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Glossary Of Candle Styles And Varieties
here are thousands of candle varieties including candle types and sizes. Listed below are the most common types of candles currently available.
TAPER: A slender candle produced to be used with a candle accessory for support. Depending on the candleholder, candle color or accompanying accessory, these candles can create a formal or informal setting.
FREE STANDING: A rigid candle (e.g., pillar-shaped, column-shaped, or figurine) recommended to be used on a heat-resistant, non-flammable surface or, on a candle accessory. Despite the name, pillars or column candles can be square or hexagonal and are often grouped together and burned on a heat-resistant candle plate, placed individually on a mantel or table or held in wall sconces. Though they stand on their own, pillar candles should never be placed directly on any surface except specially designed heat resistant plates.
FILLED: A candle produced and used within the same vessel. Decorative and highly scented candles poured into various glass, tin and pottery pieces designed to withstand heat. Usually fragranced, they are ideal for use in various rooms of the home to add fragrance or to mask unwanted odors.
VOTIVE: A candle produced for use fully within a candle accessory, specifically, a votive holder. Originally produced as white unscented [candles] for religious ceremonies, these extremely popular candles are now available in many colors and fragrances. Votives are burned in holders that make for festive, mood-setting home use. Grouped together for a romantic setting, votives are ideal for almost any room of the house as well as outdoors and are the second most popular candle following jar candles.
GEL: A candle where the primary fuel is a liquid such as mineral oil, terpene type chemicals, or modified hydrocarbons that are not mineral oil based which may or may not contain organic functional groups; it also contains a chemical agent to increase the viscosity (thicken) to a point where the candle has a quasi-rigid property. Decorative wax items are frequently suspended within the gel for special visual effect. "Hard" gel candles have a consistency suitable for freestanding candles.
TEALIGHT: A cylindrical filled candle produced with a diameter and height of approximately 1.5" (38mm) and 0.75" (19 mm) Tea lights help set a mood, both inside and outside the home.
FLOATING: A shallow candle with a smooth, slightly convex bottom designed specifically to float on water. Floating candles can be placed in a decorative bowl, pond or pool for a glimmering and festive effect.
LUMINARIA: Outdoor candle made by placing a 15-hour votive in a container filled with sand.
SPECIALTY: An unusually shaped or sculpted free-standing candle, often depicting a three-dimensional object or designed to be viewed primarily as decorative artwork.
Source: National Candle Association (NCA), 2005
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