What Is Thermoset Plastic Jewelry?

History

• Vintage jewelry designers in the early part of the 20th century took the new plastic material, Bakelite, and used it to form intricate pieces. Catalin is another type of thermoset plastic but is made with different methods and was used for jewelry design from the 1930s until the 1960s.

Facts

• Thermoset plastics cannot be reformed once they have been heated and formed, unlike thermoplastics. Thermoset plastics are strong, durable and inexpensive, which makes the material a good choice for jewelry design.

Types

• Bakelite and Catalin are thermoset plastic brand names. Designers also used thermoset plastic other than Bakelite and Catalin to create jewelry during the 1950s and '60s

Identification

• Bakelite jewelry is prized by collectors and has been forged with other plastic materials. Collectors identify true Bakelite by the odor it produces when it is rubbed briskly with your finger; it releases the smell of formaldehyde or carbolic acid, according to Packaging Today.

Collectibles

• Bakelite is a hot item among collectors of vintage jewelry even though it was inexpensive and created for the masses when it was manufactured. Other brand names of thermoset jewelry that are collected include Catalin and Marblette, which have slightly different compositions.