SPANISH ALABASTER LAMPSHADES, MADE IN CHINA:

WHAT 18 YEARS OF CUSTOM STONE WORK ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

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INTRODUCTION

We are a Chinese family of lampshade factories specialising in GLASS lampshades
and ALABASTER (Spanish alabaster) lampshades. Because our alabaster range has
been growing at over 20% since 2025 and enquiry volume is rising fast, we
decided to reintroduce this side of our business properly – so that new
customers can understand our product and our factory before the first email.

CONTACT: For alabaster lampshade enquiries (China): 3509124168@QQ.COM

WHO WE ARE

We have been machining and manufacturing alabaster lampshades for a group of
long-standing customers SINCE 2007. Nearly two decades of mostly non-standard,
made-to-order work is precisely why our alabaster craft is as good as it is:
custom work punishes shortcuts, and repetition on hard projects is what builds
a real workshop.

We operate THREE lampshade factories in Zhongshan and Jiangmen, one of which
exists specifically to supply nearby lighting manufacturers with matching
shades. In China’s lighting industry we are widely regarded as ONE OF THE THREE
FINEST ALABASTER LAMPSHADE MANUFACTURERS.

CAPACITY, PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT

• 5,000 standard alabaster shades per month
• 20+ master craftsmen in Spanish alabaster
• 5 alabaster cutting machines
• 15 polishing machines
• 12 skilled grinding / sanding workers
• 26 supporting & auxiliary machines
• 3 days drawings for confirmation
• 10 days sampling from your drawings
• 20 days typical production lead time

Our in-house designers and engineers turn your sketches or CAD files into
confirmation drawings WITHIN THREE WORKING DAYS. On dimensional accuracy we are
consistently one of the most reliable shops in the industry – it is the single
thing customers praise us for most often.

Our strongest competitive advantage is OEM / ODM CAPABILITY: give our engineers
and designers a drawing, and in most cases we can deliver a physical sample for
approval WITHIN 10 DAYS. The combination of speed and finish regularly
surprises the designers and architects we work with.

HOW WE WORK COMMERCIALLY

Because most of our alabaster shades are custom-made, our standard terms are a
MINIMUM 50% DEPOSIT, with the BALANCE PAID BEFORE SHIPMENT. We say this openly:
if you are not genuinely interested in working with us, please don’t spend
either of our time getting in touch.

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PART ONE – MATERIAL TRUTH: TRACEABLE STONE, STABLE SUPPLY

The first thing that matters about an alabaster lampshade is whether the stone
is real. Our Spanish alabaster is GYPSUM ALABASTER (CaSO4.2H2O): Mohs hardness
of only 1.5-2, density around 2.3 g/cm3, and one of the most light-transmissive
commercial stones in the world.

The bulk of our raw material comes from the EBRO VALLEY and the JILOCA /
CALATAYUD BASIN in ARAGON, SPAIN – quarry points such as Fuentes de Ebro,
Gelsa, La Puebla de Hijar and Azaila – supplemented by translucent stone from
selected AFGHAN sources. Processing and finishing happen in our own workshops
in China.

REAL ALABASTER VS. RESIN IMITATION
(A five-minute bench test that tells you what you are actually buying.)

TEST GENUINE ALABASTER RESIN / IMITATION

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Weight Density ~ 2.3 – “looks light, Density ~ 1.2 –
feels heavy” for its size noticeably light

Temperature Cool to the touch, stays Returns to body
cool in the hand temperature in seconds

Cut edge Fine crystalline fracture; Pattern sits only on
veining runs through the full the surface; homogeneous
thickness, continuous inside section, possible mould
and out seams or bubbles

Scratch A fingernail can mark it A blade lifts flakes;
lightly; a blade raises powder hard knocks leave no mark

Under light, the difference is just as clear. Real stone scatters light between
crystals: thin areas glow brighter, veins read deeper, and the pattern is
layered at different DEPTHS. Resin produces one flat, even layer of light with
the image “stuck” on the surface.

And one more field test – line up several shades of the same model. IF EVERY
PIECE HAS IDENTICAL VEINING, IT IS A MOULDED PRODUCT. STONE CANNOT REPEAT
ITSELF.

IMPORTANT: TEST UNDER 2700K, NOT COLD WHITE

Colour temperature above 4000K flattens the stone into a uniform grey that
looks exactly like resin. Always evaluate alabaster under a 2700K light source

• that is where the quality and depth of genuine Spanish alabaster becomes
  visible.

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PART TWO – LIGHT TRANSMISSION & MACHINING PRECISION:

WHY CUSTOMERS STAY WITH US

Real stone is only the entry ticket. The same block of raw material can produce
a shade that is ordinary, or one that commands three times the price. The
difference is craft.

WALL THICKNESS AND UNIFORMITY – THE FIRST CORE TECHNOLOGY

Alabaster absorbs light aggressively: roughly ONE THIRD TO ONE HALF of the
luminous flux is absorbed by the stone and re-radiated as surface glow. That is
why the shade must be turned thin. High-quality work is typically held at
around 4-10 mm and, more importantly, held UNIFORM. Too thick and the light
looks dull and blocked; too thin and you lose strength and get uneven
transmission with bright hot spots.

CHIPPING, CRACKS, SAND HOLES AND FILLED RESIN

Alabaster is brittle. From quarry to finished shade, usable yield is often only
20-30% – and that yield is exactly what determines whether a quotation is
realistic. Inspect the edges, the cut-outs and the base of the shade: these are
the places that chip most and the places where filling and patching hide.

SURFACE FINISH AND HAND FEEL

Correctly finished genuine alabaster feels like a fine SATIN surface, not a
mirror polish – and you can still see the stone’s own structure in it.

SEAMS AND VEIN MATCHING

On large shades built from multiple panels, look at whether the joints are
tight, whether light leaks, and whether panels are misaligned. Top-tier
factories perform VEIN MATCHING: the direction of the veining across a set of
fixtures for one project is coordinated. It is the detail architects care about
most, and it is the real dividing line between factories. On cutting accuracy,
CNC HOLDS WITHIN 0.5 mm, while hand cutting commonly drifts beyond 2 mm.

TWO FORMING METHODS, BOTH MASTERED

• HOLLOWING FROM A SOLID BLOCK – one piece, no seams, the purest glow.
• PANEL ASSEMBLY FROM SLAB – better material usage for large diameters and
  complex forms.

We run both, and we run them better than most: on comparable specifications our
cost advantage over competing workshops is around 30%.

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PART THREE – LIGHT & HEAT SAFETY, BATCH CONSISTENCY, DELIVERY:

REMOVING THE CLIENT’S WORRIES

LIGHT SOURCE AND HEAT

Today we design essentially for LED only. For a closed shade we recommend
keeping real power UNDER 10 W PER SHADE, and avoiding halogen capsule lamps and
high-wattage incandescent. This is not only about energy: heat “bakes” dust and
organic film onto the stone and creates the famous “yellowing alabaster” –
which is dirt, not discolouration. Gypsum is geologically colour-stable and
will not yellow over millions of years. Use 2700K (3000K maximum) with
CRI 90+ to bring out the cream, amber and pink layers inside the stone.

STRUCTURAL SAFETY

Alabaster is heavy. Suspension hardware, metal structure (SOLID BRASS vs.
ZINC-ALLOY PLATING) and safety factors must be read off a drawing – our
engineers provide structural design drawings and guidance to clients for
exactly this reason.

CARE ADVICE

Alabaster fears water, humidity and direct sun. Gypsum is very slightly
soluble in water: clean only with a barely damp cloth and dry immediately, and
avoid long-term exposure to strong sunlight, which can cause yellowing of the
surface.

BATCH CONSISTENCY AND STABLE SOURCING

We buy raw alabaster from Spain and also source translucent alabaster from
Afghanistan and other origins through several long-term partners. Multi-origin,
contract-backed supply is what allows us to keep quality and shade-to-shade
consistency stable for years, not just for one container.

PACKAGING AND BREAKAGE – OUR 100% COMMITMENT

Fragile stone demands custom foam moulds plus a wooden crate, validated by drop
testing. We take responsibility for transport damage directly: IF AN ALABASTER
SHADE IS BROKEN IN TRANSIT DUE TO OUR PACKAGING, WE TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY.

CONTACT: Alabaster lampshade enquiries, drawings and project files:
3509124168@QQ.COM

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PART FOUR – THREE CORE ADVANTAGES OF SPANISH ALABASTER SHADES

We see alabaster manufacturing as a long-term business. We would rather spend
more time building a decade of work with a good customer than chase a single
order.

ADVANTAGE 1 – VOLUMETRIC SCATTERING:
LIGHT DOESN’T PASS THROUGH THE STONE, IT TRAVELS INSIDE IT

Spanish alabaster is microcrystalline gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), a dense aggregate of
extremely fine gypsum crystals. Light entering the wall is scattered repeatedly
at the crystal boundaries – subsurface scattering – and finally “seeps out”
through the entire thickness. Three results that neither glass nor resin can
achieve:

• NO HOT SPOTS, NO GLARE. Even at high output you cannot see the outline of
  the bulb; the whole shade becomes an even, low-luminance glowing surface.
• REAL DEPTH. Dense veins absorb more, thin walls transmit more, and the
  pattern is layered at different depths – you see a GLOWING VOLUME, not a
  lit surface. This is also the key to telling real stone from fake.
• A BUILT-IN WARM FILTER. The stone absorbs cooler wavelengths and transmits
  warmer ones, adding an amber/cream base tone that the same LED cannot
  produce on its own.

QUANTITATIVELY: thickness governs everything. Transmission is roughly 30-60%
and decays approximately exponentially with thickness – a 1 mm change at 10 mm
is far more visible than the same change at 25 mm. That is why wall-thickness
tolerance (+/- 0.3-0.5 mm) directly determines whether a finished shade shows
dark bands.

ADVANTAGE 2 – EVERY PIECE IS UNIQUE:
NATURAL VEINING IS BOTH AESTHETIC VALUE AND ANTI-COUNTERFEIT

Iron oxides run gold-brown, manganese gives grey-black tones, quartz inclusions
add a fine sparkle. The veining is a record of mineral fluid moving over
millions of years: unrepeatable, irregular, and continuous through the full
thickness. Two benefits follow:

• DESIGN: every shade is a one-off, and multiple fixtures in one project can
  be VEIN MATCHED – the most valuable handmade signature in high-end projects.
• PURCHASING: repeated veining means a moulded product. Same model, identical
  pattern, lined up in a row: resin or composite stone.
• TOUCH: genuine stone is cool, satin-fine, and at ~2.3 g/cm3 it sits heavily
  in the hand; resin warms to body temperature in seconds.

ADVANTAGE 3 – SOFT ENOUGH TO WORK, INORGANIC ENOUGH TO LAST

At Mohs 1.5-2 (marble is 3-4, granite 6-7), alabaster can be carved with
woodworking tools and turned reliably to a uniform 4-6 mm wall – the physical
precondition for it being a top-tier shade material. That softness also lets
CNC hold tolerances inside 0.5 mm.

• THE MINERAL ITSELF DOES NOT YELLOW. Gypsum is geologically stable; its
  colour formed over millions of years. “Yellowing alabaster” is almost
  always old incandescent or halogen lamps baking dust and organic film onto
  the surface, or early-generation LED phosphor degradation – not the stone
  changing colour.
• SAFE AND LOW-CARBON. Gypsum is non-combustible and releases no toxic fumes,
  natural stone carries no radioactivity, and off-cuts can be recycled back
  into gypsum powder.

“Light through alabaster is not a beam you look at – it is a soft volume you
look into. That is the difference customers can feel but rarely see on a spec
sheet.”

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PART FIVE – WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS

The optical and material behaviour of translucent stone in lighting is not
marketing language – it has been measured in laboratories. Three studies are
particularly relevant:

[1] OPTICAL TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES OF PENTELIC AND PAROS MARBLE
R. Weigand, P. A. Garcia Pastor, J. Campos Acosta, J. Storch de Gracia
Institute of Optics, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Applied Optics 54: B251-B255, 2015 | DOI: 10.1364/AO.54.00B251

To test whether the Temple of Olympian Zeus could have been daylit through
translucent marble roof tiles, the authors measured spectral absolute
transmittance of samples at different thicknesses with a calibrated
spectrophotometer, plus total transmittance with a luxmeter. Conclusion:
both marbles transmit light, and Pentelic marble shows higher transmittance
than Paros in parts of the visible spectrum - possibly one reason the roof
stone was changed in antiquity.

[2] EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF COMPOSITION AND
MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE TENSILE PROPERTIES AND FAILURE CHARACTERISTICS OF
DIFFERENT GYPSUM ROCKS
Hongfa Ma et al., China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing)
Scientific Reports 11: 14517, 2021 | DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93947-6
PMC8282642, open access

Using XRF, XRD, SEM and Brazilian splitting tests, the team compared
fibrous gypsum, transparent gypsum, alabaster and common gypsum. Key data:
ALABASTER CONTAINS 72.78% CaSO4.2H2O WITH A TENSILE STRENGTH OF ONLY
1.79 MPa (transparent gypsum 2.22, fibrous gypsum 3.22, common gypsum
4.35 MPa), with jagged fracture surfaces and developed porosity. The higher
the CaSO4.2H2O content, the larger the crystals and the lower the tensile
strength - which explains precisely why alabaster is both beautifully
workable and unforgiving in machining.

[3] DESIGNING BACKLIGHTING TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE OF PORCELAIN TILES
J. Kop – MSc thesis, Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of
Technology (TU Delft), 2014
Supervisors: S. C. Pont, M. Hajian | repository.tudelft.nl

A backlighting module for semi-translucent bone-china tiles. The study
compared five light source categories and found LED and LED strips optimal
on lifetime, size, cost and design flexibility; surveys and competitor
pricing defined the target market (high-end residential, hotel,
restaurant); a requirements list plus Harris Profile selected the final
150 x 150 x 18 mm module. The thesis names the seven most critical design
factors: LIGHT UNIFORMITY, DIMENSIONS, SEAMS, LIGHT INTENSITY, WALL
MOUNTING, THERMAL MANAGEMENT, AND MAINTAINABILITY - a checklist that maps
almost one-to-one onto alabaster luminaire design.

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CLOSING: WE ARE INVESTING IN THE LONG TERM

For all of these reasons we are increasing our investment in alabaster and
putting real care into every shade we make – contributing light and warmth to
this industry, better products to our customers, and a small addition to human
aesthetics. Designers, architects, brand owners and lighting manufacturers who
share that ambition are welcome to visit our factories in Zhongshan and
Jiangmen.

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TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR ALABASTER PROJECT

Send drawings, photos or a specification. You will have confirmation drawings in
3 working days and a sample in about 10 days.

China alabaster lampshade contact: 3509124168@QQ.COM

• OEM / ODM * Custom & non-standard shades * Factory visits welcome
• Terms: 50% minimum deposit, balance before shipment
• 100% responsibility for transit breakage caused by our packaging

Key specs at a glance:

• Spanish gypsum alabaster, Mohs 1.5-2, density ~2.3
• Wall thickness 4-10 mm, uniform
• CNC tolerance within 0.5 mm
• Transmission ~30-60%
• LED recommended: <=10 W, 2700K, CRI 90+
• 5,000 standard shades / month
• Sampling ~10 days | Production ~20 days

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(c) 2026 Alabaster & Glass Lampshade Factory – Zhongshan & Jiangmen,
Guangdong, China
Glass lampshades * Spanish alabaster lampshades * OEM / ODM
Contact: 3509124168@QQ.COM