Paktong is the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese pai-t’ung meaning white copper and the term is applied to any yellow or whitish alloy of copper, nickel and tin or zinc. This alloy began to imported into Europe from China in the 18th century.

By the late 17th century the design of brass candlesticks began to imitate those of silver. Thence forward, it is easier to date accurately and positively attribute national origins by comparison with fully marked silver examples. Technical improvements in the casting of both base and precious metal candlesticks also substantially altered their form.

Throughout the 18th century the most popular method of production was to cast the entire socket, stem and base in two halves and subsequently solder the two together. On brass candlesticks which have been vigorously cleaned the two stems running vertically down the ‘stick’ can be seen quite distinctly. This construction method made possible elaborately stepped bases and octagonal faceted stems. By the middle of the century, the base had been simplified; it was often octagonal with a depressed centre, which had been fashionable in the late 17th century, but now the corners were concave and the stem of tall proportions.

By the mid 1760s, neo-classicism was popular. The characteristic shape for candlesticks was a straight or tapering column on a raised square or oval base. Later, beaded, engraved and relief ornament was added, and neo-classical types probably continued to be made in brass long after they had ceased to be popular in silver. Production of these candlesticks was even further simplified by the development of casting the stem in one piece using a removable core. This allowed for a much finer and thinner casting to be made for both the base and the stem.

The new technique also encouraged the development of a polyfaceted candlestick in the early 19th century, which was only made in brass. Although apparently heavy, they are in fact very light to handle. By the middle of the 19th century, candlesticks were becoming superseded by oil lamps, which had been vastly improved by various patents in the earlier part of the century.

The use of hollow core castings changed the method of extraction of the candle stump. The most frequent method of removal in use from the early 18th century onwards was a push-rod extractor which consisted of a disc in the nozzle connected by an iron rod passing through the hollow stem to a brass button under the base.