Alabaster does something glass cannot. Lit from inside, the stone turns from solid to lantern, and the light that comes through it is softer and warmer than anything a shade can fake. Over a table or an island it reads as a piece of sculpture that happens to be on.

What stone does for a pendant

An alabaster shade is lit from inside, so the veining shows through as shadow and the light arrives already diffused: no bulb in view, no hot spot on the table. Travertine is the opaque cousin, a pitted, matte stone that reads as texture rather than glow. Both bring a natural material to the ceiling that nothing else in the room has. Alba hangs brass with alabaster shades in two sizes, and Velina runs the same pairing in a straight line. Arabella clusters two or three travertine orbs, and Zira is a single alabaster dome in gold. Alba and Zira sit in the alabaster collection, where the chandeliers and sconces in the same stone live.

How to choose the right size

Over a dining table, one pendant about 12 inches narrower than the table reads balanced; over an island, a linear piece should run about two-thirds of its length, which is where Velina and Alba's island version belong. Hang the bottom 30 to 36 inches above the surface. Alba and Velina come in two sizes and Arabella in two or three orbs, and all four are tagged for 8 to 9-foot ceilings and for angled ceilings, so a sloped kitchen ceiling is not a blocker.

Styles and rooms across the range

Stone belongs where the room is already natural: wood, linen, plaster, a stone counter. Alba over a kitchen island, Velina over a long table, Arabella's orbs in a row over a narrow one, Zira alone over a breakfast nook or in an entry. It is the alternative to a glass and crystal pendant where sparkle would be too much, and the brass and metal pendants page holds the plainer brass pieces for the same rooms.

All four are hardwired, warm white, finished in gold, and dim from the wall switch. Choose alabaster for glow and travertine for texture, and size to the table or the island beneath it.