Fantastic Plastic: Collecting Mid-Century Costume Jewelry

Growing up in the 1960s, I remember the women in my life wearing jewelry decorated with some attention-grabbing plastic components. My grandmother had a super chunky bracelet embellished with simulated turquoise, and my mom had some lipstick red button earrings glammed up with clear rhinestones. My Aunt Billie even had a pink necklace with actual seashells and glitter embedded in plastic that really mesmerized me every time I saw it. I don’t know what happened to Grandma’s bracelet or Aunt Billie’s necklace, but I still have Momma’s earrings and enjoyed wearing them a few times when I was younger; now they’re tucked away with my treasured possessions.

Identifying Plastics Jewelry

While Bakelite components were still used by jewelry companies occasionally from the 1950s through the early ‘70s, a new wave of plastics was embraced by costume jewelry manufacturers during this era. The use of acrylics like Lucite and Plexiglas carried over from the 1930s and ’40s. Polystyrene was employed to make dime-store costume jewelry. Cellulose acetate found its way into some jewelry as well including pieces that imitate mother of pearl.

Except for Bakelite, these fall into the category of thermoplastics. That means they can be heated, molded, melted down, and reformed into another object (although that’s a bit more difficult with cellulose acetate than other plastics). Bakelite and other phenolic plastics (Catalin is one brand name, for example) are thermosets, meaning they went through a curing process when they were manufactured, and they do not melt.

Identifying various types of plastics often relies on using your nose. For instance, when rubbed vigorously, cellulose acetate smells like vinegar, while Bakelite omits an odor akin to formaldehyde. You can also run hot water over Bakelite to elicit the same scent (cellulose acetate can become distorted under hot water, though, so using the rub test is safer). Acrylics and polystyrenes don’t have a scent. Lucite and other acrylics are usually identified by their transparent appearance, whether clear or dyed. Polystyrenes are often colored, have a lustrous finish, and are very light in weight. When a type of plastic material cannot readily be identified in jewelry, it’s often referenced by the generic term resin.

Brands Incorporating Plastics

Some of the most sought-after mid-century jewelry incorporating plastic elements is marked Trifari. This giant in the manufacture of costume jewelry in Providence, R.I., incorporated Bakelite in some early 1970s pieces. However, most of the cabochons and molded plastic leaves, beads, and other components they used to decorate their jewelry in the 1950s and ’60s are described generically as plastic or resin since the exact type is unknown.

Another high-end brand incorporating plastics in its jewelry during the 1960s and ’70s is Schreiner of New York. Collectors aren’t seeking these pieces because they are mid-century plastics as much as because they were made by Schreiner. They’re usually combined with rhinestones and elements like glass drops. Some Schreiner components appear to be acrylic since they’ve remained crystal-clear for decades, while other opaque stones are often defined as resin.

One of the quintessential makers of mid-century plastic jewelry is Lisner. This jewelry was lower in price when it was new in comparison to Trifari and Schreiner, but it can be just as eye-catching in terms of colors and shapes. Vividly colored leaves in both frosted and opaque versions were commonly used by Lisner, but they also employed cabochons, Deco-inspired molded elements, and even “jelly” strawberries with a luminescent glow that are a favorite among collectors.

Another Providence giant producing many similar mid-century pieces is Coro. These designs often appeared in magazine advertisements dating to the mid-1950s and early ‘60s making them easier to accurately date year by year. A number of these styles included colorful plastic elements made of confetti Lucite or a plastic called moonglow, which has a unique pearly sheen and was made in a wide array of colors. Richelieu was the Moonglow forerunner, introducing their Iridelle (white) and Satinore (colored) lines in the late 1940s.

Another favorite among collectors of chunky 1950s jewelry is Selro. This company used Asian-look resin elements shaped like Japanese Noh masks and Thai princesses in various colors in unique designs. They also incorporated Lucite glitter stones and molded resin panels in bar shapes or with floral designs in some of their styles.

 Weiss also marketed plastic-hinged clamper bracelets and matching earrings studded with rhinestones during the mid-century era. They were named “Bon Bon” by the company, but collectors rarely use that term to describe them. Interestingly, the plastic for these pieces was supplied by an umbrella handle manufacturer.

Beginning in the 1960s, Lea Stein widely used laminated cellulose acetate in her whimsical figural designs. Other companies, including B.S.K. (B. Steinberg-Kaslo Co.), incorporated mother-of-pearl elements that are likely made of cellulose acetate. These and countless other plastic components have also been found in unmarked costume jewelry.

Learning More

As I was contemplating what to include in this column, I paged through my friend Susan Klein Bagdade’s book, Mid-Century Plastic Jewelry (Shiffer Publishing), for a refresher. She wrote the book (as Susan Maxine Klein) almost twenty years ago, and it’s still in print. Her goal was to fill a much-needed educational gap about plastics used in jewelry, and it’s still a great reference if you want to dive deeper into the topic and see many different examples all in one place.

PAMELA WIGGINS SIEGEL has been buying, selling, and collecting costume jewelry for more than 30 years. She is the author of Warman’s Costume Jewelry and the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l, an organization dedicated to hosting events and providing educational resources for collectors. Visit her online at www. chicantiques.com.

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