|
Creation Process
|
Sign Up for Special Offers  |
|
|
|
|
| After
a worldwide search we ended up at the foothills
of the mighty Himalayas in Pakistan where we
found Salt with the broadest range of colors
and natural striations that we could have imagined.
From off White to Light Pink, from Peach to
deep shades of Orange and even to Crimson Red,
a veritable rainbow in terms of the more bland
colors of Salt we had seen elsewhere. The great
variance in colors helps us make every Salt
Lamp Creations Salt Lamp, and Salt Tea Light,
a unique piece of Natural Art.
An added bonus to these colorations is that
Himalayan Salt is unlike any other Salt we have
ever encountered as it glimmers when hand chipped
and glistens when lit from within. Many Himalayan
Salt Lamp companies pressure wash the lamps
after they have been carved. This creates an
almost plastic like finish to the water absorbent
Salt Crystal. You might notice our lamps have
a small amount of what appears as powdered Salt
on the exterior. When illuminated you will be
amazed at how this “residue” sparkles! |
|
|
From
deep below the base of the Himalayas, one of
the largest and most beautiful mountain ranges
in the World, we begin the long process of gathering
the Salt that will eventually end up in your
home or office, many thousands of miles away.
Mines have been excavated over the centuries
and currently run 800 to 1000 feet deep
(in some cases even deeper) and over a mile
long.
The Salt we use for Salt Lamp Creations’ “The
Salt Of The Earth” collection comes from the
mines in the Khewra and Gola Valley. This region
has been known for its high quality Salt since
the times of Alexander The Great. Salt throughout
history has been used for many things including
as a form of trade. At one time, it was considered
so rare, that it was used as a means of compensation
for Roman soldiers. The word and concept of
“salary” comes from the same word as Salt.
|
|
| While
other mines produce the Salt used by our competitors,
the mines we selected are the most prized of
all. The premium price we pay for our products
is reflected in the beautiful product we end
up shipping to our customers.
As Natural Salt Crystal is removed from the
mines, it is brought out in pieces that may
way up to 1000 pounds each and are broken down
before being put on to a “rail-track” to be
pulled to the surface.
The labor is done in a primitive fashion, without
blasting and no children are allowed in the
mines. It was in a similar way that Gold and
Coal and other Minerals were mined in the USA
before the Industrial Revolution. |
|
| Once
the Salt has been taken out of the mines it
is then analyzed to ascertain its’ best use.
Some is used for Seasonings, some for Industrial
applications and the prized pieces, with the
greatest color variations, are selected for
creating Salt Lamps and Salt Tea Lights.
This select collection of Salt blocks is then
transported by heavy load bearing trucks to
our facilities near the Coastal region of Pakistan
for further processing.
The art of selecting the Salt for each project
requires a keen eye. We employ several “Graders”
whose job it is to sort through the salt and
decide which pieces will be used in Natural
shape lamps and which will be used for specialty
carved lamps.
Determining
the structural integrity of a large slab of
Salt enables the Graders to separate those that
will be used in our Natural shape collections,
by far the most popular and affordable, from
those that will be used to make our Geometric
series.
The Geometric lamps are shapes we offer through
our catalog and on our retail web site, as well
as special production items we create for our
Wholesale and Import customers by special order.
Items like Spheres, Fire Bowls, Cylinders, Cubes,
Pyramids, Raindrops, Rounded Hearts and Apple
Shaped Tea Lights, Cylinders and more, require
the Salt to be able to withstand not only hand
carving and preliminary shaping, but must also
be durable enough to be finished on polishing
machines.
Once that separation has taken place the next
step is to break down the large Salt slabs into
smaller chunks, weighing 10-40 pounds each.
This hand chiseling is the first step in producing
our Salt Lamps and makes the Salt much more
manageable. |

|
|
The
pieces are then graded again, this time by color
and luminescent quality. Many of our customers
prefer lighter colored lamps as they glow the
brightest when illuminated. Others prefer darker
lamps that are more difficult to light but have
a more unusual appearance.
For Salt Lamp Creations’ “The Salt Of The Earth”
Salt Lamp and Natural Salt Tea Light Collection
we have tried to strike a balance by offering
most of our products in the Peach to light Red
color range.
Nearly pure White Salt is used for our Cool
Color Crystal™ Natural Salt Lamps and is illuminated
by a choice of the 6 different colored bulbs
we include in each package.
Once
the color selection has been completed, these
smaller slabs of Salt are assigned to artisans,
based on their experience and specialty. The
more intricate the Salt Lamp, the more experienced
a worker must be before being assigned the task
of creating a specific shape. |

|
| A
cavity is drilled into the uncut slabs, defining
what will eventually be the base of the individual
Salt Lamp or top of the Salt Tea Lights. The
hole is drilled at this stage because once the
Salt Lamp has been brought down to the weight
of the final lamp it is too difficult to do
the coring, as many Salt Lamps would be cracked
and lost in the process.
Each drilled cavity is checked again for structural
integrity and cracked lamps are rejected. The
size is checked to make sure that our EZ-Change
Light Assembly™ will fit properly, enabling
the Salt Lamp to be lit from within, or to be
sure that the Salt Tea Light will hold its candle
properly.
Then the artistic portion of the “Creation”
process begins.
An experienced craftsman shows the artisans
on his team what parts of each individual slab
should be carved away in order to leave the
most beautiful and glistening Salt Lamp. This
process, like carving Diamonds, requires patience
and an experienced eye that can, by looking
at rough Salt, see the gem within.
Using chipping tools, the Natural shaped Salt
Lamps are created most quickly…the Fire Bowl,
Sphere and other complex Geometric Salt Lamp
shapes, which are chipped, then hand carved
then machine smoothed and again hand polished
can take several days to complete. Our copyright
protected embossed Heart and devotional lamp
series are also specialized processes that call
for a steady hand and a loving eye.
Once the lamp has been “carved”, it is put through
a Quality control process again, making sure
the base of the lamp is flat and that the lamp
stands properly. Each Salt Lamp is checked,
measured and weighed and then separated once
again based on our size and weight specifications.
|

|
The lamps
are given a quick wash and then dried and then
Natural shapes are steel brushed to bring out
the crystalline look that makes them sparkle and
shine. Geometrics are smoothed and Polished and
checked for symmetry.
In a separate facility, hardwood bases have
been cut, beveled, stained and polished to become
the stand upon which the Salt Lamp Creation
Lamps will be placed. The bases are brought
together with the Salt
Lamps and then attached with Stain Resistant
fasteners to the base of the Natural Crystal
Salt Lamp, carefully aligning the holes in each
for proper fit and balance.
Once the two pieces have been mated, our exclusive
EZ-Change Light Assembly™ is added. This assembly
was designed when many people complained of
having to use a screwdriver to dig out the bulb
holder from the lamp when it needed to be changed.
After unplugging your lamp and letting it cool,
our exclusive assembly allows you to simply
squeeze the prongs of the light bulb holder
together and gently lift the bulb out of the
Salt Lamp cavity. Once out, you simply replace
the bulb (which can be found at any hardware
or grocery store), squeeze the prongs and clip
the assembly back together. Virtually foolproof!
Natural
Salt Tea Lights have a final pencil wide hole
drilled in the bottom to enable you to pop out
the used tea light candle and easily replace
it. Rubber furniture protectors are added to
finish the process.
Packaging then begins. Some of our Import and
Wholesale customers choose to go with the bare
minimum on product quality and packaging. They
often choose to buy second quality and leave
off the EZ-Change Light Assembly™ and Tea Light
pop out hole and feet. Those lamps are usually
bulk ordered to be shipped simply wrapped in
plastic bags and boxed for transoceanic shipment.
|

|
| Salt
Lamp Creations’ “The Salt Of The Earth” Salt
Lamps and Himalayan Salt Tea Lights are specially
packaged. First they are shrink wrapped, then
bubble wrapped and then placed in beautiful
full color packaging that explains the Salt
Lamp, how it is made and its many uses. Those
retail ready boxes are bar-coded for our customers
who have stores across the country and make
attractive and unique gifts for any occasion.
They are master packed in cartons that hold
from 6-12 pieces and then shipped to our warehouse
in Oregon for distribution.
For Wholesale purchases please contact us at
Wholesale@SaltLampCreations.com
For Import Opportunities contact us at Importing@SaltLampCreations.com
For other questions contact us at Info@SaltLampCreations.com
|

|
|
|
- Salt Lamps by Salt Lamp Creations - |
|
|
|
 |
|