What is the rarest color of Bakelite?

A large strands of red Bakelite beads can fetch $4,000 or more and are among the most valuable items to collectors, likely because the cherry amber color is fairly rare and the simple design is very wearable.

What are the different colors of Bakelite?

Solid Color Bakelite

The most readily found colors are yellow, ranging from butter yellow to dark butterscotch, followed by various shades of green.

Is there black Bakelite?

If a piece is lacquered, it may test negative with 409. Black Bakelite pieces often fail this test as well. Use the other tests above, especially the hot water test, to confirm authenticity if a piece you strongly suspect to be Bakelite fails with 409.

Is Bakelite worth money?

Generally, Bakelite jewelry sells for anywhere between $40 and $1,000 it all depends on the piece itself. On average, prices are frequently between $50 and $300, though older pieces (1920s to 1940s) and some bangles carry prices of $800 or more.

Is there white Bakelite?

You will NEVER see a White Piece of Bakelite!

The colours tend to darken with age, and for this reason you will never see a white piece of Bakelite, as it has faded to mustard over the years.

Bakelite, Catalin and WHAT?

What is the most valuable Bakelite?

There's a wide range of value when it comes to Bakelite, as the following examples show: A large strands of red Bakelite beads can fetch $4,000 or more and are among the most valuable items to collectors, likely because the cherry amber color is fairly rare and the simple design is very wearable.

Can Bakelite be blue?

Colors and Marbling- the colors of Bakelite are usually obvious but on occasion, there are odd shades that pop up. Bakelite comes in various shades of red, green, black, butterscotch, cream, orange, brown, root beer (brown translucent swirl), apple juice (translucent pale yellow) and my favorite-blue or turquoise.

What is cherry amber Bakelite?

There is also a type of Bakelite that was made in the Eastern Mediterranean called Faturan which also comes in a cherry amber colour. They were used for prayer beads, and Komboloi and come in red, orange and yellow shades.

Why do people collect Bakelite?

Bakelite jewelry is highly sought after. It's bright colors and beautiful sheen have attracted several generations to its unique qualities. Values remain high and continue to rise, especially for highly carved pieces, figural shapes, pieces in red and/or green, and those that are laminated (as I mentioned above).

Does Bakelite glow under black light?

It doesn't fluoresce. You get a surface reflection but no reaction. The Fluorescence is generally a muddy green color.

What is the difference between Bakelite and Lucite?

Bakelite should be stored carefully, although it is not as fragile as Celluloid. Lucite, an acrylic resin, was first marketed by DuPont in 1937, and it began to appear in costume jewelry around 1940. As with Bakelite, Lucite is a thermoset plastic, but it was much cheaper to produce.

Can you polish Bakelite?

Use Magnolia Glayzit or Soft Scrub for slightly faded Bakelite. Use Brasso, Novus plastic polish, Simichrome metal polish, or an automobile rubbing compound to treat more severe fading and/or light scratches. Brasso is usually the cheapest, but may require more elbow grease.

How do you test Bakelite with baking soda?

The Baking Soda Test - Dip a cotton swab into baking soda and rub it into a test spot on the item. Ex. a bracelet on the inside, brooch on the back etc. If the cotton swab turns a yellow tone you have a positive test.

How can you tell Catalin from Bakelite?

Bakelite only comes in dark colors, usually black or dark brown. Catalin can come in a wide variety of color colors, including bright colors and marbling. Bakelite is opaque, while catalin is often translucent (can often see this at the edges of an item).

How can you tell celluloid from Bakelite?

Bakelite will emit a smell like formaldehyde when placed under hot water. Bakelite is a sturdy material and is heavier than Celluloid. Bakelite is denser and heavier than Celluloid. Hold two pieces of jewelry in your hands and compare the weight.

Is cherry amber valuable?

Red Amber is commonly called Cherry Amber. It is very rare and valuable. The natural red is slightly rusty and can be found from golden red to dark brown.

Is there red amber?

Red Amber. The second most rare amber is red amber. Only about one in every two hundred amber specimens are red. The color is very authentic and can be very deep.

How do you clean vintage Bakelite?

Is there asbestos in Bakelite?

While Bakelite contained asbestos from at least 1909 to 1974, most American manufacturers phased out asbestos around the mid-1980s. Asbestos plastic products remain in production internationally.

What was so special about Bakelite?

Like many modern plastics, Bakelite was lightweight and durable, and it could be molded into nearly infinite shapes, so its use quickly expanded as manufacturers realized its potential.

Does real ivory turn yellow?

Over time, ivory darkens and/or turns yellow in color and develops surface coloring called a patina. This change is color is an indicator if its age and thus affects the value of the piece and should not be removed. If a cleaner is applied and the coloring is altered, you risk losing the value.

Is ivory worth anything?

The price currently paid for raw ivory in Asia, according to an investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission, is currently between $597/kg and $689/kg, in U.S. dollars. Ivory sourced in Africa and sold in Asia has additional costs such as transportation, taxes and broker commissions.