Vintage Plastics
Vintage Plastics - Celluloid, Lucite, Bakelite, Thermoset Information
Vintage jewelry designers used a wide range of various types of plastics during the height of the vintage jewelry period in the last century. They have the advantage of being very lightweight and colorful and lend themselves to really interesting pieces, especially figurals. Many of these plastics are very collectible and hard to find in good condition now. Some of the well known plastics are bakelite, celluloid, lucite and thermoset, but others were used as well. This article should help you to differentiate between them.
All of the photos can be clicked so that they enlarge on another page for more detail.
Bakelite
Bakelite
Bakelite Jewelry has become a hot collecting area in the last several
decades. This thermoset plastic is made from phenol formaldehyde and has
fillers to make it more durable, stronger and less expensive. The filler
could be anything from rags, cotton, wood, carbon black - even asbestos.
Because of this, reworking the product can make it harmful to your health.
By and large, bakelite is very opaque. True bakelite colors are normally
very dark because of the fillers.
Bakelite is a product manufactured in the USA, and was patented in
1907 by a Belgian chemist, Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekeland who was working in
New York. Much of the early use of Bakelite was for radios, handles for
pots and pans, castings for televisions, toys, etc. Some was even used
in coffins! But a wide range of jewelry pieces were also made and are highly
collectible today. Bakelite was manufactured between 1907 and 1927.
Collectors of bakelite jewelry must be very wary when purchasing. There
is a wide range of faux bakelite or "fakelite" on the market
today, which is neither bakelite nor is it vintage. It is mass produced,
generally in the far east. Our resource library has a bakelite
article devoted to the subject and gives you ideas on how to test and
determine if the article is genuine.
Catalin
Catalin
The words "bakelite" and "catalin" are often used
interchangeably. However, they are actually two different materials. Catalin
is also a thermoset plastic made from either phenol, melamine or urea formaldehyde,
but it normally has no fillers. It can be reworked and is usually very
colorful - much more so than bakelite. Catalin is also very translucent.
Sunlight causes catalin to lighten over time. Catalin is also subject to
shrinkage.
When the patent for bakelite expired in 1927, the patent was acquired
by the Catalin Corporation in the same year. The Catalin Corporation is
thought to be responsible for nearly 70% of the phenol resins available
today - thus the statement that most bakelite jewelry sold is actually
catalin. Catalin jewelry production continued through the 1930s and 40s
in abundance. With the introduction of lucite in the 1950s, the production
of vintage catalin jewelry effectively ceased in the 1960s, although it
is still possible to get reworked pieces which were manufactured much later
than this date. As with bakelite, it is buyer beware before purchasing.
Celluloid
Celluloid
One of the first plastics to be widely used in making jewelry was celluloid.
Celluloid is derived from a natural plant fiber. It was originally developed
in the 1850s in England. Later, John Wesley Hyatt commercialized the use
of celluloid. Vintage jewelry using celluloid dates to about 1900. It was
very popular during the Art Deco period - 1920-1935. Celluloid was used
for a variety of objects, including hair accessories, and it was often
set with rhinestones or other stones.
Celluloid differs from other vintage plastics, in that it tends to
be thinner and lighter than bakelite. It is also much more brittle and
can crack when exposed to high heat temperatures - sometimes even being
flammable. Even though it can be brittle, it can still be twisted or bent
into shape. To test for it, hold the item under hot water. it will smell
like camphor or vinegar.
Care must be taken when storing celluloid jewelry. It can be damaged
by moisture, and extremes in temperature. Don't store in a dry environment,
if possible. The dryness over long periods can make the celluloid's finish
get dull and might even crack the piece.
Featherlite
Featherlite
This type of vintage plastic is part of the celluloid family. The main
difference is in the weight. Featherlite is very light - thus the name.
It is highly mold-able and softer than other vintage plastics.
As with celluloid, care must be taken when storing featherlite. It
absorbs color easily so one must keep it away from anything that could
stain it. There are a few colors, such as pink, blue, white, yellow which
are harder to find. As with any plastic especially if it's white keep it
out of sunlight, or it will yellow. If you smoke, you must be especially
careful. It can easily transfer nicotine stains.
Lucite
Lucite
Lucile is an acrylic resin. It is truly the queen of diversity in jewelry
making materials. Lucite was created by DuPont in 1937, who widely licensed
it for use in jewelry. It is inexpensive and easy to work with and resulted
in lovely carvings and inlays. Lucite was manufactured in a wide variety
of colors and runs from opaque through to transparent. It was at the height
of its popularity during the early retro period, from 1940 through the
mid 1950s. However, it is still produced and very widely used today. The
finest lucite beads give the impression of fine glass beads, as this lovely
necklace from Germany demonstrates.
One nice aspect of lucite is that it could be embedded with rhinestones,
lucite, even sea shells or other materials to make interesting designs
which are more collectible than the normal lucite pieces.
Jelly Belly
photo courtesy of ebay seller carolina_sharon
The most famous type of lucite produced by early vintage jewelry designers
is, of course, the jelly belly lucite brooches, which had an opaque clear
central stone. These jelly bellies, the most famous being the sterling
silver designs by Trifari and Coro, are highly collectible today. Purists
consider only Trifari as the original jelly belly producer.
Photo of Jelly Belly courtesy of eBay seller joolbait.
Thermoset
Thermoset
Thermoset is a form of lucite which has been molded into interesting
shapes. It was widely used by Coro, Lisner and other vintage jewelry designers
during the 1950s and 1960s. Some thermoset is actually just shaped Moonglow
lucite, which is described below. Often the settings are open backed and
the shapes are curved. Thermoset pieces normally are cabochons, with the
bottom area being flat for ease of inserting into settings. It was most
commonly used in necklaces, earrings and bracelets, but can be found in
other types of jewelry too.
Moonglow Lucite
Moonglow Lucite
When vintage plastic jewelry was at the height of production, during
WWII and through to the 1960's, the translucent faux moonstone jewelry
as quite popular and came in an assortment of colors and shapes. It was
meant to simulate genuine moonstone jewelry at a lower cost and lighter
weight. This is probably on of the most popular forms of lucite. It appears
to be lit from within.
Well known designers who used vintage plastics
Most vintage jewelry designers manufactured with vintage plastics. They
were very popular during the height of the mid 20th century. Lisner, Kramer
and Coro used thermoset a great deal. Germany, Japan and Hong Kong were
big producers of lucite jewelry. Bakelite is normally not signed.
Perhaps most notable of all designers is Miriam Haskell, who used a
stunning combination of vintage plastics of all types in her beaded jewelry designs.
Many of her designs include hand wired plastic beads along with intricate leaf and
flower vintage plastic pour beads for a fantastic look that is coveted by collectors
worldwide.
Value in today's market
Almost all types of vintage plastic jewelry is undervalued today. The
exceptions are Jelly Bellies and Bakelite vintage jewelry. Vintage Plastics
can be hard to find pieces in excellent condition since it can easily scratch.
Of particular interest to collectors is the various vintage plastic figural brooches
in bright and vibrant colors. These should appreciate well. It is abundant, so there is no need to sacrifice quality. Look for unblemished
beads and cabochons, in settings where the metal is intact and in good condition.
Signed pieces are worth more, as are those with original tags.
I try to offer accurate vintage jewelry information, but may make errors from time to time due to mistakes in research information.
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