Winter 2023

industrial plastic containing formaldehyde. Ways to identify Bakelite are by weight (it is relatively heavy for a plas- tic), in looking for a seam (Bakelite jewelry will not have a mold mark), and by rubbing the jewelry briskly in your palm to heat it up with friction (Bakelite will give off a formaldehyde smell). Use Simichrome Polish to test Bakelite. Apply a small dab of the cream to a soft cloth and gently rub a small spot on the inside or back of the item being tested. If it is Bakelite, the cloth should easily turn yellow. The range of vintage Bakelite items includes early radios, kitchenware, flatware, clocks, telephones, pool cue balls and dice. However, collectors associate Bakelite with jewelry, as it is the most sought after of all. Today, these pieces can be found ranging from $25 to $10,000 offered for sale on sites from eBay to 1stDibs, based upon rarity, desirability, color and carved detail. As most Bakelite is unsigned, it’s hard to attribute a maker to most pieces, especially those made during the 30s and 40s. American companies making this jewelry were U.S.A. Bakelite Co., Marblette and the Catalin Co. Some collectors focus on marbled pieces that are called “end of day,” which swirl several colors together. They were actually made at the end of the day when small leftover batches were mixed together so they wouldn’t be wasted.While these pieces are highly valued by most Bakelite fans, their appearance is somewhat dull and resembles camouflage. The four most coveted Bakelite pieces are transparent colors, with red being the most desired; laminated Bakelite, where more than one color is stacked and adhered with a special glue and polished as one piece; reverse-carved Bakelite which has a carving of flowers on the bottom that shows through to the top; and over-dyed Bakelite which applies a glaze over a carved piece to add highlights to the color. For the advanced collector, opera length strands of cherry-amber beads sell in the thousands. For the average collector there are less pricey options such as plain bangles to be worn in stacks or carved pins in but- terscotch and pea green. Whatever your choice may be, Bakelite has become scarce and precious. All the pieces photographed here have been recently acquired by my intense search to bring these to share with you. I adore the dangling cher- ry brooch and the rare dangling bowling ball and pins in a root beer Bakelite color. The red Scottie dog is actually a pencil sharpener and the green and red dice look good enough to eat. Bakelite was always a status free concept of fashion. It was never extrava- gant. It was plastic at its most extreme.Without the attitude, this effortlessly fabulous style would have been impossible to pull off in its stylish nonchalance. Marjorie Snow is a published writer and photographer with a vast knowl- edge of antiques and their history. Snow was the owner of Terra Cotta in Las Vegas, an exclusive architectural vintage gallery, which has been featured in numerous West Coast magazines. (Above) A rare find of an over-dyed Bakelite bird on carved leaves. (Center) A chunky bracelet in colors of root beer and ivory. (Below) A red Scottie dog pencil sharpener and Bakelite dice. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 91