( 
)Test your Knowledge of Vintage Plastic Jewelry by Deborah Lyons
True or False?
___1. Sticking a hot pin into a piece of plastic jewelry is a good way to test it.
___2. Black bakelite cannnot be tested.
___3. Lucite is always clear or transparent.
___4. Bakelite can be clear or transparent as well as opaque.
___5. Bakelite cannot be bent.
___6. Black Bakelite jewelry was always intended to be worn while in mourning.
___7. Celluloid floral patterned jewelry was usually molded, not carved.
___8. American Bakelite jewelry was usually signed.
___9. A piece marked Japan or India is likely to be Bakelite.
___10.Galalith, otherwise known as "French Bakelite," is rare.
Answers:
1. F. Sticking a hot pin into a piece of plastic is dangerous to the tester and can ruin a good piece of vintage plastic. Test safely by using hot water (burnt smell), simichrome or 409 (turns yellow).
2. F. Most black Bakelite does respond to the above tests, but some does not.
3. F. Lucite can be transparent (clear), translucent, or opaque.
4. T. Bakelite, like lucite, is found in transparent, translucent, or opaque colors.
5. T. Bakelite is not flexible. If a piece is bent it is probably celluloid.
6. F. Mourning jewelry was a Victorian phenomenon, and was mostly out of fashion by the heyday of Bakelite. Black was simply fashionable, as it is today.
7. T. Lightweight celluloid bangles with floral patterns in relief are nearly always molded, not carved.
8. F. Hardly any American Bakelite jewelry was signed, especially bangles. Sometimes there is a signature on the metal findings of a pin or earrings. This in no way affects the value -- the rarest pieces are almost never signed.
9. F. Bakelite jewelry does not seem to have been made in Japan or India, and it rarely carries the name of any country of origin. Sometimes the metal findings are marked USA or with the name of a European country. Jewelry marked W. Germany is post-WW II and generally too late to be Bakelite.
10. T. Galalith, misleadingly called "French Bakelite," is very uncommon. Most pieces listed as "French Bakelite" are actually newly made from lucite or other modern plastics.
Scoring
8-10 A real maven!
7-5 A budding enthusiast!
4-2 Getting started -- enjoy!
1-0 Welcome to the world of vintage plastics!
For more information and lots of great pictures, see Plastic Bangles by Lyn Tortoriello and Deborah Lyons (Schiffer Books, 2005).
True or False?
___1. Sticking a hot pin into a piece of plastic jewelry is a good way to test it.
___2. Black bakelite cannnot be tested.
___3. Lucite is always clear or transparent.
___4. Bakelite can be clear or transparent as well as opaque.
___5. Bakelite cannot be bent.
___6. Black Bakelite jewelry was always intended to be worn while in mourning.
___7. Celluloid floral patterned jewelry was usually molded, not carved.
___8. American Bakelite jewelry was usually signed.
___9. A piece marked Japan or India is likely to be Bakelite.
___10.Galalith, otherwise known as "French Bakelite," is rare.
Answers:
1. F. Sticking a hot pin into a piece of plastic is dangerous to the tester and can ruin a good piece of vintage plastic. Test safely by using hot water (burnt smell), simichrome or 409 (turns yellow).
2. F. Most black Bakelite does respond to the above tests, but some does not.
3. F. Lucite can be transparent (clear), translucent, or opaque.
4. T. Bakelite, like lucite, is found in transparent, translucent, or opaque colors.
5. T. Bakelite is not flexible. If a piece is bent it is probably celluloid.
6. F. Mourning jewelry was a Victorian phenomenon, and was mostly out of fashion by the heyday of Bakelite. Black was simply fashionable, as it is today.
7. T. Lightweight celluloid bangles with floral patterns in relief are nearly always molded, not carved.
8. F. Hardly any American Bakelite jewelry was signed, especially bangles. Sometimes there is a signature on the metal findings of a pin or earrings. This in no way affects the value -- the rarest pieces are almost never signed.
9. F. Bakelite jewelry does not seem to have been made in Japan or India, and it rarely carries the name of any country of origin. Sometimes the metal findings are marked USA or with the name of a European country. Jewelry marked W. Germany is post-WW II and generally too late to be Bakelite.
10. T. Galalith, misleadingly called "French Bakelite," is very uncommon. Most pieces listed as "French Bakelite" are actually newly made from lucite or other modern plastics.
Scoring
8-10 A real maven!
7-5 A budding enthusiast!
4-2 Getting started -- enjoy!
1-0 Welcome to the world of vintage plastics!
For more information and lots of great pictures, see Plastic Bangles by Lyn Tortoriello and Deborah Lyons (Schiffer Books, 2005).
Guide created: 09/23/06 (updated 04/29/09)
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