Bakelite

While browsing in shops along the Whyte strip a few weekends ago, Greg and I came across a fun antique shop, Traveller Antiques, that we'd never wandered into before. Though our collective design style is more teak and chrome than Victorian, we had fun scanning over Alberta landscapes in the basement, and smelling the rich mahogany of the dining tables of a past era. There were beautiful glass vases and china tea cups and a funny framed leprechaun card that served as a reminder of the design and cartoon style of the turn of the century.

With all the delights before us, my eyes focused in on a case of colourful Bakelite bracelets. I've mentioned before that I have a soft spot for chunky jewelry. To elaborate, though I'm not normally an Angelina Jolie follower, I did admire her green earrings and ring at the 2009 Oscars on Sunday evening. To note, I am fully aware that style media has been raking her over the coals for that choice, but I support it. A hunk of stylised colourful plastic can make an outfit in my mind.

In thinking about the Traveller's Bakelite stock today, I thought I'd share some beautiful pieces from the same time period. Bakelite was developed between 1907-1909 by Belgian Dr. Leo Baekeland and is the first plastic made from synthetic components. In 1993, it was named a National Historical Chemical Landmark.

Run to your grandmother's jewelry box to see if you can unearth a Bakelite piece she may have worn in the 1930s or 1940s. Perhaps she is willing to trade it for a few hours of assistance with her spring cleaning. I love the lines and colour of these bracelets. I think jumble sales would be a great place to find this sort of jewelry at a bargain.

(The photo of Jolie is from Socialite Life, while the snaps of the Bakelite pieces came from the Naughty Secretary's Club and Galessa's Plastics.)