Featured Early green plastic brooches

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie and have joined because I have been impressed with the fantastic knowledge you all have and I am hoping you will be able to help with identifying some pieces for me.

I have been asked by a family friend to look at some pieces for her, some of which is jewellery. While I am not great at identifying semi-precious stones, having looked at the pieces I believe all are early plastic, and not the vintage jade she told me they were made from.

The first brooch has a floral motif and I am wondering if it is made from perhaps something like celluloid? (sorry for the dirt, not cleaned yet!)

The other 2 brooches, which are identical, have been run under hot water and have the bakelite smell! She has pieces from her mother from the 1920's, so I reckon they date to roughly then. I am just curious though as to why she would have 2 identical brooches? Would they be worn on either side of the collar perhaps? They are quite chunky and measure about 6.7cm by 3.5cm.

TIA,

Eils14

 

Welcome, Eils14!
You seems right on for your material identification
The purpose for two identical big brooches may well be what you think too!

 

Love the Bakelite S pins!!!

 

Thank you It's good to get some confirmation of my ideas, as I suspect she may be disappointed to know they aren't actually made from jade!

 

However, the bakelite are unusual. Don't dismiss them. Still some value there.

 

I'd be very happy to score those S brooches at some kind of sale. The top one looks like Japanese molded plastic, but it's fairly old. My guess would be post-WWII but not by a lot.

 

The S brooches are fabulous. I think very saleable too.

 

Explain to her that genuine jade elements would have been set in a frame-like mount & the pin & catch would have been attached to that. They would not have had the findings attached by drilling holes & gluing them directly into the material.

 

Whereas that's precisely how bakelite should be set.

 

Thanks everyone; it's good to know the S brooches are still something special and I will let her know what you have all said too!