Whether you are restoring an older home or going for a more modern look, glass doorknobs create elegant yet genteel interiors. Although it might seem like minor detail, a glass knob or crystal doorknob can transform any ordinary door into a portal from the past. The good news is that you no longer have to search the flea markets in search of that perfect antique handle. There are all sorts of companies that now specialize in creating reproductions of crystal knobs. You can find these online easily. Crystal knobs also support a variety of new decorating styles – everything from nerd chic to Barbie chic to Victorian chic to modern Italian styles of decorating. It’s simply hard to go wrong!
If you are shopping in an antique or flea market for crystal door knobs keep in mind that many of these knobs were coated with paint in the 40s to keep up with changing styles in interior design. This means that the perfect door knob for you might be one that hides in a slush pile of ugly knobs. Scraping off the paint could reveal a beautiful crystal rosette or glass beveled jewel beneath. Crystal is quite hardy but you should still be careful while doing this to prevent damaging the door knob.
The more purple in color a doorknob is when you hold it up to the light the more valuable it is likely to be. These types of doorknobs turn purple over time (mostly from exposure to the sun.) This means that the crystal is heavier and also that the glass itself has a higher lead content. Glass doorknobs with a higher lead content can be worth hundreds of dollars!! Otherwise glass doorknobs are generally clear in color.
Whether you are shopping for genuine antique or reproduction door fixtures, keep in mind that you are not just limited to the knobs that look like giant round crystal gems. You can also find hand cut leaded crystal knobs that are cut into square or oval shapes. You are also likely to find glass blown doorknobs in every color of the rainbow including onyx, obsidian, and sapphire blue, emerald, topaz, pink and ruby red. During the Arts and Crafts movement in style in the 1920s hand-blown glass doorknobs were also popular.
There are also many doorknob fixtures to mount your crystal doorknobs on including ones made from brass, silver and gold and shapes that are ovals, barrels, squares, hexagons, domed tops and filigrees.
Most homes that suit crystal doorknobs were built in the Victorian, Edwardian and Colonial Revival Eras so matching your knob to your door might be as simple as determining your home’s historical era.