The Bakelite Collector

Bakelite first appeared in the early 1900s and was the result of an accident. Known as the "material of a thousand uses," Bakelite was a cast resin. It first proved itself as a heat-resistant material, was used for electrical insulation and other industrial purposes, and was available in a limited number of colors.

But by the 1930s phenolic resins were available in opaque, translucent, transparent, and marbleized colors. This variety of colors, and the fact that Bakelite was easy to work with and cheap to produce, meant that Bakelite and its relatives* soon appeared virtually everywhere.

Women carried Bakelite purses. Their shoes and belts featured Bakelite buckles. Bakelite buttons and dress clips adorned their clothing. Seamstresses stored their supplies in Bakelite sewing kits. Bakelite was used to make a fabulous range of costume jewelry: whimsical Bakelite pins and brooches, rings and earrings, and necklaces and beads. And every sort of bracelet. Because Bakelite could be carved and was easy to polish, it was the ideal medium for inexpensive jewelry, especially during the Great Depression.

Bakelite napkin rings and salt and pepper sets joined flatware with Bakelite handles on the dining table where meals that had been prepared with Bakelite kitchenware were served. People spoke on Bakelite telephones and listened to radios with Bakelite cases. They used Bakelite lamps and had Bakelite desk sets and clocks. Bakelite chess pieces, poker chips, dice and billiard balls featured in adult leisure time activities while their children played with Bakelite toys.

Bakelite was popular in the production of vanity items too - men's razors were packaged in Bakelite boxes and often had Bakelite handles. Vanity boxes and hatpins made of Bakelite were popular, as were hand mirrors and hair brushes with Bakelite handles.

*In addition to the products made by the Bakelite Corporation, cast phenolic thermosetting plastic products were manufactured under a variety of brand names. These include: Agatine, Catalin, Durez, Durite, Fiberlon, Gemstone, Ivaleur, Joanite, Marblette, Monsanto Phenolic Resin, Phenolia, Prystal, Trafford. To keep things simple, Bakelite is used as a generic term on this site, with individual brand names used when known.

Photograph: Leo Hendrik Baekland, the chemist who invented and first patented Bakelite

Bakelite jewelry was exactly what was needed during the Depression. Bakelite was inexpensive to make, colorful, and easy to work with. The Bakelite jewelry trend was all the rage from about 1933 to about 1941. It was sold in all the best stores (Saks, B. Altman, for example), and even haute couture designers such as Chanel designed Bakelite jewelry.

The range of Bakelite jewelry produced in those days was fantastic. Bakelite pins and brooches brightened the day. Bakelite rings, earrings, necklaces, and beads were inexpensive and fun to wear. And Bakelite was used to make bracelets of every sort: bangles, hinged bracelets, link bracelets, cuffs, stretch bracelets, and charm bracelets. Bakelite could be carved and was easy to polish. As Corinne Davidov and Ginny Dawes*, authors of The Bakelite Jewlery Book, stated, Bakelite jewelry was characterized by "indefatigable humor...high style...good-hearted silliness...streamlined chic...daring inventiveness." It's no wonder that collectors have become infatuated with Bakelite jewelry!

See a wonderful selection of vintage Bakelite jewelry.

Read Becoming a Collector of Vintage Bakelite Jewelry

*The Bakelite Jewelry Bookis described immediately below.

Bakelite was an extremely versatile material. Manufacturers produced a wide variety of mid-twentieth century household items that could be in the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the bedroom, and even the vanity.

Bakelite wall and table clocks were produced in a range of colors and styles and reflected the modern look in design. Bakelite telephones, which appear to be especially popular with collectors in the UK, were a fixture in homes for many years. In the kitchen it seemed as though nearly every utensil used for cooking had a Bakelite handle. At the dining table people used cutlery with Bakelite handles, colorful Bakelite salt and pepper shakers, Bakelite napkin rigns, and many other items partly or completely composed of Bakelite.

Radios housed in Bakelite cases are a popular collectible. With their modern, industrial age look, Bakelite radios are some of the most retro-looking collectibles you can find today.

(Radio image taken by Robert Neild at the Bakelite Museum, UK; telephone image by Holger, Ellgaard)