I suspect the reason this is falling without anyone popping in to show is that most people don't like French wiring. I sure don't.

The only way I would consider a lamp with that kind of wiring would be if it were amenable to having it rewired the old-fashioned way with the wire in a rod up through the center. This would mean the crystal part would need to be hollow (no problem there) and that it would look okay to put it on a wood or marble or metal base where the cord could run out the back. (If you are a good DIYer you can buy a kit for this fairly inexpensively. When I was a kid I had a lamp in my room that my mom made from a fancy delft stoppered jug.)

I love those baluster crystal lamps that are all over the place right now, but not enough to put up with the dangly wire. I believe it's considered a design feature, so that nobody can be confused that you have an old lamp made from top quality crystal instead of the latest hot trend.

I do not like dangling wire either. I buy a lot of lamps made at a local shop - she buys things in Atlanta or estate sales. Or I'll buy something and have it made into a lamp. But nothing French wired.

Is the cord 'clear', or ivory or brown?

I have made many lamps, and when I don't want to destroy what I am making one from, such as an antique barley twist candle stick or crock by drilling into it, I will either do the French wiring, or in this case below, I drilled into the hollow faux ivory candle. The wire comes out at the bottom of the 'candle' and is then almost invisibly wired with fine brown coated florist wire around the wooden stick, to hold it in place behind the lamp. No wire visible!

Depending on the color monofilament fishing line and secure the wire around the neck of the lamp, so it hangs behind it, as in my example below? Then either do the same at the lamp base, depending on how wide it is, or use clear tape to secure the cord at the back of the base? Do you have a photo of the lamp you like?

I put a link below to an image of a PB lamp that is French wired, and the cord hasn't been Photoshopped out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Image of PB Bacchus lamp

Thanks for the input.

Writersblock, you confirmed what I was thinking. It WOULD bother me.

Thanks, Allison. Your own lamps are so beautiful. I always buy lamps based on shape (I can look at a page of 100 lamps and only like the shape of 1)and this one really spoke to me.

Thanks for taking the time to find that link, my3dogs. The cord in that picture doesn't seem quite so obtrusive as I imagined, but I still think it distracts.

BTW, when I went to get a picture of the lamp I was thinking of, I found they also make it with the rod. Not sure I like it as much, though.

Anyway, here's the lamp, if you're interested.

Still thinking....I'm a little bothered by writerblock's words that it's a hot trend.

Dee

That is a beautiful lamp. Do they have a picture with the rod? It's too bad there isn't way to avoid both the dangler and the rod, isn't it?

I recently purchased a Jonathan Adler lamp with the French wiring, not sure I’d be able to live with it. But it’s fine. I love the solid crystal base and the wire is minimally visible.