A lampshade isn't held by the bulb or the cable, but by the lamp holder. There are three systems for this, and the most common DIY mistake is buying a lamp holder without a shade mount and then improvising with tape. Here's how to do it right.
System 1: Shade ring (external thread)
The classic E27 lamp holder with an external thread has a thread at the top of the shaft onto which a shade ring is screwed. The shade with a central opening (standard 40 mm for E27, 28 mm for E14) is slipped onto the lamp holder from below, and the ring holds it against the stop. That carries shades up to about 1.5 kg, so metal shades 40 cm in diameter too. When ordering: choose a lamp holder “with shade ring” or “for lampshade” – in the configurator you'll find them with the “Lamp holder for shade” filter.
System 2: Push-on ring (bayonet)
Lamp holders with a smooth shaft take a push-on ring that clicks into place. It's intended for light shades made of paper, fabric or thin metal (up to around 500 g). Advantage: the shade sits flush with the lamp holder and no thread is visible. Disadvantage: with heavy shades, the ring slips.
System 3: Clamping ring for fabric cable
For shades that shouldn't show a lamp holder (glass shades, concrete, ceramic with a small opening), there are clamp rings that sit on the cable above the lamp holder. The shade rests on the ring, the lamp holder hangs freely beneath. Here the cable carries the weight – so be sure to use a lamp holder with a cable grip underneath, otherwise the shade pulls on the terminals.
Assembly order
Cable through the ceiling rose first, then through the shade (!), then connect the lamp holder. If you wire the lamp holder first, you'll have to undo it again for the shade – it happens to everyone once. For shades that open upwards (funnel), the shade ring comes from above; for bells that open downwards, from below. Screw in the bulb only at the very end, so the shade doesn't knock against it while you're aligning it.
Shade wobbles or hangs crooked
Usually the shade's opening is larger than the lamp holder's shank. A reducer ring (40 to 28 mm or the other way round) sorts that out for a few euros. If the shade hangs crooked, the cable isn't coming out of the ceiling rose centrally or the cable grip is sitting at an angle – loosen it, pull the cable straight, tighten again.
You'll find all lamp holders with a shade ring in the Lamp holders collection; in the configurator, the “With lampshade” option only shows matching combinations.