ooh... ah... fakelite!

My lot is here. As I like to say -- this one was worth the price of admission, but not because of the striped bangle. It's the red jello colored bangle that I'm in love with. Transparent Bakelite is often referred to as Prystal, it cracks easier than opaque Bakelite and therefore more rare. This example is lovely with no crazing (internal cracks) at all. Also in this lot were two blue moon spacers. I know these are hand cut because they're not entirely flat. This dates them, as newer pieces are always machine cut and have no variation in width. They're also an unusual and hghly collectible color. Now that we've discussed the actual vintage Bakelite in this lot we need to talk about the striped bangle.

It does test but it's newer. Fakelite, as it is refered to. How do I know? For one, it's spotless and shiny. There are no nicks or surfaces scratches on this bracelet at all. Most Bakelite was produced in the thirties. You can't come over 70 years without any wear and tear unless you were stored in padded box the entire time. Two, the walls are too thin. Stacked against vintage bangles this piece doesn't have the proper width. Three, the color it produces is slightly off. It's more brown than yellow. It's a lovely imitation, but it's just not the real thing. Also, with striped bangles the older ones are laminated so that you can't feel the seams. This one is not and the seams are evident simply by running your fingers over them.

Keeping these points in mind should steer you clear of Fakelite. Even if you can't test the piece chemically, thin walls and no wear should be an instant red flag.

holding the economy's hand

I'm 31 and I'm still a novice collector. I may have bought my first rhinestone when I was six but somehow, that doesn't matter. I'm still green. Regardless of what you're collecting there is always someone older, someone that has more stuff, more knowledge and often a haughtier attitude about the situation. Don't let these people get you down . I still run across dealers that don't take me seriously. I couldn't possibly know what I'm talking about, I'm "too young." This kind of thinking is stupid -- and agravating so i made it a personal rule to never buy anything from someone that is rude to me. This was happening a lot in my early twenties, so I turned to Ebay. It should come as no surprise that there are rude and crazy people on Ebay too, but at least you can't see them roll their eyes at you.

One of my favorite tactics is to search for lots on Ebay. Sometimes this goes well, sometimes this does not. It takes paitence and a good eye. My eye has been off as of late. I bought a lot of bracelets, spent 50 bucks and came away with 40 hard plastic bangles I can resell for 10 bucks if I'm lucky at best or dishonest (like the seller i bought them from) at worst. There are sellers out there that will tempt you with Bakelite in the listing, claim they haven't tested anything in the lot when they know full well that there is no Bake in the lot. They simply wish to jack up their winning bid. This is unfortunate, but it is what it is... I've learned to avoid this, and buy lots such as this one here. Why? It's simple and straightforward. No teasers, just -- here it is, take it or leave it.

It's the yellow and orange striped bracelet I'm curious about. I'll check back in when it arrives.

okay, so I didn't get to this yesterday, my boyfriend showed up early and took me out for noodles...

I digress.

This bangle is NOT Bakelite.
How can we tell?

It does not pass the Simichrome polish test. Simichrome is a pink polishing cream that will turn yellow when exposed to Bakelite. With some of the newer reproductions it will turn darker, more brownish in appearance. You're looking for yellow. My bangle did produce a color, but it was green, from the brass studs.

Simichrome is the best method for testing Bakelite, as it does not strip the patina like 409 or Scrubbing Bubbles. If you must test with either of the latter, test only a very small area and then thoroughly wash and dry the spot you tested immediately after doing so.

NEVER USE A HOT PIN to test your plastics. This is for a couple of reasons.

1. Some vintage plastics, such as celluloid are HIGHLY FLAMABLE. Therefore, testing celluloid with something hot is ill advised. Hot water is okay, hot pins are not.

2. It diminishes the value of the piece. I can't tell you how many items I've seen on Ebay go for less simply because they have a pin mark. Silly, but true.

Relying on your nose is another excellent option. True vintage Bakelite gives off an odor of formaldehyde, celluloid smells like camphor and Galalith smells of old, wet dog. Running a piece under hot water briefly will produce a strong enough odor for even an nonsensitive nose. Be sure, again, to thoroughly dry the piece after doing so as overexposure to water can damage some plastics, Celluloid in particular.


So what is that bracelet made of? I have absolutely no idea. Evidently some early plastic that produces no odor. It shall remain a mystery to me, as I'll be returning it. I believe it's old, but if you can't determine it's composition one way or another it holds very little value.

Is this Bakelite... tune in after work to find out!

I purchased this bangle from Etsy this week and I'm beginning to wonder if I should simply stop buying Bakelite over there. One thing I've learned is that before you purchase anything as Bakelite it's best to have a quick conversation with the seller, but I'm finding the sellers of vintage on Etsy to be ill-informed at best and downright dishonest at worst.

I contacted the seller of this bracelet and they assured me that it passed the 409 test for Bakelite, however, I can't produce the proper smell when heated, nor does it sound as it should when tapped against the teeth. I'll have to wait until I get home to chemically test it. This irritates me and illustrates why I'm losing my faith in Etsy sellers.

This is coming off the heel of another clusterfuck on Etsy with Retrogirlgypsyarcade.

I attempted to purchase this and contacted her first. It was listed as Bakelite and priced at 39 dollars. When she confirmed that it was indeed Bakelite I bought it, only to have her refund my money and jack up the price!

She won't get the extra hundred dollars she is now asking for it, not in this market, but that is her prerogative. This again demonstrates my dislike of unreliable Etsy sellers and a flaw in Etsy's buying system, as well. I am unable to leave this greedy woman a negative feedback since she canceled the sale. On Ebay, she would have been required to complete the transaction or at the very least, suffer a negative feedback.

In my opinion, when buying vintage Bakelite on Etsy it is definitely buyer beware.