This type of jewelry is being reproduced again. I like them too but I love that these are made out of Bakelite. Most of what we see today are just regular plastic. Coco Chanel used a lot of Bakelite when making her jewelry because it lasted longer, it just has a different feel to it. One of the things used to make it was Formaldehyde.
It's a much denser and heavier form of plastic so when you buy a vintage Bakelite piece it's going to last you a long time. It's a much better investment than buying a cheap plastic one that will last you a few years, if you're careful. There are just so much beautiful unique vintage pieces out there that are more about quality than quantity.
Doing all this research on the special plastic Bakelite, I ran into another special plastic called Celluloid, it was manufactured here in the United States back in the day. I was browsing the 1940's Census report that were released to the public last year and saw that a lot of people worked at the Celluloid Manufacturing Company. Newark was actually referred to as America's Celluloid Capital, all of the research centers were here also. From what I read on this webpage it was on Mechanic Street.
Celluloid Factory on Mechanic Street in Newark, NJ
"The celluloid patent was issued to Hyatt and his brother Isaiah who coined the name celluloid. What became of Brown is not recorded by historians. John and Isaiah formed the Albany Dental Plate Company in 1870 and before long they had branched out into knife handles, piano keys, and assorted novelties. The firm also supplied celluloid tubes, sheets, rods and blocks to other manufacturers. With the backing of a group of New York financiers, John Wesley moved his operations to a five-story factory on Newarks Mechanic Street. "
Today, there are no companies producing celluloid in this country. We just gave all our shit away to the rest of the world. Now we are here wondering where the jobs went.
