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Description:
When Mr Baekland patented Bakelite he described it as “the material of a thousand uses”, and history proved him very soon right. But out of the many utilitarian ways Bakelite revolutionized several industries it was in the jewelry industry that Catalin Bakelite proved its ingeniousness. Relatively sparse materials such as Ivory, Amber, Coral, and Jet could be replicated realistically, in amounts that satisfied even mass demands, sometimes with more affordable prices, and with a durability and resistance that none of the organic materials could compete with. One of the first uses of Catalin Bakelite was precisely in Amber replicas that were extensively used in smoking pipe mouthpieces ( Bakelite turned out to be infinitely more resistant) which led then to replicate Amber jewelry, often in shapes that would be difficult to produce with real Amber.
This bangle is a perfect example of that- a piece like this in solid Amber would be fragile even by just putting it on and off. One often finds stunning bakelite bangles in so many fun colors and splendid creative designs, but when this one was created there was the sole intent of replicating Amber to perfection. And what an accomplishment!
The bangle has a beautiful translucent caramel color as realistic as Baltic Amber goes, with elegant diamond-shaped facets, but what's more astonishing is its finer details. The bracelet was engineered to have inner cracks that replicate realistically pressure cracks that occur in real amber. It is so realistic that it's difficult to accept it is a fabulous fake. A perfect glorious fake!
Measurements:
Inner diameter: 61 mm
14 mm wide
Materials: discount
Catalin Bakelite
Designer, Markings:
Unmarked- superb quality
Condition:
Excellent vintage condition with gentle wear. Just a short note, the “cracks” were engineered and are inside the bangle. The bangle is undamaged and a very sturdy piece.
Product code: Fabulous discount Bakelite bangle like real Amber