All About Sconce Lights

On its own, a sconce is simply a decorative bracket that is attached to a wall. But it becomes a lighting fixture when sconce lights are affixed to it. In the olden days, sconce lights were generally a candle or a torch which was placed in the sconce and could be moved and placed in any other sconce. But today, although there are various types of lights available for sconces, they are usually permanent in nature.

There are several kinds of sconce lighting fixtures available nowadays, with their main difference being the type of lights used in the sconce.

Types of Sconce Lighting

1. Incandescent lights: Such lights have a thin metal filament in them. When electricity is passed through this filament, it becomes heated and gives off luminous light. Incandescent lights usually have a yellowish glow, but there are some daylight varieties available which give off a bright bluish light. Incandescent lights are not very expensive and are also easy to dim, thus making them good sconce lights.
2. Fluorescent lights: Unlike incandescent lights which have a metal filament, fluorescent lights include a glass tube that contains vapor of mercury. When electricity is passed through this vapor, an invisible light is given off. This invisible light then comes in contact with a special coating on the glass tube, thus resulting in visible fluorescent light. Although fluorescent lights of old gave off a greenish glow, the modern sconces emit much more flattering light and are also very energy efficient. However, these lights are quite tough to dim and should thus be avoided if you want sconce lights with a dimmer option.
3. Halogen lights: In addition to a metal filament, these lights also have a small amount of halogen gas inside the bulb. When electricity passes through the metal filament, light is given off. This light then interacts with the gas and produces a brilliant white light. Halogen lights are perfect for task lighting as they can be focused to precision through increased beam control. These lights can also be dimmed if you do not want very bright light.

Thus, all these different types of lights can be used as sconce lights. Depending on what your individual requirements are, you can select your sconce lighting fixtures accordingly.