BAKELITE PLASTIC DRESS CLIPS

Bakelite Dress Clips - Circa 1930.

Beautifully carved orange and green.

My first amazing jewelry find were
these dress clips made of Bakelite Plastic.
Bakelite is plastic jewelry made from
man made cast phenolic resins.
Bakelite was first used in jewelry
production starting in about 1925.
The plastic was generally cast as rods,
tubes, and slabs. Then the plastic was

sliced in to smaller pieces to be detailed.
These plastic jewelry pieces were
then carved or etched, using
techniques similar to glass cutting.
In 1936, Bakelite was so popular as

jewelry, that approximately two-thirds

of all jewelry being made that year, was

made of the Bakelite cast resin.

Stylish Carmen Miranda, a Hollywood

Actress who wore 'loads' of jewelry,

including Bakelite jewelry in her movies,

and made costume jewelry an item to wear

for every style conscious girl of that era.