The early 1900's made Bakelite, a castable plastic, quite a common item. Bakelite very first appeared within the construction of radios. Later on jewelers noticed the lightweight feature of it was ideal for cheaper jewelry.It became popular following numerous colors were available for Bakelite. One noted user is Coco Chanel.
There are numerous classes offered on how to make hand made jewelry the inexpensive way. You will find other plastics which appear like Bakelite, such as Lucite. Take caution if purchasing Bakelite jewelry since other supplies are similar. Bakelite feels heavier than Lucite.
See how opaque the item is. Should you can see through the piece of jewelry, I would bet that it's a Catalin, despite the fact that it may be getting sold as Bakelite. Hold it as much as the light, or the sun itself. If light is in a position to come by way of then the item is probably Catalin and not Bakelite. Given that Bakelite is opaque, light will not be able to shine through it.
Check your jewelry for mold marks or seams. These are marks that may not take place on authentic Bakelite items.
Noise. In case you assume the objects are created from Bakelite, attempt hitting them together. If it is actually Bakelite you will hear a distinct clunking sound.
Test for friction. You are able to use this approach even though you might be outside or in a flea marketplace and also you can't test the jewelry one more way. You'll want to smell the jewelry right after you might have rubbed it till your skin or thumb is warm. The genuine Bakelite jewelry will give off a scent like formaldehyde.
In case you put hot water over a bracelet or other type of jewelry, you could smell formaldehyde. If you repeat the test a second time and do not smell formaldehyde, the jewelry is most likely not Bakelite.
There is not a single test which can confirm whether the item is made of Bakelite. In order to be certain that it truly is indeed a Bakelite jewelry or bracelet, you'll need to perform some of the other tests described above.
There are numerous classes offered on how to make hand made jewelry the inexpensive way. You will find other plastics which appear like Bakelite, such as Lucite. Take caution if purchasing Bakelite jewelry since other supplies are similar. Bakelite feels heavier than Lucite.
See how opaque the item is. Should you can see through the piece of jewelry, I would bet that it's a Catalin, despite the fact that it may be getting sold as Bakelite. Hold it as much as the light, or the sun itself. If light is in a position to come by way of then the item is probably Catalin and not Bakelite. Given that Bakelite is opaque, light will not be able to shine through it.
Check your jewelry for mold marks or seams. These are marks that may not take place on authentic Bakelite items.
Noise. In case you assume the objects are created from Bakelite, attempt hitting them together. If it is actually Bakelite you will hear a distinct clunking sound.
Test for friction. You are able to use this approach even though you might be outside or in a flea marketplace and also you can't test the jewelry one more way. You'll want to smell the jewelry right after you might have rubbed it till your skin or thumb is warm. The genuine Bakelite jewelry will give off a scent like formaldehyde.
In case you put hot water over a bracelet or other type of jewelry, you could smell formaldehyde. If you repeat the test a second time and do not smell formaldehyde, the jewelry is most likely not Bakelite.
There is not a single test which can confirm whether the item is made of Bakelite. In order to be certain that it truly is indeed a Bakelite jewelry or bracelet, you'll need to perform some of the other tests described above.
About the Author:
Bonnie Mieler is a full time writer who writes for http://www.bakelitejewelry.net and other websites.