Two for an island up to about 7 ft, three for 8 ft and over. Space centres 30–36″ apart, and keep the outer ones at least 12″ in from each end.

This pendant is only 5.5″ wide, so at those spacings there is about two feet of clear air between each — a row reads as a rhythm rather than a crowd. One pendant alone over a long counter is the thing that looks wrong.

Over an island or counter: 30–36″ from the surface to the lowest point.

Beside a bed: about 20–24″ above the nightstand, or level with your eyes sitting up to read. Hanging it frees the whole surface of the table.

Anywhere people walk beneath: at least 7 ft from the floor.

Do this sum before choosing the length. Measure countertop to ceiling — on a standard 8 ft ceiling with a 36″ counter that is about 60″. Subtract the 30″ of clearance you want above the counter, and what is left is all the room the fixture and cable have.

On an 8 ft ceiling the 3-stone works — at 23.2″ it leaves about 7″ for the canopy and cable. The 4-stone does not. At 30.7″ it would reach the ceiling with nothing left over. The 4-stone needs 9 ft or more.

Three checks you can do the day it arrives. Weight — stone is noticeably heavier than resin. Temperature — stone feels cool and stays cool; resin warms to your hand in seconds. Veining — real veining differs on every stone and runs through the material, so it looks different lit and unlit. Printed veining repeats and looks the same either way.

The entire column is illuminated using a single module.

What is true regardless: alabaster is translucent, so light travels through the body of each stone and the whole surface glows, veining included. The dark collars between the stones are what keep it reading as a stack rather than one continuous tube.

No, and that is worth being straight about. Light passes through the stone, so there is no hot spot anywhere — which is the appeal, and also the trade. It gives ambient light, not task light.

Over a kitchen island, plan under-cabinet or recessed lighting for the work surface and let these do the atmosphere. That is how they are meant to be used.

The shape will. The stone won't. Every stone has its own veining — one drifting grey, the next warmer and cloudier — and on a fixture built from three or four separate pieces you can see that on the object itself. That is real stone, not a fault.

The standard cable is 150 cm / 59″ and is shortened on site at installation. If you need more — a stairwell, a double-height kitchen — tell us your ceiling height before you order and we will supply extra. Cable length is the one thing that cannot be fixed on the day.

Yes, in one order. Natural stone is cut in batches, so pendants ordered together come from closely matched stone. Ordered months apart, they may not — and a row is exactly where a difference shows. The same goes for the light: a batch is built to one setting.

Cleaning: a dry soft cloth only. Never anything damp. Alabaster is porous — water and sprays soak in and leave marks that do not come out. This matters most over a kitchen, where reaching for a wet cloth is a reflex.

Dimming has to be ordered up front. The LED is built in, so a dimmable version is made that way and cannot be converted later by changing a bulb or a switch. Over an island it is worth having — tell us when you order.

Not above a bath or in a shower — IP20, no water protection.