Collectibles -> Vintage-Retro-Mid-Century -> Bakelite

Most of us have heard the term Bakelite, even if we’re not entirely sure what it means. When we think of Bakelite we often think of plastic, as they seem to go hand in hand. But Bakelite is a type of plastic, most often used in costume jewelry in the early 20th century. It became most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, when costume jewelry in bright colors was prized over delicate chains and golden and silver charms.

Bakelite creator, Belgian Leo Baekeland, invented Bakelite in 1909, patented it in 1910 and sold it for a decade for industrial purposes before adjusting his factory to also produce Bakelite jewelry items. Bakelite was actually used for a number of things, including phonograph records for Thomas Edison. It was also now used for handles of things like mirrors, replacing the older more easily word celluloid plastic.

With mass production came the end of Bakelite’s popularity. But now collectors, and just fans of the jewelry, see out these earliest pieces for many reasons. There’s no shortage of Bakelite on eBay, but the problem is that you don’t now if something’s Bakelite or if it’s merely very good. Some people use Bakelite as a generic type term for plastic, which is incorrect.

Bakelite can be found online in auctions, in online stores, vintage shops and estate sales. Often in a batch of costume jewelry there will be some Bakelite items. Many of us who used to play dress-up often pulled those old pieces of Bakelite jewelry out of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ jewelry boxes and pretended to be someone we weren’t. This type of jewelry was most popular during the Great Depression.

The method of Bakelite production also serves to make the plastic unique. Instead of being melted and poured into a mold, the Bakelite often arrived in cylinders that required carving to reveal the design to be present in the jewelry. It could be melted down and poured in containers for shaping and coating, but most often it came in solid chunks. When manufacturers learned how to put color into Bakelite, it gave way to a period of bright colored furniture of the 60s.

It’s not easy to determine if a piece of jewelry up for auction is an authentic Bakelite or just vintage plastic. If you can handle the jewelry and do a hot pin test on it you’ll know. A heated pin touched to an inconspicuous spot on the jewelry should release a distinctive odor. Formaldehyde is an ingredient in Bakelite, so the heated pin should release that scent. Some Bakelite gives off a slight formaldehyde scent already. But when you can see it, you can ask the seller to test the item, if he or she sounds unsure.

A little research into the popular jewelry of the Depression era will bring you lots of info about Bakelite, and will make it easier to spot, even for the movie. Once mass-production began, Bakelite disappeared, but it can still find a place in your jewelry box today.

Originally posted 2008-12-02 14:00:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you’re looking for something unique to adorn the rooms of your home, then a hobby that you may want to delve into is buying and selling antiques. There are a couple of different things that you are going to need to consider when it comes to buying and selling antiques in order to get the most out of the experience. Before you go out and buy those rare items that you have been hunting down, consider the following guide.

Antiques can be described as absolutely collectible item that has 100 years under its belt and some level of aesthetic value to the beholder. Examples of antiques that you can buy and sell include grandfather clocks, jewelry items, pianos, vintage fashion items, silverware, Ivory items, Faberge eggs and the list goes on. When it comes to buying and selling antiques, people tend to have their own unique preferences for different items, and it is up to you to decide what types of items you are personally interested in.

The first thing that you are going to want to consider with buying and selling antiques is the history and the originality of whatever antique you are set on buying. Rare antiques tend to come at higher prices than those that are not as original, and you want to make sure that you are buying the real deal rather than a fake or a replica. Many people that are buying and selling antiques out there are putting retouched items up on the auction block, but you are actually going to want an antique that has not been refurbished or repaired in order to get the best possible experience.

Before you go about buying and selling antiques of any kind, you are going to want to do a proper level of research on the item in question. A great place for you to conduct this research is online, which is where you can find some truly valuable information about any antiques that you are planning in dealing in. Learn how to spot reproductions and refurbished items. Learn how to tell whether or not the antique in question is actually authentic. The more that you prepare for buying and selling antiques, the more successful you will end up being in the grand scheme of things. Once you have done a proper amount of research, you will have the necessary confidence to go out there and buy and sell with the best of them.

You can get into buying and selling antiques in your local area or online, depending on your comfort zone. You can buy from reputable auction houses in your local vicinity and this will help you guarantee the authenticity of anything that you buy. You can also buy online from many sources, but buying and selling antiques online is a little trickier because proving authenticity takes more work and more trust.

Photo Credits: StephenMitchell

Originally posted 2009-10-24 03:42:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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