ANY info pair bangle bracelets ~~ plastic? circa?

[sheilasday]

tried  the  409  test,..no  results..but  they  do have a sheen..maybe the  409  cant  penetrate

heated  5  minutes  under hot  water ~~   got  faint   chemical  smell

they are  molded...no  seams  at all ...marbelized  throughoiut  

and carved (?)...any  info  appreciated

ofcoures..hoping  they  could  be  bakelite.,..

thanks  all   3  1/2   circ.    by   2  1/2  wide

[old.crows.nest]

These could be modern revitalised Bakelite. If so, the color test might fail. Have you done the smell test on Bakelite before? Is there any texture on the inside of the bracelets?

[authentic*vintage]

Try rubbing them with a baking soda paste with warm water - this works where other smell tests fail - also, have you tried simichrome?

[rubiano98]

Probably Lucite, which won't any mold seams.

[old.crows.nest]

Another Tip to ID is Bakelite has a heavy clunking sound when tapped on a solid surface. 

[fredi*frogi]

bakelite is always carved, never molded...

and yes, they should have a very distinct clunking sound when tapped together....once you hear it you won't forget it!

[rubiano98]

Bakelite for jewelry does start out in molds, then is extruded, in various thickness and in a multitude of colors. Slices are taken off the seamless rods and worked. Sometimes original rods show up for sale.

[sheilasday]

thanks  all

I  tried the baking  soda...still  get  that  unpleasant  faint   chemical  smell

dont  know what    kind of  sound i am  trying to  hear

maybe  there is a  video on  this on  internet  where i  could  hear the  sound i am  looking   for

there is a  slight   texture inside...smooth  on  outside   very   smooth....very   slight  texture inside

just noiticed...one   bracelet  has a slightly    uneven  break.....darn !   would  bakelite  break  like  that...or  easily   break?

[old.crows.nest]

One of the early things I learned about  distrinqishing Bakelite from other types of plastic Bracelets is that the inner surface would have a "orange peel" like texture.

[rubiano98]

For a bangle bracelet the desired thickness of the solid rod is sliced off and then the interior is reamed out, leaving a piece that looks like an undecorated and unpolished bangle. Think of slicing off the end of unstuffed semi-cooked manicotti.

When the interior is reamed out it leaves very fine machine marks, barely visible.

[old.crows.nest]

I am sure that bracelets are made from hollow tubes cut at desired widths. The tiny "orange peel" texture is the unpolished surface of the Bakelite. I know this because I could have acquired a large amount of these tubes 25 years ago but did not learn what they were until I joined the ebay Jewelry Forum 10 or so years ago. One of my biggest jewelry regrets 😞

[kpamber]

I hesitate to get into a bakelite discussion, because I was such a meanie pants for suggesting that the last pair of bangles that were discussed were probably not bakelite...

But, I'll say it again...if the bracelets do not let off a horrible smell that could burn your hair off your nostrils when heated under boiling water, and if they don't test positive with simichrome, silver polish (or any other polish that will clean silver), and if they don't THUNK when tapped together,  then, dollars to donuts they aren't bakelite.

Those don't appear to be carved...more molded, to my eye.  There doesn't seem to be any evidence of a "patina" or color change that is so characteristic of 30's bakelite.  My guess could be lucite, I had a fuschia ring from the '60's that was sort of that "look"...(think Carnaby Street).

Bakelite from the 30's was actually a substance that was first used industrially, and it was made in sheets, rods, and tubes. 

[old.crows.nest]

I would agree 100% if the inside of the Bracelet were smooth. The smell test is unreliable for me. I have never had a strong reaction on known items and sometimes the same item does not smell. I have tested in a store and yup then tried again at home and nothing. Not sure if revitalised Bakelite tests positive or not. Design is not traditional.

Found this:

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Bakelite-Catalin-All-you-need-to-know-Testing-/10000000000748322/g.html