Bakelite is the first plastic made from synthetic components in 1907 by the Belgian doctor Leo Baekeland. Due to The retro appeal of old Bakelite products and the labor intensive production Bakelite has become a collectible recently. Most Bakelite production stopped around 1942 with the beginning of WWII and was replaced by the less expensive Lucite.
Bakelite Jewelry was sold in the 1930's and 1940's at such stores as Saks, B. Altman, and Sears. Famous art deco designers including Van Cleef & Arpel, Chanel and Lalique designed jewelry items using Bakelite.
