MEMORIES:

Bakelite was the first synthetic plastic material, developed in 1907 by chemist Leo Baekeland. Before plastic was invented, household items and jewelry were all made from heavy and expensive metals and glass. Baekeland worked in phenolics, a field dealing with phenol. Phenol is a chemical that interacts with secondary chemicals such as formaldehyde to produce a liquid resin, which would then harden in a predisposed shape. Combining certain chemicals together in this process created the first plastic.
The liquid resin that resulted from these experiments hardened into a solid form. It was unique in that colored dyes could be added to it during its liquid state to result in a final colored plastic. Fashion designer Coco Chanel popularized this new material, called bakelite, when she made costume jewelry from it. Both acceptable and affordable, bakelite jewelry changed the jewelry field forever. Before Chanel, jewelry was only available as genuine gemstone, pearl or precious metal, making it unaffordable for many women. Less expensive synthetics could now make jewelry affordable for everyone, and the mass production of the material encouraged further studies into the science of plastics.

 

Bakelite was used for virtually everything – bracelets, earrings, pins, and brooches, as well as umbrella and handbag handles and buttons. The plastic was formed into blocks or tubes, and individual pieces were cut out and carved. Bangle bracelets were cut off from the tube and tumbled in a polisher to sand down the rough edges with coarse silica, a type of sand. Other items like belt buckles and handles were carved directly from the block.

 

During World War II, as precious metals and glass were needed for the war, bakelite became a major part of the jewelry industry. However, when modern plastics were developed in the 1950’s, the bakelite phenomena was replaced with newer materials, and now it remains as a collector’s item.