These are not 3 way lights.  It would be nice to be a little taller for good lighting as end table lamps.  They are very heavy and wont tip.  The lamp shade has a suede feel and looks nice.  The slate has natural variations.   The base is either the slate or ceramic that is painted.  They didnt do the neatest job at painting which surprised me since these were not cheap lamps.  I bought them as a set - the 2 lamps and floor lamp cost the same as 2 lamps.  The floor lamp is not very tall and rather small body but feels heavy and shouldnt fall easily.   I like the natural slate look.  It's much more green in color than the picture.  The sloppy paint job is what bothers me the most.