Spectra 10 in Multi-Light Pendant | Blackjack Lighting

Spectra is a chandelier about color. Nine small pendants hang at random heights from a 10-inch round canopy, and each one carries a ring of color-saturated resin, a short cylinder of tinted light guide that glows from within. Together they make a loose bouquet of jewel tones: four gradients of one color family, Aqua Blues, Autumn Reds or Spring Greens, mixed through the cluster.

The clever part is where the color goes. Seen from the side, each ring shines in its own shade, so the fixture reads as a three-dimensional spectrum hanging in the air. Below, the light that reaches a table is useful white light from the integrated LED, 1948 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI, so food, faces and finishes look natural while the color stays at eye level. It is a compact piece, at home over a round dining table, in an entry or above a bar, where it adds a note of color without tinting the room.

Design notes

• Color at eye level, white light below: tinted resin rings glow from the side while the LED sends clean white light downward.
• A gradient palette: four shades of one color family in each fixture: Aqua Blues, Autumn Reds or Spring Greens.
• Compact cluster: nine pendants on a 10 in (25.4 cm) round canopy, field adjustable from 9 in to 101 in.
• Quality of light: 30 W integrated LED, 1948 lumens at 3000K, 90 CRI, universal dimming.
• Socket finish: Matte Black for a graphic frame around the color, Polished Chrome for added sparkle.

Specifications

Downloads

• Spectra 10 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Spectra 10 in installation instructions (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!" Spectra uses the LED's small size to put color exactly where the eye meets it, in rings of tinted resin, while the light below stays clean and white.

Questions

What is the design idea behind Spectra?

To hang color in three dimensions. Each pendant carries a tinted resin ring that glows from the side, while useful white light falls to the surface below.

Who is behind Blackjack Lighting?

Industrial designer Stephen Blackman, President and Chief Design Officer, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 to make LED-native fixtures.

Which color family and finish should I choose?

Aqua Blues feel cool and watery, Autumn Reds warm and spiced, Spring Greens fresh and botanical. Matte Black sockets frame the color crisply; Polished Chrome adds reflections.

Does the colored resin tint the light in the room?

No. The color is seen from the side; the light directed downward is white, 1948 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI, and it dims on TRIAC, ELV and 0-10V controls.

What warranty does it carry?

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