Handmade Shabbat candlesticks from the Jemez Valley
In the high desert outside Albuquerque, a Jewish pottery studio in Jemez Springs creates custom Sabbath candlesticks by combining hand-shaped clay, carefully chosen glazes and an understanding of Jewish home ritual. Each pair is intended to hold the two candles lit before sunset on Shabbat, making the candlesticks both a practical object and a record of family life.
The work carries the character of its New Mexico surroundings while remaining rooted in Jewish custom. For Australian households familiar with candle-lighting, kiddush and the transition from Shabbat to Havdalah, that combination of spiritual meaning, skilled craftsmanship and regional identity offers an intriguing point of connection.
Where clay meets candlelight
Shabbat candles are traditionally lit shortly before sunset, often followed by the blessing over the candles, kiddush over wine and a shared evening meal. The vessels holding them may appear simple, but their placement at the centre of the gathering gives them unusual emotional weight. A handmade pair can express that significance through proportion, colour and ornament without overwhelming the room.
| Format | Construction | Visual character | Practical appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom studio pair | Clay shaped and finished by hand | Subtle variations in form, glaze and surface | Personal proportions, motifs and inscriptions |
| Factory-made pair | Usually slip-cast and glazed in batches | Consistent shape and finish | Lower cost and readily available replacement |
| Inherited pair | Made by an earlier craftsperson | Patina, wear and family associations | Continuity and sentimental value |
A custom commission begins with practical questions as well as aesthetic ones. The maker considers the candles’ diameter, the available surface, how the holders will look beside a wine glass or kiddush cup, and whether wax should be caught in a recessed dish. Height also matters: a pair that looks graceful on a large dining surface may feel oversized in a compact apartment or beside a compact mezuzah.
Jewish and New Mexico influences can meet without either becoming decorative shorthand. A pomegranate or olive branch might sit beside a yucca, chile or desert plant, while a restrained glaze pattern can carry the mood of the Jemez landscape. The aim is an object that belongs to a Jewish home rather than one that merely illustrates Jewish identity.
From conversation to clay
The creative process usually starts before the clay is opened. A family might request a pair for a new home, a wedding gift or several matching pairs for relatives living in different countries. Useful details include the preferred candle size, the room where the candles will be lit, existing pottery and the colours already present in the home.
Once those requirements are understood, the maker explores balance and shape. Broad feet provide stability, while raised cups keep the flames clear of the holder’s body. Handles, curved stems and layered bases are formed according to the chosen design. Even small choices, such as the slope of a cup or the depth of a wax-catching dish, affect both appearance and use.
After forming, the pieces need time to dry evenly. They are then fired, glazed and fired again, with each stage capable of changing the original intention. Glaze may pool in carved lines, break over an edge or reveal dark speckles in the clay. Keeping a pair harmonious therefore involves close observation, since one piece can emerge from the kiln with a slightly different depth of colour.
The maker records the important decisions and keeps the matching pieces identified through each stage. When a kiln firing produces a stronger result than expected, it can influence the next pair in a series. That accumulated knowledge is one reason a custom set often feels related to a particular maker and place.
The character of a handmade pair
Perfect symmetry has little place in hand-built pottery. A rim may rise by a fraction, a stem may lean imperceptibly or a glaze may finish in an irregular line. These differences are not flaws to be concealed; they show how material, pressure and heat have participated in the work.
Inscriptions add another layer of meaning. A family name, date or short Hebrew phrase can turn a pair of candlesticks into a marker of arrival, marriage or migration. Sacred lettering requires accuracy and respect for its orientation, so a skilled maker may use lettering only when the wording and design have been carefully checked. Decorative marks derived from Jewish symbols offer another route without relying on words.
The two-piece format also invites creative balance. Matching candlesticks need to complement one another without appearing mechanically identical, particularly when handmade clay naturally introduces variation. Some designs achieve this through paired colours, while others use the same form with different glazes on each holder. The result can feel harmonious because of relationship rather than duplication.
A ritual object with desert roots
Jemez Springs sits within a landscape shaped by volcanic hills, open scrub and strong desert light. While the studio may use prepared stoneware rather than clay taken directly from the ground, that environment still informs the work. Deep blue, violet, rust and sand tones can evoke twilight, sun-baked earth and the changing sky over the valley.
The Jewish character of the candlesticks comes through use rather than decorative claims alone. They are made to participate in a repeatable sequence: preparing the home, welcoming Shabbat, sharing food and marking the passage of time. A well-made holder sits quietly within that sequence, present at the meal and available again when Havdalah is declared after nightfall.
Customisation makes it possible to acknowledge particular histories. One family might choose colours connected to a former home, while another might request a modest pair suitable for sending overseas. Interfaith households and community projects can also use commissioned pieces as symbols of welcome, especially when guests unfamiliar with the Jewish calendar are invited to share the evening meal.
Shabbat customs across Australia
Australian Jewish households bring their own spatial and cultural conditions to these customs. In Sydney and Melbourne, Shabbat dinners may take place in apartments, suburban homes or community centres, so candlesticks must suit both intimate and shared settings. The ritual follows familiar cues: flames are prepared before sunset, the blessing is spoken and the family gathers for the meal.
Seasonal light also shapes the experience. Sydney’s daylight-saving changes shift the hour at which Shabbat begins, while Melbourne’s later sunsets in summer can make the same family routine feel very different across the year. A sturdy, well-balanced holder is useful in that changing domestic environment, especially when the candles are moved between rooms or used again for Havdalah.
Adelaide’s smaller Jewish community offers a similarly close relationship between home ritual and public life. Communal dinners, school activities and holiday gatherings can turn a pair of handmade candlesticks into part of a wider network of memory and belonging. Australian Jewish identity, shaped by migration and diverse cultural backgrounds, often appears in objects that unite old forms with local lives.
Bringing Jemez Springs craft into Australian homes
The candlesticks would sit comfortably within Australia’s strong culture of handmade design. At Melbourne’s Ceres Community Market, shoppers regularly encounter ceramics, textiles and other craft goods made by independent makers. A one-off pottery pair offers a similar sense of provenance: someone selected the clay, shaped the form, watched the kiln and adjusted the glaze by hand.
For buyers accustomed to buying from Australian galleries or local makers, international commissions require additional thought. Shipping insurance, protective packaging and the possibility of modest colour differences between pieces should be discussed before payment. Import charges and delivery times also need to be included, especially for a set being made for several homes across Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Matching multiple households is possible, though each pair may carry small firing variations. A collector might value those differences as a record of the commission’s history. Someone seeking uniformity may prefer an industrial alternative, while a gift for a new bride or a young family may be chosen primarily for the story it will carry into future homes.
A practical way to carry the light home
A handmade Sabbath pair can become a quiet centrepiece of the weekly gathering. Its value lies in the meeting of function and memory: a useful object for candle-lighting, shaped by one maker’s hands and informed by a distinctive New Mexican landscape. Such pieces can be inherited, moved between countries or ordered as meaningful gifts.
Care begins with documentation. A note recording the glaze colours, dimensions, firing details and maker’s marks helps owners match a replacement or additional pair later. It can also preserve the story of the commission, including the reason the candlesticks were chosen and the household traditions they have entered.
For information about the feature or a connection with the studio, readers can use the Jewish Federation’s publication contact page. The concrete next step for a prospective commissioner is to send a brief specification: the number of pairs required, candle diameter, preferred colour direction, intended delivery country and required date.