Featured Celluloid necklace? Other early plastic?

Oh, not only, it polish very well silver and other metals
A tiny amount on an old rag you keep black will do the job for many jewelry pieces
(Remember the micromosaic earrings after polish!)

 

LOL, Oh Dear! That's where you made your first mistake!
Everyone knows that the taste test is vital to identify these things, where you been?

 

Hi,
Remember certain reds and blacks of Bakelite do not react with smell.
greg

 

Hiding in the closet with my UV light, testing amber, rubies etc.

 

Well, guesses that's ok, being WEIRD! in private.
Don't be like Greg, who was arrested for black lighting food at the grocery store on another thread!
Strange folks in here, NO DOUBT!

 

I've seen the jewellery gals over here sell that stuff as copal ..

 

Oh, dear. Thanks for looking and thinking about it, blooey. It isn't copal though.

 

@Ownedbybear , it didn't stink after being in a bag overnight.

In the meantime I found a highly sophisticated state of the art testing method on a Dutch site.
They said to tap two pieces of bakelite together, two pieces of celluloid, and celluloid and bakelite, and listen to the difference in sound. Celluloid has a higher clicking sound, bakelite a lower pitch 'clock'. So I tested bakelite pieces and celluloid pieces, and these beads have the higher pitch click. I tapped them against just about everything I could find.
So remember people, click and clock.
They didn't say anything about other old plastics, but the necklace doesn't seem to be bakelite.

I also did the moist baking soda test, no result. I don't know how definitive that is, but so far two tests say no bakelite. So my guess is no bakelite.

 

Thats brilliant - the jeans rubbing thing never works for me.

Celluloid smells like camphor under the right conditions.

I thought I ruined my friend's heirloom carved bakelite bangle. As soon as (apparently!) too hot water hit it, the carved areas turned yellowish white!

I was able to polish it off, but a super reality check.

 

lol, Oh Lord! "tap two pieces together & listen for sound" HIGHLY sophisticated all right!
Gee Wiz, as old furniture people have drifted towards forensic examinations in recent years, it appears jewelry people have a ways to go in this area.

 

LOL, CASE CLOSED! You guys are just a small step away from VooDoo authentication! Time to update some of these procedures, I'd say.

 

I usually put it in a ziplock bag under a hot tap. But again, I am not a good smeller.

 

Not worth it for a low value necklace. Fine jewellery can be tested using state of the art equipment though, and has been for much longer than just recent years.

 

Really not worth it, valuewise. This will probably sell for 20-40 euros. I don't even know, I'll have to check when the time comes.

 

Yeah, good point, basically junk!

 

Yep. Not something I would usually buy, but this came in a lot with some very nice antique jewellery. It hitched a ride, so to speak. And if I can sell it...

 

The technology hasn't been there for old furniture until recently but even now, it has many limitations

 

This is one of the things the necklace came with, a huge gold front, silver back German Biedermeier locket:

 

Meanwhile, dad plays his ONLY card on this crosman box today, the opening bid, and hopes everyone else is sleeping or otherwise unavailable!

 

Fingers crossed!