Christmas Eve in Paris
I arrived wet & stepped into the bathroom to blowdry my hair and then my coat. When I emerged coiffed again champagne was poured and presents were unwrapped. The largest present was disguised as the Christmas tree. My Baccarat Chandelier. Months prior I’d been at the #ParisFleaMarket & found the chandelier for +|-650E. In good condition it could have been 3500E -in fact, one quick Google search & we found it in Belgium at that price. They knew me. I wanted it. Danielle and Jean Pierre (who work with me at @theantiquesdiva) immediately began negotiating and discussing how I would get it home.
My kitchen needs a chandelier. The vendor at @marchedauphine agreed to rewire it for a small fee but still it needed TLC-polishing & crystals cleaned & rewired. It was missing a few pieces to boot so a treasure hunt would ensue. I am creative but I am not handy. It’s a shame really. My father only has to look in the direction of a broken object and it restores itself. And my brother once took apart a lawn mower simply to learn how it worked. My mother was not impressed to find her fully functioning lawn mower in pieces on my brothers bedroom floor. And even less impressed to discover he had washed some of the pieces in her dishwasher. The cost of restoring the chandelier could be prohibitive and more to the point I wasn’t certain who to hire. But Mamma Mia the price was too good to pass. I love beautiful things.
And then Danielle pipped up. “I can restore it for you!” What? How!? “It simply takes patience darling.” She said this like patience grew on trees. Some might find this hard to believe but I don’t have patience. Plus I’m not a shopper. I don’t like to spend money & honestly I have more than enough things. But a kitchen chandelier I needed. The peril of my job is I see so many beautiful things at exceptional prices that I tend to only buy when struck with a combination of coup de foudre & the perfect price. This chandelier was the perfect storm. So Danielle took it home and for the last month has been slowly restoring it. Her gift to me - Time. More precious than diamonds or gold. Time is ultimate gift. Merci Cheri @danipelletier Joyeux Noel
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