At The Salt Lamp Shop, our mission has always been to create the most authentic and lasting Himalayan salt lamps. We’ve put in the time and effort needed to bring you the best possible salt lamps and to address the common issues that existed with salt lamps.
The salt lamps you see on eBay or other stores are not all the same! What makes our lamps better than others? Simple, we have worked directly with salt miners and craftsmen to understand the process of lamp making and we have a local presence in the regions where salt lamps are made (Khewra, Quidabad, Kala Bagh). In comparison, most other companies are typically looking for the cheapest option and deal with middle men not directly with the local manufacturers. This not only exploits all the labourers as the price is haggled down, but also results in subpar salt lamps since the job of middle men is to sell all the stock to foreign resellers (regardless of quality).
Everything from the salt used to the quality of the crafting technique matters. .
Keep reading to learn and see for yourself, the difference between our salt lamps and everyone else.
What you need to know.
What could be more important for a salt lamp than the quality of the Himalayan salt used to make it? Even real Himalayan salt lamps sold by many sellers are often made with poor quality Himalayan salt. By poor quality we are talking about salt that was mined with explosives or chiselled with blunt machine tools, all of this results in microfractures in the salt which make it more brittle and likely to break.
All pink salt is mined in the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern Pakistan. Most of the pink salt comes from one large mine (the Khewra mines) that is overmined and produces cheap low-quality salt. If you buy a salt lamp from eBay or most other sellers this is most likely the salt you will find. Higher quality salt comes from Kala Bagh and Quidabad mines.
Each mine produces a different quality of Himalayan rock salt, some have a lot of impurities, while a few produce a pure and deep pink Himalayan salt – our choice. Even the coarser salt is not wasted, it is processed and crushed into edible salt, however for crafting the salt used must be of a high quality.
Often when you buy salt lamps they will be broken on arrival, and this is because they were already damaged during the mining and crafting process.
Here’s what you will get when you buy an inauthentic salt lamp.
Cheap salt is blasted out of the mines using TNT. This rough method causes microfractures and weakens the salt by a lot! This salt is then sold directly in bulk to China and India where it is crafted (without local knowledge and expertise).
See for yourself how we do it different to the rest!
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PROPER COLOURING
It's not uncommon to open a salt lamp box and find that your lamp is too white and uncoloured, or has dark spots. The two pictures on the left show how a lack of care can lead to these low quality salt lamps.
We control our sourcing and pick the best raw blocks to work with so that our lamps are always authentic and high quality. You can see one of our typical almps in the picture on the far right below.
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SALT STRENGTH
The three pictures on the left show salt lamps that are cracked or completely broken. This is a common occurence with most salt lamps whether you buy them online or in store. This happens because the salt has too many impurities weakening the overall strenght, or it has been damaged in the crafting process. Salt from "Khewra" cracks easily, and unfortunately most salt lamp sellers don't know where they are getting their lamps from as they deal with resellers in Pakistan and not the suppliers directly.
We use quality control methods to ensure this does not happen with our lamps. Our motto is 'salt lamps should be built to last'. Once you buy a salt lamp the only think you should need to change is the bulbs.
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BASE QUALITY
A good salt lamp base should fit well to the lamp. Bases that aren't properly secured to the lamp can leave unappealing gaps as you can see in the picture on the left. This is very common. It's also quite common to have bases with cracks, which can easily get worse over time and end up breaking. Unfortunately most suppliers don't pay attention to the fit or the aesthetic of the base.
Our bases are made from high quality timber that is crafted with minimal processing to allow the natural beauty of the wood to shine. We do not use laquer on it which makes it look shiny and plastic-like and the our bases are 1.5 inches thick compared to the industry standard of 1 inch. The extra thickness really adds to the overall look of the lamp giving it a sturdy and natural look.
The picturs on the left show typical problems with bases, while on the far right is one of our wooden bases.
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BETTER CRAFTING
Unlike many sellers, we know exactly where and how are salt lamps are made. With decades of experience our specially trained salt craftsmen work with skill, making sure the lamp you get is properly cut and finished.
The best salt craftsmen are all located very near the sites where salt is mined. They have typically been in the trade for multiple generations and their communities revolve around the salt trade. These are the people we go to.
Unfortunately, for the majority of the salt lamps out there, the crafting is done either in major cities in Pakistan or overseas in India or China and often these craftsmen do not specialise in salt but in marble and have been asked to work in the same way on salt blocks. However there's differences in the tools and techniques used and only local craftsmen like the ones we use really know how to best handle each piece of salt.
You can see below how poorly crafted salt lamps chip during delivery (especially at the base) this is a common occurence. Chipping ruins the appearance of the lamp. We use proper crafting methods to make sure this doesn't happen.
A lot more goes into the making of a good salt lamp than first meets the eye.
You shouldn’t have to worry about all the details when you want an authentic salt lamp! That’s why we started our journey making salt lamps, to deliver the best out there. And with the right ingredients and dedication, we’ve created the best Himalayan salt lamp experience
Eddie,
Founder at The Salt Lamp Shop.