Amber mica gives off a beautiful dramatic and subdued light like no other material. Silver mica gives a brighter light than amber mica. Both are reminiscent of a romantic fireplace light.

Mica was not always the expensive material that it is now. In the early American colonial years, muscovite mica was sometimes found in such large sheets that it could be used as window material for houses. Prices were competitive with glass which had to be imported from England. A very large piece of about 1 meter high can be seen in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.

Muscovite, commonly known as white mica, is a member of the mica family of minerals. The mica minerals all share the property of perfect basal cleavage, which means that layers of mica can be peeled off of a mica crystal in very thin sheets. It is especially easy to peel off large numbers of paper-thin sheets from a muscovite crystal. Consequently, crystals of mica are often referred to as books of mica.

Dirk van Erp (1860 - 1933) was a Dutch American artisan, copper smith and metal smith, best known for lamps made of copper with mica shades. He is widely considered the most important metal smith of the Arts and Crafts movement. Although most famous for his lamps, many of which are commanding in size and stunning in design, Van Erp produced other pieces of such exceptional beauty and strength as to stand unrivaled in American metalwork.