Candlesticks and Taper Candles for the Dinner Table

Northern Lights' 12 inch tapers are unscented, colored all the way through and rated for about 12 hours each, burning roughly an inch an hour. That is enough for a long dinner with plenty to spare, and a box of twelve covers several evenings with two or three candlesticks.

The height is the reason to choose them. A 12 inch taper in a short holder puts the flame well above a centerpiece and a bottle of wine, which is where candlelight flatters most. Pure white suits every table and every season.

They are a paraffin blend rather than beeswax. Keep them out of drafts; the maker says they are smokeless in a draft-free room, and any taper will drip and smoke near an open window or a heating vent.

The catch. Paraffin, not beeswax, and tall tapers are less stable in a shallow or loose candle cup.

The Simplicity holder is exactly that: a 4 inch cast-metal candlestick with a dark bronze finish that takes any standard taper. The listing gives the country of origin as the United States.

One on its own looks modest. A line of four or six down the middle of a long table, each with a tall white taper, looks deliberate and generous, and at about $10 each that costs less than a single designer candlestick. Short holders also let a tall taper do the work of lifting the light.

Skip them if you want one pair of candlesticks to be the centerpiece. For that, look at the glass or the crystal below.

The catch. Light for a candlestick, so pair it with a taper no taller than 12 inches and keep it off the edge of the table.

Juliska's Provence glass takes its look from the traditional bubbled glassware of southern France. The candlesticks are mouth blown, individually signed and made in Thailand, 7 inches tall, in lead-free glass with small bubbles caught in it. Chambray is a pale, faded blue that works with white china and natural linen.

Glass candlesticks catch and scatter the flame in a way metal cannot, and a colored pair adds a little color to the table without committing it to a theme. Juliska says most of its glass can go on the top rack of a dishwasher on a gentle cycle, which helps with wax.

Skip them if your table is already busy with color or pattern; a clear or metal candlestick will sit more quietly. Being handmade, each one varies slightly.

The catch. Glass is lighter than it looks, so a tall taper makes the pair easier to knock over.

Orrefors is one of Sweden's great crystal houses, and Carat is a candlestick line designed by Lena Bergström. This pair combines a faceted crystal stem with a brass candle cup, 9.5 inches tall, and weighs about 5 pounds together, which is what makes them steady on a table.

Crystal and brass together solve the choice between warm metal and sparkling glass. The brass cup catches the flame and warms it; the crystal throws light back onto the table. They suit a formal dinner and look just as good with two plain tapers on a kitchen table.

The listing gives Slovenia as the country of origin. Hand wash only. Skip them if the price is hard to justify for candlesticks; the glass and metal picks above do most of the job.

The catch. About $320 a pair, and brass will darken with time unless you polish it.