Jua pendant light

A pendant light with a shade made from an upcycled wine bottle and a top carved by hand from mkongo wood. The green glass gives a soft, warm light, lovely over a kitchen island or a dining table, or in a row of two or three above a breakfast bar.

The shade is 7.5 cm across and the light is 28 cm tall. It hangs from a white 150 cm cord and is hardwired, so it needs to be installed by an electrician. It takes an E14 bulb, not included, and is for indoor use.

The shade began as a wine bottle, collected on Zanzibar from a hotel, a restaurant or a dump site. At the workshop the bottles are sorted by colour, cleaned and disinfected, and the women cut each one by scoring a groove around it and parting the glass with heat and cold. The edge is then polished twice until it’s smooth.

The top is carved by hand from mkongo. The glass keeps its bottle’s colour, so the green varies a little from one light to the next.

The workshop runs on solar power, collects rainwater, trains its artisans on the job and is a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation.

Wipe the glass with a damp cloth and dry it. Dust the wood with a dry cloth. Switch off the power and let the bulb cool before you clean it.