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Home / News / 10/10 would shade again: solid granite lampshade is impractically heavy, yet rather beautiful

10/10 would shade again: solid granite lampshade is impractically heavy, yet rather beautiful

If you've seen a better way to dress up a lightbulb, let us know

You’re writing about a lampshade.
We sure are. But this isn’t a cheap paper one you’ve snapped up from Argos to replace the one your cat ripped to shreds.

This one just happens to be carved from a single, solid piece of granite.

10/10 would shade again: solid granite lampshade is impractically heavy, yet rat

You mean, the rock?
Yes, the rock. Dreamt up by the designers at AStudio, the Mika 350 lamp takes five hours to shape from start to finish, using two different machines and a lot of elbow grease to chip and carve away at the incredibly tough surface.

The top is capped with a choice of oak, chestnut, afzelia and sucupira. We’re assuming the last two are also types of wood.

10/10 would shade again: solid granite lampshade is impractically heavy, yet rat

So if there’s an earthquake, and it falls on me, I’m basically dead.
Thanks to its surprisingly thin shell it only weighs 15 pounds, or just under 7kg.

It’ll be like a small dog jumping on your head, albeit one with no fur, and a rock-solid unforgiving belly which will pack quite a wallop. You’d have a concussion at best.

Our advice? Don’t buy one if you’re in an earthquake zone.

I’m assuming I wouldn’t be able to afford one anyway..
You assumed right. Prices start from US$800.

It’s a tad on the expensive side for a lampshade, we know. But you could always follow in our footsteps and try and carve your own.

All you need is a multipack of nail files, a cheese grater, and around 10,000 hours of free time. We’ll show it of when it’s done.

READ MORE: These smashed lightbulbs are frozen in time, forever

[AStudio via Gizmodo]

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.

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