Bakelite & Vintage Plastics
Vintage Online Are Proud Suppliers of Authentic Bakelite & Vintage Plastic Jewellery From Around The Globe
Bakelite is a synthetic resin chemically formulated and named after its inventor, a Belgian born chemist named Leo Baekeland. In the late 1920's, the rights were bought by a company called Catalin and it continued to be popular until the late 1940's, eventually falling out of favour mainly due to the labour intensive production process. Bakelite originated in the USA and much of the jewellery that from there is very bright and colourful with spots, stripes, and carvings, etc. The bakelite from France is more discreet with elegant and geometric art deco motifs. In Germany, bakelite was often used in jewellery alongside other materials such as wood or metal or brass – again a more streamlines austere look.
