Featured Two Bakelite Bead Necklaces & 1 Mystery!

Found some interesting necklaces at the charity shop today.
Lovely crystal Bakelite


I thought these might be amber but although the opaque orange ones react to UV it’s unconvincing and they all tested positive for Bakelite. The 4 orange glass beads glow too which is a nice surprise!
Any age ideas on these please?





This is my mystery!
I thought maybe Bakelite but not as when I tested the dye came off as in the last photo and left a pale patch.
They are lighter where the beads rub together. Then I considered nuts but they are moulded as every bead has a very faint line running round the centre and those little dotty circley things. Some black flecks within the beads which are very slightly translucent in places. Any ideas please as I’m completely stumped on this one.
Thanks for looking

 

The brown ones look like some kind of molded plastic. Bakelite will never have a seam, nor the little round molding mark, both of which I have circled.

 

That’s what is confusing me, I’m not sure what they could be!
I’m off to google early plastics again!

 

Like Galalith?
Like this but uncarved?
Doesn’t explain the dots or seam though

 

Or maybe some type of thermoplastic but would that have a consistent colour throughout? @Ownedbybear i need you!

 

Very informative page about the different plastics.
https://chatsworthlady.com/2012/06/21/vintage-plastic-jewelry-what-it-is-and-isnt/

 

On the dark burgundy mysteries...no idea. The others I'd bet were old beads strung or restrung at a later date. The prystals are 30s but the clasp is 70s. The multicolors may have been strung in the 40s. Did you measure the necklaces to see how long they were? Shorter is older, usually.

 

Nice bakelite necklaces! I have their sisters laying in my bakelite-stash.
Your necklaces got restrung at one time because the thread they originally were strung on, typically breaks down after all those years. I have had necklaces break down the moment I bought them, (or just before! And then had to look all over the street to find the missing beads ) so I usually restring them myself the moment I see weakness on the thread.
As for the brown necklace: I have no idea! Is it light, heavy? Does it have an odor?
Some necklaces stay mysteries...

 

Love the first red faceted Bakelite necklace! The amber one is also very nice but the red one is marvelous.

I cannot help much on beads ID but fully agree with Marie on mold seams and marks. I have myriads of plastic bead necklaces with similar traces of molding. I would love to have a Bakelite one, unfortunately, my Bakelite collection consists of just one bangle that tested positive with the cotton bud and oven cleaner test (not simichrome, local brand).

Some ordinary plastic also can be UV reactive, as I found out with very simple modern earrings that glowed under UV light (I even posted them here in astonishment)

Here plastic bead necklaces are found cheap and easily but Bakelite is known and sought after, so every time I buy something hoping to be Bakelite, it turns out with mold seams or marks or if not, does not test positive This is how I accumulated many such pieces, tried to research the exact plastic but gave up at some point. Tons of information online, often contradictory. I just make difference by its weight - lightweight so Lucite or celluloid, more often Lucite, heavy - some kind of resin.

 

The red ones are called "cherry" (the red color) "prystal" (clear bakelite, or one of the plastics called bakelite) It's sought after here too. I have my grandmother's dark red beads, and restrung them. Oddly the string was fine, but the clasp broke.

 

Both are short, 16” end to end.

It feels just like Bakelite and is exactly the same weight as the Prystal one. No odour at all.
I think it will stay a mystery!.

Thankyou, I whipped it off the hook with unladylike speed

Where is ‘here’ Iva?
There are lots of knowledgeable collectors in the UK but I don’t think the charity shops have cottoned on to it fortunately. Even some of the dealers just assume they are worthless plastic beads.

 

Bakelite was my first jewelry love and I have been collecting for years now.
In my region (Flanders) people don't seem interested in it. There is not very much for sale but if you find it, its always dirt cheap.
Although I must say its beginning to be picked up a bit more.
Some colors are always 'en vogue', mostly the yellow-red colors (people mistakenly buy it because they think it is amber.)
And of course there are the cherry-amber collectors who go crazy for some pieces.

 

KSW, Eastern Europe, Bulgaria. Bakelite has been a hype at antique shops and flea markets and most sellers are aware of it, to the extent to sell for bakelite even things that are not, obviously and without testing. Same for amber, but I somehow managed to get a number of genuine pieces cheap. And hope the same will happen with Bakelite. Maybe it is a matter of pure luck. And hope dies last

 

I've gotten amber cheaply here once in a while; it was mistaken for plastic! The best hunting grounds for me have always been church sales where they get too many donations to research everything. I did blind-luck into a long amber necklace once in a charity thrift. Bought it for $5 and resold it for a LOT more. Got a cherry prystal necklace for a dollar once because it needed restringing. Horrors.(LOL)

 

Yes, it seems to me that genuine amber is easier found for good price than Bakelite. Maybe because it has been made for much longer and there are more pieces around.

Indeed a spot on! Lucky you!

 

It's harder to test for amber; it looks and feels like plastic most of the time, and doesn't always pass the home tests for amber even when it's real. Way easier to test for prystal.

 

Speechless, jealous

Have only just found the words, begrudgingly from my mouth

 

Just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
I know what you mean though, sometimes people show stunning things and I say nice words but want to stamp my feet and shout ‘I WANT IT’

 

That's like faceted cherry amber bakelite ain't it ?

Grovel grovel

 

Yes. I don’t know if Prystal is a brand name but I presume so?