Featured 14k gold earrings Art Deco. What other material please?

Dainty Art Deco gold earrings by Franz Breuning, Pforzheim, Germany.
Marked FB and 585 on both.
With those awkward old European leverfront hooks which I can never manage. At least I can wear these the other way around, like leverbacks. The dangles are the same on both sides.

My question is about the black material, could it be lucite? What do you think?
It is not onyx or any other stone, not cold.
They are completely opaque black, no translucency at all. The colours in the first photo are reflections.

I can't get simichrome here, have bookmarked the baking soda test, but don't know if I should test something so small. They always say to test in an inconspicuous place, but these little darlings have none.
They are still in perfect condition, and I would like to keep it the way of course.
So a visual assessment would be very welcome, if at all possible.

And advice on cleaning them, especially the dirt that has accumulated along the gold bands over the dangles, please.

Thank you for looking.

 

Not . A. Clue! pretty though

 

Morning, Davey. Jet, you know I never even thought of that?
I have some long Whitby jet and gold earpendants which I bought in Whitby in the 1970s. I'll test immediately, I know it won't damage them, because I've tested for jet before.

 

@daveydempsey , no jet.

 

Thanks James. I thought they were too cute to pass. And I love Art Deco jewellery. (And most other jewellery....)

 

The edges look pretty sharp, probably too sharp for ebony or bog oak. Could they be some type of black horn? Having only ever tried the baking soda on some cherry Bakelite beads I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying go ahead though I didn’t see any damage on the beads afterwards. For the accumulated dirt I would use a wooden cocktail stick covered in soft cotton fabric, maybe moistened slightly but until you know what they are made from it might be a bit risky in case they swell up. They are lovely.

 

Thank you @Houseful . I never think of black horn as having such sharp edges, but it could be, I'll look into it.

 

I was thinking Bakelite, too.

I've had black horn slices which were smooth, but no angles cut into them so I don't know if they'd have sharp edges or not if cut that way.

 

Thanks, Pat. I thought about Bakelite at first, but most small Bakelite items I've seen had chipped edges, so I thought it would be too vulnerable for those thin sharp-edged wedges. Hence my second thought of possible lucite.

 

What are the 2 bumps under the metal?

 

The white background showing. There is actually a central bump on the inside of the gold band to hold the black wedge in place. The background is showing on either side.

 

My usual field/ground problem with photos. So the 1 bump is metal & not the black material? I don't know if means anything about what the material is or whether it was done for this purpose, but looks as though setting designed to put minimal pressure on the 'stone'. Why not just strap it right around? And would you really mount any kind of plastic in 14K?

 

Hi Bronwen,
I have an 18Kt gold ring with a plastic "ruby" in it. My great uncle had the ruby removed in the Depression and replaced with a plastic "ruby".
greg

 

They would in the Art Deco period, experimenting with new materials.

 

Exactly what I thought
When you say not cold, did you apply the black part to your lip or only touched with your finger? It does seem a glassy material rather than "plastic" to me I'd try a tap test with a front tooth (natural one, not denture or crown)

 

Cold against the lip. What should a tap against the front teeth feel or sound like? They are my own, btw.

 

LOL, OHHHHH NOOOOO! HERE WE GO AGAIN! with @kyratango trying to get someone to do a "taste test" like with Davey and an ink stick awhile back! DEAD FUNNY!

 

@kyratango I changed the title, took the word plastic out.

 

Lol! It seems my taste test made a huge impression on you @James Conrad