The holidays are almost here which mean so is gift-giving season!

A NightOrb™ is a great gift for everyone on your list. Each orb is handmade and unique, plus purchasing one helps support the local artists that put their time and effort into making them.

Take advantage of our holiday sale running for a limited time only. Get 25% off of all 4” and 8” NightOrbs™, including rope fixtures, and take 50% off of Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Venus color patterns for exterior 8” NightOrbs™ only.

Prices shown in the store do not include the holiday discount. To make sure you receive your discount, use our quote form to request a quote or call us at 484.620.2976.

Some 25% Off Styles

25% off our orbs means you can get a 4″ orblet starting at $112. Prices vary based on accessory options, so request your quote to ensure you get the best deal. Note that this sale does not apply to egg shaped orbs.

To see all of our 4” and 8” styles, check out our full store selection. To learn more about our new Rope Light Fixtures, see our recent blog post.

50% Off Mars, Saturn, Neptune & Venus Orbs

For a limited time, we are offering 50% off 8″ Mars, Saturn, Neptune & Venus pattern orbs, which means you can get one of these orbs starting at $225 (regularly $450). This does not apply to egg shaped orbs. 

Visit our 8” orb product page to see our range of options.

To receive your orb in time for Christmas, be sure to place your order by 12/10/18. Wishing you Happy Holidays from all of us at NightOrbs™!

We’re happy to introduce a new product that looks great as a garden, landscape or walkway detail. Check out our new Rope Light Fixtures!

They’re the perfect holders for our 8” Orbs or 4” Orblets. These Rope Lights are hand made GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) which are cast in a mold produced from an actual rope. There is also a steel net wire harness which holds the light cord and steel wires for reinforcement. The finished concrete form is made to look like real rope with the help of a stain coat.

The 8” Orb Rope Fixture goes for $225, while the 4” Orblet Fixture is priced at $250. The accompanying orbs are sold separately. Purchase your rope fixture here!

We like to think our designs have always been out of this world, but when we got the opportunity to partner with Produktworks Design, an engineering firm, we co-created something truly special. This orrery, or mechanical model of the solar system produced for Tycho Design, was built to inspire the mind and spirit of anyone gazing upon it.

Intended to be the centerpiece of a space, the planets accurately track time as they travel around the illuminated hand-blown glass sun. The planets even rotate and tilt to mimic our solar system, making it a true astronomical clock model of the greater world we live in.

We are proud to have designed the sun at the center. You can learn more about Tycho Design on their website.

Take a look at shots of the stunning final display below!

We recently took on the challenge of blowing 5 24″ gold NightOrbs™ for a customer in Sunnyvale, CA.  That’s right, these orbs were two feet in diameter, weighing in over 40 pounds each!

Watch As We Create These Huge Orbs

Check out this video where you can see us in action as our team crafts these beautiful giants:

Luckily, our state-of-the-art studio was outfitted for the job! It took a team of four strong, highly-skilled workers to craft these big orbs. As with every orb, the process began by forming an opaque, white cylinder to create the foundation. The white orb then gets a metallic oxide coating, which gives the finished product an iridescent quality. The cylinder reaches 1,300° before the team melts in more color, trimming as needed. Next comes chaos wrapping, a process of wrapping different colors around the orb and manipulating them into desired patterns. The resulting combination of color provides a beautiful luminescent appearance. Lastly, the team spins the orb, continuing that process until it cools down and reaches the desired shape and size.

Peter Tow, an architect from New York City, specified NightOrbs™ as part of the night lighting around his client’s home in Jakarta, Indonesia. Here’s a look at part of his order before it was shipped out:

Check Out the Final Project!

Peter installed thirteen 18″ and three 13″ NightOrbs™ alongside the client’s pool space.

Other 12 – 8” orbs have been placed in large exterior planters for additional ambiance and lighting. NightOrbs™ are the perfect addition to any outdoor and indoor space to enhance lighting and design.

Please note that NightOrbs™ are individually signed by the artist and dated. Tom Rupnicki is also a sculptor using ceramic and GFRC Glass fiber reinforced concrete.

If you would like to see more of Tom Rupnicki’s art, visit his website.

From now until April 20th, we will be offering 50% on standard color 8” orbs. That means you can get an orb starting at $450 $225!

Plus, we are offering 35% off both interior and exterior orblets, which means you can get one for as little as $150 $97.50.

This is the biggest collection of orbs we have included in a sale, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to purchase your favorite orb.

Not sure where to get started?

1. Pick Your Orb: Check out our store to determine which orb you want. Choose from the standard 8” orbs, 4” exterior orblet, and 4” interior orblet.

   

   8″ Neptune Mottled Orb

   

   4 inch Orblet

   

   4″ Interior Pale Gold Orb with Black Marble Base

   
   
2. Request Your Quote: Because all orbs are made to order, the best way to get exactly what you want is to request your quote with our online order form.

Once you complete the form, we’ll be in touch to finalize your order!

Do you want to win a free NightOrb™?

All you need to do is let us know the most unique place you can think of to display an orb. Complete the form below and add an image if you have a specific spot you would display an orb. NightOrbs™ creator Tom Rupnicki will choose the most unique setting and the winner will receive a free 8” NightOrb™ of their choosing! The deadline is April 20th, 2018.

Note: Only 1 entry per person allowed. We will share some responses on our social media profiles, so please verify whether we can use your first name & last initial if we share your submission.

Enter the Contest!

We are impressed with one of our customer’s recent use of white NightOrbs™.

Our client wanted to add some stylish, yet minimalist flair to their modern home. They placed 3 large white orbs (13″, 18″, and 24″ in diameter) in a water feature in front of their house.

The home is located in Southern California.

The holidays are fast approaching, and the pressure is on to hunt for the perfect gift.

A NightOrb™ makes a wonderful gift for anyone in your life. Plus, you’ll be supporting local artists who have committed much of their time into making these handmade orbs.

Plus, now is the perfect time to bring home an orb for that special someone. For a limited time, get 25% off all orbs. Looking for an even better deal? We are also offering 50% off 8-inch, exterior orbs in Mars and Neptune styles.

If you want to receive your orb in time for Christmas, you must order by 12/15/17.

Some of Our 25% Off Styles

Interested in seeing more? Check out our full selection of orbs. Prices shown in the store do not reflect the holiday discount. You must use the quote form to get your 25% off!

50% Off Mars & Neptune Orbs

Check out the Mars and Neptune orbs in the gallery below:

Both options come in mottled or swirled patterns. To check these out, visit the 8″ orb product page.

Use our quote form or call us at 484.620.2976 to get your discounted orb! Note that all prices shown in the store are regular price. You must use the quote form to ensure you will receive the discount.

Be sure to act fast–you must place your order by 12/15 to ensure it comes in time for Christmas. Happy holidays on behalf of all of us at NightOrbs™!

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark: the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light. -Plato (427-347 B.C.)

On a recent trip to Chicago, I attended SOFA (Sculpture, Objects & Functional Art Exposition).

This annual event showcases some of the premier glass artists in the country.

There were two artists that grabbed my attention with their use of color and light: Stephen Powell, who I have admired for years, and Stephen Knapp, a new artist to me.

How Stephen Knapp Makes Color Dance

Knapp uses light and reflection to make colors that appear to dance. He does this by making various shaped glass sandwiches with clear glass and thin slices of color filaments that are hung perpendicular to the wall.

He shines spotlights through the sandwiches creating colored shadows of different shapes.  His light-paintings make visible the light that surrounds us and transforms it into something physical yet transient.

Stephen Powell’s Breathtaking Sculptures

Powell’s sculptures are based on his extensive work with color. He first wraps various colors around a clear glass rod, stretches it out, and cuts it into small round pieces called murini.

These are laid out on a metal plate which is heated. He then heats a clear glass cylinder which is attached to a blowpipe and rolls over the 2,500 murinis and attaches them to the glass bubble. He then gathers more clear glass and blows the bubble out stretching the murine and making them appear three-dimensional. The effect is a breathtaking and delightful.

Color is Delightful at Any Age

“Color delights us from cradle to grave, it grooves some optical pleasure zone that seems almost beyond language, and it is everywhere celebrated in the almost irrepressibly vivacious glass sculpture of Stephen Powell.”

I refer to these two glass artists whose work combines color and light, providing a luminosity that cannot be duplicated with any other medium.