Craftsmanship brought to light
Since 1982, the artisans of Swazi Candles have been transforming warm paraffin wax into luminous works of art in fluid gestures. Founded by Anthony Marshak and Bernard Abramowitz, the workshop began in an old farmhouse, where the millefiori technique, Italian for a thousand flowers, was first applied to candles. This is a decorative glass working technique in which rods or canes of coloured material are fused together, then sliced to reveal intricate floral or geometric patterns. In candle making, thin patterned wax sheets are layered in patterns and extruded into rods which are sliced into veneer which are then wrapped around a plain wax core, so that as the candle burns, the outer design remains intact and glows like stained glass.
Swazi Candles creations travelled beyond Eswatini, finding markets in USA and beyond, and becoming a cultural reference point for the country. Amidst the wave of mass production, the founders' vision has remained steady: Swazi Candles is a space for local craftsmanship to thrive. Today, under the management of Bernard’s son Isaac, 48 artisans keep this legacy alive. They are experimenting with natural materials, such as beeswax and coconut oil.
Where
Swazi Candles
