Two weeks ago, I posted a photo of this lamp as I was finishing up the majority of the soldering. At that time, I was waiting for some hardware to arrive— primarily the tear-drop shaped vase cap & the socket contraption into which 5 light bulbs will be set. As you can see by how dark the glass looks in this photo, the sockets still haven’t arrived! But the vase cap did and, using that color for inspiration, I created a patina which I applied this week. Patinas are chemicals that change the color of metal and they comes in a variety of shades. Looking back at the photo from 2 weeks ago, I feel the way I do when I look at photos of my kids as babies: awww! how cute! But with the solder lines darkened, I feel like the lamp has really grown up. The shiny silvery solder lines are no longer a distraction and the focus shifts to the beauty of the glass. It will be even more beautiful once that light socket arrives and the glass can be illuminated from inside. But that’s is a story and photo for another day, I suppose. Today, I’m appreciating the patina.