Hanging jellyfish lights

Roxy Russel's jellyfish lighting fixtures are a treat. They're made from transparent mylar, and run about $425 each.

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http://www.youbihar.com/ Shalu Sharma

Really amazing photo of the jellyfish.
Fantome_NR

Beautiful, but for $425 it would be nice if it was made from a more noble material than mylar.
http://echofox3.blogspot.com efergus3

At that price, it should also work as part of the home security system, grabbing and stinging any intruder until they’re unconscious.
Mike Jackson

Um, I think the average person with a pair of scissors and access to most hobby stores could duplicate this light-shade for close to $4.25 in materials if they were really thrifty. Asking $425 for THAT gives design a greedy name.
- eldritch
  
  You mean design didn’t already HAVE a greedy name?
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Alright then, let’s see it.
  - wrybread
    
    Amen. And Mr. Jackson, put me down for $50 that says you can’t get anywhere close to this project for $4.25. Or even $42.25, including prototypes and all expenses. And you have the massive advantage of having a picture of what the finished product should look like.
    - blueelm
      
      Well I don’t know where to get mylar that isn’t in bulk which would mean you’d have to have some use for x amount of mylar or you’d be wasting your money, but considering whether some one has frosted mylar lying around actually this would probably be a pretty easy and fun thing to make. Yep, it wouldn’t be original because you’d be copying the design but that’s no different than making a dress based on one you saw for 3k in a store. I would imagine you could make this for around 100 dollars though, assuming you’re willing to buy a pre-made hanging light and then build the jellyfish over some kind of frame. I’m not really a crafter/maker, but honestly, most of those cuts look simple. I wouldn’t use scissors though (just from working with mylar) but probably rather use a knife. The nice thing about mylar is you can lay it over a pattern to make the cuts the same.
      
      Hey, you could change bits of the design and even have one totally custom to your liking too.
      
      Personally… I think it looks too much like a homecoming queen’s mum. For 425 I can get a hand made glass chandelier. Assuming I was the sort to spend near 500 bucks on lights and not a cell phone bill :(
- BillStewart2012
  
  And Jackson Pollack probably only used $20 worth of paint for his paintings too. (Van Gogh was a better painter, but scrounging up canvas and paint was a lot more difficult for him…)
  - blueelm
    
    Yes but infinitely more went into marketing high art, Pollack, and the American brand. Infinitely more.
- chaopoiesis
  
  Princess Jellyfish managed to pass off jellyfish as high fashion, so Roxy’s entitled to same in home furnishings.
yourdad

I’ll make you one for 200. And you can have your name stenciled on it.
Paul Renault

Transparent mylar? Translucent mylar!
- BillStewart2012
  
  I made a jellyfish sculpture out of aluminum (no, not transparent aluminum :-) (for the round part) and torch-cut sheet steel tentacles, using the tools at Techshop. The round part works by banging on sheet aluminum with a hammer until it deforms into a sort of bowl shape, and the first one I did was about 10″ across. I’ve done a few smaller ones (Christmas-tree ornament size) using bent wires for the tentacles, or silvery colored ribbon of various lengths, and the same basic bang-out-a-bowl design for a few mushrooms as well.
  
  Part of the process is planning, but part of it’s playing with the piece of material until it tells you what it wants to be.
bolamig

$425 will still likely buy a ticket to Burning Man, where you can see a multitude of better DIY jellyfish designs.
- BillStewart2012
  
  The “Billion Jelly Bloom” jellyfish also show up at other events in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Burning Man Decompression and various art things. Hard to photograph well, but they’re wonderful to see in person.
Bryan Bishop

I make laser cut mylar stencils at work. this would take one to one and a half hour to cut and assemble. at a standard manufacturing rate of 80$/hour that would be 120$, and that would probably cover the 10$ light fixture as well. now, considering this is relatively mass produced I bet they could cut, put together (if they even do that, it would be much more efficient to ship these flat) in about 45 minutes max. maybe less, it depends how many tight curves there are (doesnt look like much = less time to cut)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

I’ve seen something similar in the wild . . . “wild” being a Diner in southern Long Island:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/6584998189/in/set-72157628597934289/

It’s made of blown and molded glass:

The whole diner is nautical themed:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/6585003215/in/set-72157628597934289/
- reality
  
  I LOVE the glass jellyfish – I am in Aust – any more hints of the Diners name – can’t seem to find it …..that’s the one I’d pay heaps for
  - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones
    
    East Bay Diner in Seaford, New York. 516-781-5300.
    
    Swear to God, the business card for this place has been lying on the floor under my dining room table for a week. Before then it was on the kitchen counter for just short of a year, in the place where I put stuff to be sorted out. I had a meal with friends there just about a year ago, took pictures, and took the card so I could remember the name of the place.
    
    There is at least one other design of glass jellyfish lamp in the East Bay.
    - reality
      
      Stefan – wow, that is service – thank you ! Have a wonderful funny and safe New year ….
      Nicola.
Luther Blissett

Tip for Medusae lovers: keep an eye open for the works of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. As far as I am aware, the largest collection (143 pieces) of marine animals made by the Blaschkas is situated in Vienna. That’s the most sophisticated glasswork ever. No exaggeration. It’s still not completely understood how they did it. I still haven’t had the time to visit Harvard, which has the largest collection of their works (3000 pieces, the plants are the most amazing artwork).
wrybread

Came here for the usual discussion about how this beautiful, handmade, low production, craft product was charging more than Walmart. Left satisfied.

On a sidenote: sheesh.