acrylic stays clear in every version.

Specifications

Downloads

• Candle specification sheet (PDF)
• Light guide pendant installation instructions (PDF)
• Light guide 1 in pendant LM-79 photometric report (PDF)

Stephen Blackman and Blackjack Lighting

Blackjack Lighting is the studio of industrial designer Stephen Blackman, its President and Chief Design Officer. Trained in industrial design at Syracuse University, Blackman began his lighting career in 1984 at Sonneman Design Group, then founded Blackman Design Associates in 1988, designing decorative and architectural lighting for manufacturers including Kichler. He launched Blackjack in 2013 in suburban Chicago, now based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, to build fixtures conceived for LED from the first sketch.

His argument is that the LED should change the shape of a light, not just its efficiency. Rather than hiding a new source inside old bulb-and-shade forms, Blackjack designs around the small, flat, cool-running LED: thin discs, slim rods, glowing rings and lenses that let the light itself become the object. In his own words, "Decorative lighting by its nature is not primarily about optimizing lamp efficiency, it is primarily about decoration!" Candle makes the point with a smile: the oldest light there is, redrawn as an etching inside a rod of LED-lit acrylic.

Questions

How does the etched candle light up?

The LED sits in the cap above the acrylic rod. Light travels down the solid acrylic and scatters where the candle and flame have been laser-etched, so the drawing glows while the clear rod around it stays bright and transparent.

Which Blackjack collection is Candle part of?

It belongs to Blackjack's Spec Series of light guide pendants, the same 1 in acrylic family as the maker's other etched and frosted rods.

Which cap finish should I choose?

Matte Black reads as a crisp dark accent against light ceilings; White blends into pale rooms so the glowing candle dominates; Polished Chrome adds sparkle and reflects the room around it.

How bright is it, and does it dim?

Each pendant gives 133 lumens of warm 3000K, 90 CRI light, an ambient accent best used in groups. The driver in the 5 in canopy supports universal dimming (TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V).

What warranty does it carry?

Three years on the integrated LED and its power supply, and one year on materials and workmanship, for the original buyer in the US and Canada.