Peacock Tealight Holder

A peacock in German Silver, sitting with its tail fanned and a glass cup set into its back for a tealight. The body is chased with overlapping feathers from the breast to the tail, the head and beak are modelled in the round, and the fan behind is worked on both faces — it reads from behind as well as from the front.

The glass cup is the part that matters

The tealight sits in a clear glass cup that lifts straight out. Three things follow from that, and they are the difference between a piece you use and one you put away after a week:

• The wax never touches the metal. Spent wax goes in the bin with the tealight shell; there is nothing to scrape out of chased feather work — which, if you have ever tried it, is a job you only do once.
• The flame is not sitting against bare metal. The glass takes the heat first.
• It washes. Lift the cup out, wash the glass, dry the metal separately.

It takes an ordinary tealight — the standard supermarket size, in its own aluminium shell. Nothing special to order, and nothing proprietary to run out of.

What it is not

This is a candle holder, not a diya. There is no oil well and no wick pin — it is not made to burn oil or ghee, and we would not use it that way. If you want an oil lamp, our Chirag Lamp & Plate is built for exactly that.

Lighting it safely

• Never burn a tealight in it without the glass cup. That cup is doing a job.
• The metal gets hot, and so does the glass. There is no handle and no insulation here — let the whole thing cool before you move it.
• Stand it on a hard, level surface, clear of curtains and loose cloth, and do not leave it burning unattended.

Material and care

German Silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. There is no silver in it — the name describes the colour, not the content. There is no gold polish anywhere on this piece; it is the bare alloy throughout.

• Take the glass cup out before you clean it. Wash the glass; keep water off the metal.
• Wipe the raised feathers with a dry cotton cloth and leave the recesses alone. No metal polish and no scouring powder — the chasing on the tail is fine and shallow, and polish flattens it.
• It will darken over a few months, first inside the feather cuts. That is tarnish, not damage, and on a piece with this much texture the darkness in the low points is what makes the feathers read. The care guide has the full method.
• Soot will collect above the cup if you burn it often. A dry cloth takes it off; leaving it to build up is what eventually needs real cleaning.

Where it goes

A console table by the door, a mandir shelf, a dining table at Diwali, an office desk. It is a decorative piece rather than a pooja object, which makes it one of the easier things to give: it carries no expectation about how the recipient keeps their home.

It suits Diwali and Dhanteras, griha pravesh, wedding and anniversary gifting, and corporate gifting where one box has to work for a list of people you do not know well.

In the box

• One peacock tealight holder, German Silver
• One clear glass tealight cup
• Blue velvet gift box with a brass clasp

Tealights are not included, and the flowers, lantern and card in the photographs are styling, not part of the order.

Price includes GST. Prepaid only — we do not offer cash on delivery. Dispatched within 48 hours, shipped anywhere in India. This one ships free, being above the Rs 1,999 threshold.