Fall Into Bakelite Jewelry

Maybe it’s that time of year or maybeit’s the sheer essence of the colors, but Bakelite jewelry reminds me of thefall with its earthy colors of honey and amber, or red, grassy green, brightyellow, and brilliant orange, as well as the burgundies, tortoiseshells, andlilac.  There is just something that draws you into the distinctiveplastic pieces in their varying shapes with fish, animals of each sort, orpainted flowers along with other fantastical designs.

It may just be the interesting historythat goes along with or the connection that it has to the period that we referto as Art Deco which is when the phenomenon really took off. The women of theera were able to adorn themselves with jewelry at a time when there was not alot of disposable income for them to use for fine jewelry.

Bakelite Jewelry History

Leo Baekeland created the noveltyBakelite jewelry in 1909. He was a chemist, and manufacturers in the industrialmarket found that forming this plastic was easy and could be done into nearlyany shape. The amazing thing was that after it was set, it would not melt undereven the most intense heat. Nothing could damage it. The material was meant tobe inexpensive so that anyone could access it. Most production of Bakelitestopped around the time that World War II began.

Bakelite Today

Bakelite jewelry is just as in fashiontoday (for some) as it was back in its heyday. These pieces including brooches,bracelets or pendants and necklaces along with so many more pieces are highlysought after as collectibles due to their vintage charm. The only issue thatthe plastic has is that the color changes when the chemicals in the jewelry areexposed to the air over time, so a once white piece may now be a pale brown incolor.

Varieties of Different Bakelite Jewelry

Anything that you can imagine in jewelrywas made into a Bakelite piece with their own distinctive mark being placed onit. The designer was very creative and decisive on the direction he wanted hispieces to go and the colors were always bold and brilliant.

• The locket. Bakelite lockets would often display a cameo design.For collector’s this item is generally a bit more difficult to come across thansome of the other Bakelite pieces.

• Earring jewelry. The earrings in the Bakelite collection were, forthe most part, clip on. The plastic proved to be chunky and often heavy for theperson wearing them.  These were displayed in a lot of geometric-typeshapes.

• Ring.  The rings were formed out of one piece of Bakelite andwere substantial pieces that did not prove to be particularly comfortable towear. Because they were made out of one piece of plastic, there was no way forthe wearer to have them resized if the fit was wrong, so if you’re a collectorand want to have a Bakelite ring to wear, make sure the sizing is correct.

• Necklace. Strings of hefty beads or molded and carved pendants orthick chokers were the style of the necklaces that were produced from Bakeliteback in the day.

• Bracelet. These were very durable coming in either a bangle styleor linked, and finding these will prove worthy as they can definitely still beworn today.

• Pins/brooches. These were fun, eclectic pieces made into alldifferent kinds of shapes and characters and objects. If you can think of it,it was probably made into a Bakelite brooch.

Value of Bakelite

If you are a collector of Bakelite,there are a number of things that will determine the value of each piece.

• Color. When the chemicals in the plastic is exposed to the air itchanges the color of some of the pieces, particularly with the turquoise whichwill turn to a greenish color. So, some colors are quite rare and, therefore,more valuable than others. Having an actual Turquoise Bakelite would be very valuable.

• Design. If you have pieces that have multiple shades of Bakeliteor that have been painted or carved or laminated these are among the piecesthat will bring the most money.

• Condition. Jewelry that is missing a necklace clasp or the back toan earring, or if you have jewelry that is scratched up or scuffed in any wayor has chips in it, this will depreciate the value. Usually the Bakelitejewelry will hold up well to any condition, very sturdy.

• Vintage. There are some pieces that are in high demand becausethey are unique, e.g. The animal shaped pins or the florals as well as thepolka-dot pattern.

• Wearable. If you collect to display this won’t be an issue foryou, but if you collect to wear, some of these pieces won’t be as accommodatingas they were years ago. The earrings may prove heavy, the shoe clips aren’tnecessarily appropriate for the shoes today, but the bracelets and necklaces aswell as the lockets, pendants and brooches, game on.

Some of us are minimalist in our lives,but if we began to collect something, this would so be it. These pieces are somuch fun and really stunning. It’s no wonder these have remained a hit over thecourse of time.