There’s a perplexing plethora of vintage plastic jewelry for sale that is described as being “celluloid”, “bakelite”, “lucite”, etc  – but what exactly IS it? and does it really matter? Actually it does but not for the reasons you might think.

Vintage jewelry made of (or with) plastic falls into one of six groups: celluloid, casein, cellulose acetate, phenolics which include Bakelite, and acrylics which include Lucite. You’ll notice that I’ve only capitalized two of those names and there’s a reason for that. The words celluloid, bakelite and lucite have become so generalized that instead of referring to a specific material, often only a general group is meant. For instance, readers of a certain age may recall when it was common to refer to any non-professional camera as a “kodak” even if it was made by some other company, or being asked at work to “make a xerox of this report” even when the photocopy machine was not actually made by Xerox Corporation. These generalized terms came into the language because at one time those manfacturers were the first and/or the most recognizable makers of a product. And so it was with Celluloid, Bakelite and Lucite … all of which in their capitalized form are trademarked names BUT in today’s marketplace are used as “shorthand” terms for all plastics falling into the same chemical category.

As Lillian Baker aptly put it in her introduction to ‘Plastic Jewelry of the Twentieth Century’, “unless a piece of jewelry is marked “Bakelite” or “Catalin” or “Celluloid” (or any trademarks cited in the article which is printed in Appendix A), it is virtually impossible to pinpoint the actual product used for jewelry collected today.”  (italics mine)

So now that we’ve clarified that a piece described as “celluloid” is referring to any one of a large group of vintage plastics, it’s important to know that ALL plastics – whether made 60 years or 60 days ago – fall into one of two categories: Thermoplastic or Thermoset.

A thermoplastic is a plastic that has been shaped in some way (cast, molded, cut, carved, whatever) and then hardened as it cooled. However, if sufficient heat is applied to any part of it – and that could be as high a temperature as boiling water or as low as 140F from tap water or being left in the sun – it will soften again. The word “plastic” derives from the Greek plastikos meaning something that is malleable or soft. Thus a thermoplastic is a substance that can and will become soft and malleable again (or damaged) via the application of heat.

On the other hand, an item made from a thermoset formula also begins life as a “plastic” (soft/malleable) substance that is then shaped and subsequently hardened as it cooled. However, it is now in a permanent form and even if heat is applied to it will remain “set” in that form and will not again return to its original soft (plastic) state.

Within these two categories of plastic fall the six major groups found in vintage items.