Bakelite Bangles


 

 
Leo Beakeland (1863 - 1944), a Belgian who had moved to America, was the inventor of Bakelite.  Made by the condensation of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst and used for everything from tools and telephones to jewelry, "Bakelite" is frequently used as a generic name for all phenol formaldehyde, including Catalin and Marblette, which came later and in a wider range of colors.  Bakelite is a thermoset plastic, meaning that once cast or molded and hardened, it will not melt, burn, boil, or dissolve. It could only be worked by carving, sawing, tumbling, painting and gluing.  

Bakelite jewelry was at it's zenith from the late 1920s till the start of WWII in 1942. The lack of money and need for inexpensive fun during the Depression era of the 1930s gave the whimsy, colorful and cheerful look of bakelite jewelry the perfect market. The sophisticated Deco and machine age look of some of the pieces made them fashion-forward.

Bakelite had a renaissance in the 1980s. It was featured on the cover of "Connoisseur" Magazine in July of 1985, and in 1987 when the famous artist Andy Warhol passed away, his huge collection of bakelite jewelry went up for sale at Sotheby's Auctions and fetched record prices.
 

BAKELITE IDENTIFICATION
Sound, Smell, Testing
Once you have handled a good bit of bakelite, the feel alone will often tell you it is not plastic. It tends to be heavier, make a "clunking" sound when tapped together, and it usually has readily identifiable colors. If rubbed vigorously with your thumb until it becomes warm, it also has a distinctive smell. To further determine a bakelite piece, you can use a polish called Simichrome, which comes out of the tube light pink in color. Squeeze a cap-sized amount on a white cloth and rub the piece of bakelite. If it turns a mustard yellow, you have a positive test. A brownish-yellow result which may be dirt, so clean the piece and try again. Using a hot pin to test bakelite may leave a pin-prick which, however small, is damaging and has a negative effect on price so is not recommended.
 

BAKELITE cover and article in July 1985 issue of Connoisseur Magazine.

CARVED BAKELITE
 

  BAKELITE red carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/2". See page 66 of Davidov & Dawes "The Bakelite Jewelry Book".    View  #B17711

  BOTH caramel and red bakelite bangles.

 BAKELITE butterscotch carved "tire tracks" bangle, 2-1/2" by 5/8" by 1/4".  View   #B28290  

REVERSE CARVED BAKELITE
 

RESIN-WASHED & OVER-DYED BAKELITE
Dye or glaze wiped over bakelite tints the underlying color and highlights the carving.
 

A whole arm full of resin washed bangles in different vintage colors.

Good color, warm tones, and easy to mix with other pieces.

TRANSPARENT BAKELITE
circa 1935 to 1942
 

   BAKELITE apple juice faceted chunky bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" by 7/16". See Grasso's "Bakelite Jewelry" page 33.   #B17850

   BAKELITE apple juice faceted bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 3/8".   #B17849

  BAKELITE apple juice faceted wide bangle2-1/2" by 1-1/4" by 3/8".   #B16378

   BAKELITE PRYSTAL transparent ruby red bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/3".  #B24335

  BAKELITE PRYSTAL transparent apple juice bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/3".  ALL #B24337

  BAKELITE PRYSTAL  transparent pomegranate bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/3".  #B24336

BAKELITE "STRETCHIES"
BRACELETS STRUNG ON ELASTIC
 

EUROPEAN BAKELITE
BAKELITE & CHROME
 

       BAKELITE green marbled round 2-1/2" disk mounted on a chrome hinged 7" bangle.   View   View   #B25435

 BAKELITE red and black bakelite beads necklace with silver bead spacers,  16".   View   #B11612

  BAKELITE reverse carved apple juice and silver tone chrome plated metal bird brooch, probably European, 3-1/2". See Grasso's Bakelite Jewelry page 75.  View  #B13439

LAMINATED BAKELITE
 

BAKELITE and wood square bangle set of 4, green, caramel, caramel marbled and black, each 2-5/8" by 5/8" by 1/2".   View   View    #B20851   

  BAKELITE laminated bangles, circa 1940. These were originally patriotic red, white and blue, and have oxidized over the years to these colors. 

BAKELITE red, cream and black laminated bangle.  #B20230

FACETED BAKELITE
 

CLAMPERS
Hinged Bakelite Bangles
 

 BAKELITE green transparent reverse carved hinged bangle with three rows of clear rhinestones, 6-1/3" by 1-1/4".   View  #B24329 

   BAKELITE red pierced back hinged 6-1/4" by 1" bangle with double rose carved front. See page 68 of Davidov & Dawes "The Bakelite Jewelry Book" and in Burkholz' "The Bakelite Jewelry Collection" on page 56.    View   #B13975  

BAKELITE Royal Dynasty 17 jewel butterscotch hinged bangle wrist watch, keeps good time, 6-1/3" around the inside, 1-1/8" wide at the front and 1" wide at the back. The face is a milk-chocolate brown with white hands, and it is hinged on the back and opens on the side for ease of wearing. See Grasso's "Bakelite Jewelry" page 50.  View   View   #B16583 

MAIDEN's or CHILD's BANGLES
The standard bangle is 2-1/2" in diameter, but I collect these smaller 2-1/8" to 2-1/4" diameter bakelite bangles because they are just my size, and I am always in the market for them.
 

  SPACERS...  I am always looking for the small 2-1/4" diameter bangles to buy... especially the chunky or the well-carved ones like these. Each is 2-1/4" by 1/4" by 1/4".   View   View    #B16686

  BAKELITE golden clad black maiden's bangle,2-1/4 by 1-1/4" by 3-16". Circa mid-1930s.   View  #B27556

   BAKELITE green carved "maiden's bracelet" only 2-1/4" diameter for a smaller wrist, and 5/8" wide by 3/16" thick.   View   #B24363  
 BAKELITE red carved "maiden's bracelet" only 2-1/4" diameter for a smaller wrist, and 5/8" wide by 3/16" thick.   #B24364

CONTEMPORARY BAKELITE JEWELRY MAKER-
SHULTZ
The Shultzs use vintage bakelite and by carving, cutting, inlaying, gluing and polishing, they create new designs of old pieces. Their work is collectible in it's own right, and is usually signed.
To learn more about Shultz Bakelite, click HERE.