My Bakelite Bangles

 I bought myself an armful of bakelite bangle bracelets for a birthday present four or five years ago. (Yes, I give myself birthday gifts. It's one of the things I've done since my cancer diagnosis.)

I bought six, the five in the photo plus one more that is dark brown. I bought them at an antique store in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, and I paid about $350 for all six. 

Those were pretty good prices, and the bracelets are probably all worth more now.

I didn't buy them as an investment, though, I bought them to wear. This selection gives me a great range to match most of my clothes. (The second one down is actually a pale marbled green, but it looks more yellow here.) I sometimes wear just one, sometimes two or three, and sometimes all of them at the same time. 

One of the interesting things about bakelite is that it changes color as it ages. I probably would not have liked the garish colors of new bakelite back in the 1930s or 40s, but I love the patina and color changes that come with age. 

The pale "creamed corn" color started out white, and there is no white bakelite today unless you find a piece that was stored away from the light. Yellows become butterscotch or amber, like the carved bangle third from the top, which I often wear alone. Blue becomes black or sometimes green, and red deepens. 

That butterscotch bracelet is a perfect match for this necklace: Happy Bakelite Necklace

Buying Bakelite

Bakelite jewelry was cheap when it was first made during the Great Depression. A bangle bracelet might have sold for as little as 10 cents.

Today, bakelite bangles vary widely in price. I paid only $20 or $30 each for the thinner ones with no carving--sometimes called "spacers." I paid about $80 each for the two most expensive of my bracelets--the red and the amber carved ones. But I've seen similar ones for sale recently for $200 or more each. 

The width of the bracelet and any carving, which was done by hand, add to the value.

I have never bought bakelite bangles online, even from Web sites that say that they guarantee that it is genuine bakelite, because there is a lot of "fakelite" out there. Also, sometimes inexperienced dealers label a piece "bakelite" when it is another early plastic like lucite. I prefer to buy from a dealer I can meet face to face.

I'll put up another post soon about how to tell if a particular piece is bakelite or not, and if you are interested in buying bakelite bangles I would be happy to search for them for you at my local antique stores--where I know the dealers and can get a money-back guarantee in writing that the piece is vintage bakelite. 

Interested? E-mail me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

See also: Cleaning & Polishing Bakelite

Photo: Monica Strasen. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Comments

[carrie s]

ooooh, so pretty! love that soft aged carving & colors.

[Kathi]

Gosh, don't you just love Bakelite? I have some vintage household items that are trimmed in Bakelite (martini sets, lamps) that are just so fun. Love the colors & the feel of it.