Vintage Plastic Jewelry

Vintage Jewelry made from non-precious metals andIn 1927 a new non-flammable material, marketed by
glass or from plastics, sometimes called costumethe Celluloid Corporation under the trade name
jewelry, if it's stylish, is expensive. It doesn't matter"Lumarith" was launched. This material could be
what material is used in it's manufacture, if it's cool it'smanufactured in bright, sometimes lurid colours or
going to cost money. Plastic vintage and retrotransparent with inclusions, like coloured or metal
jewelry used to be cheap and could usually be foundflakes. New injection moulding techniques meant large
in thrift shops for a few pence. Not any morequantities of plastic objects could be produced quickly
though. Plastic jewelry is becoming more and moreand cheaply, in almost any shape or size. Designers
difficult to find and good decorative pieces rarelyquickly realised the possibilities and enormous
appear in charity shops anymore.quantities of inexpensive plastic jewelry appeared on
The first pieces of plastic jewelry I bought werethe market in the USA and Europe in bold colourful
made form a material invented by the Belgiandesigns. Brightly coloured vintage accessories like
chemist, Dr Leo Baekeland around 1908 that hepowder compacts, lipsticks, cigarette cases,
named Bakelite. Bakelite did not readily conductsunglasses and even handbags were also
electricity or heat and consequently it was usedmanufactured in Celluloid for an eager audience.
extensively in the manufacture of electrical products.In 1933 Lucite or Plexiglas hit the market and was
It could be moulded into extravagant shapes, perfectquickly incorporated into jewelry design, often mixed
for the period and probably most famously, for thewith Celluloid or Bakelite for effect. Brooches made
manufacture of radio casings. It was once evenwith Lucite overlaid with moulded Celluloid cameos
considered as a substitute for metal in the productionwere very popular and easily found in vintage &
of the one-cent coin.retro shops today. Some Lucite jewelry, bracelets,
Lots of jewelry was manufactured in this hard brittlebrooches and pendants was reverse carved, often
substance, particularly chunky, colourful brooches.with flowers coloured naturalistically to appear lifelike,
Considered to be the first "fashion jewellery", oftenor left unpainted to resemble etched glass.
copying designer jewelry of the period made fromWhatever plastic vintage jewellery is made from it is
more expensive materials. Manufactured in a varietyusually exciting and colourful and, if you are
of colours from the familiar dark brown of earlyfortunate, it can still be bought relatively
electrical fittings, the reds and greens of vintageinexpensively. But it is becoming more and more
picnic sets to the black of kitchen appliances. It waspopular as the young reject antiques. Dark brown
common to find black Bakelite handles or knobs onfurniture, antique silver, old paintings and antique
furniture or coupled with silver, silver plate or chromejewelry are not cool. The young are filling their small
- particularly on tea and coffee sets - as decorativeapartments with light bright vintage and retro,
knops or handles. It was very popular on dressingScandinavian design, colourful contemporary art and
tables too, where it made a very good substitute forretro lighting. They eat and drink from vintage and
tortoiseshell.retro or Ikea tableware and they collect and wear
Although invented much earlier than Bakelite, being avintage and retro clothing and jewelry. More shops
by-product of the photographic processing industryare opening to cater to this new breed of
and used, like Bakelite, as a substitute for morehomemaker and prices are rising quickly. But it is still
expensive materials, Celluloid was highly flammablepossible to find a bargain - good hunting.
and did not really come into it's own until the 1920's.