Candles come in
virtually every shape
and size imaginable. The
following terms are used
to describe common
candle styles.
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TAPER:
A slender candle
– typically 6 to
18 inches high
and sometimes
called a dinner
candle –
designed to be
held securely
upright by a
candle holder.
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PILLAR:
A
free-standing candle,
usually having a
diameter of 3
inches or more,
and one or more
wicks. Despite
the name,
pillars or
column candles
can be round,
square,
hexagonal, etc.
Although they
stand on their
own, they must
be burned on a
heat-resistant
candle holder.
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CONTAINER, JAR
OR FILLED
CANDLE:
A candle that is
poured when
manufactured
into a glass,
metal or ceramic
container
specifically
designed to hold
the wax and
withstand the
heat of the
burning candle.
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VOTIVE:
A small
cylindrical
candle, usually
about 1½ inches
in diameter and
2 or 2½ inches
high, designed
to be placed in
a "cup" or
votive holder to
hold the
liquefied wax
that results
from burning.
Votives were
originally
produced as
white unscented
candles for
religious
ceremonies; they
are now
available in
many colors and
scents. |
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GEL
CANDLE:
A
transparent-type
candle made
primarily from
gelled mineral
oils or gelled
synthetic
hydrocarbons.
“Soft” or
quasi-rigid gels
are poured into
a container to
maintain the
candle’s shape.
"Hard" gel
candles have a
consistency
suitable for
free-standing
candles. Decorative
wax items are
frequently
suspended within
a gel candle to
produce a
special visual
effect. |
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TEALIGHT:
A
small,
cylindrical,
filled candle --
usually about 1
inch in diameter
and 1½ inches
high -- often
poured into a
metal holder.
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LUMINARIA:
An outdoor
candle made by placing a
15-hour votive in a
light-diffusing
container filled with
sand.
SPECIALTY
CANDLE: An
unusually shaped or
sculpted free-standing
candle, often depicting
a three-dimensional
object or designed to be
viewed primarily as
decorative artwork, and
sometimes called a
novelty candle.
AND, OF COURSE,
BIRTHDAY CANDLES!
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