Bakelite nightmare..Can the experts please weigh in ?

[fortvintage]

After having spent 1,200 + tax on 12 pieces of what i thought were genuine deeply carved bakelite bangles, i am now discovering that what this Taiwan seller sold me were MOLDED plastic fakelites that have been treated with chemicals to pass the simichrome test...yes i know, buying from a seller in Taiwan who seems to have a NEVER ENDING supply of the same identical grade, deeply carved CHARACTER bangles should have raised flags, but i went against my better judgement because i was so enamored by the pieces. Its really been a nightmare scenario but i would appreciate any of the experts on this forum to check out one of several items this seller is selling - i would really appreciate your comments and suggestions - thankyou

items 114303054820, and 114270395683

[1940fc]

I see seller has 30 day returns guaranteed if not satisfied, best to go ahead & request refund asap. That`s too much money to throw away

Sorry ya got had. ☹️

[southernmermaid8]

I agree with Sarah,  go ahead and return.  

I have to ask....how on earth did you discover that they were fakes treated with something to pass the simichrome test?  

[dream*peddler]

I wish I could remember where I read this so I could back it up, but back when I was pining away for a Philadelphia bracelet about 15 years ago but couldn't afford one because they were running about $2000+, someone listed a whole bunch of them on ebay for $350 each.  I looked at the seller's feedback and everyone who bought one left positive feedback.  They sold out pretty quickly and I never did buy one.

That made me wonder how someone could offer so many of these rare bracelets for so little.  I then did some research and read that Thailand and China have found the "recipe" to make bakelite and the pieces were testing positive with Simichrome.  I also read that the big chunky deeply carved pieces are the ones coming from Asia.  The American pieces are more subtle, not so deeply carved and don't have the sharp raised edges.  Technically, the Asian pieces are bakelite but they're not old bakelite.   Anyway, this is what I recall but I can't substantiate that at the moment.

[1940fc]

I have a vague memory of what you`re talking about, dream.  That must have been when I made the decision to not touch any bakelite with a 10ft pole!  LOL   

 Kinda went along with passing up on depression glass many years ago, once I found out it was being reproduced

[dream*peddler]

That's the shame of it, Sarah.  There are so many of us that like bakelite but are wary of authenticity like our OP.  I honestly think the value of bakelite has gone down because of the influx of new stuff.  The new stuff looks good, but  when you look at it closely it appears rather quickly and crudely carved.  It's too chunky.

[fortvintage]

Appreciate everyone that weighed in. Indeed, that was hard earned money i plunked down for the bangled..did anyone take a moment to check the item numbers i mentioned? i just re-checked the seller and one of the items i just looked it must have been sold because its no longer listed, but there is still one more item (114270395683), can someone please take a look at this ?

thanks

[eaux-de-vie]

Bakelite is not molded.  I am no expert and have collected plastics of all sorts since the 1970's, mold like makes it easy. If they carve over the mold lines, it makes it harder. OP was right though, Multiples of similar... I got stud with some bug pins that were brand new a few years ago, but they were pretty cheap. 

[eaux-de-vie]

I took a look. I have a lot of bangles but none with such an Asian theme. And honestly, many are not so finely "Carved". I would call eBay first. This is selling a fake, same as if it was a Faux Designer bag, or not a real gem.  I see he has good geedback but I forgot to look at the number of feedback. They might change accounts. DO something fast though, do not let him run the time and if he takes returns you need not even give them an excuse. Probably worth paying for tracking though. 

[fortvintage]

just to add one more...this one sold not long ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/114288999733

[1940fc]

I looked at the ones you posted earlier..not this last one tho.

  Rather than drive yourself nuts over it..Request a Refund ASAP as time`s a tickin!  ..otherwise you`re gonna be out a lot lot of money & nothing to show for it.  Get your money back & buy from someone reputable..that`s pretty much the only thing to do. 

[dream*peddler]

I took a look at the bracelets in all 3 listings you posted as well as the ones I suspect you purchased.  Since they're from Thailand they're obviously not true vintage American bakelite.  They're very nice looking but too chunky and deeply carved.  If you purchased them as an investment keep in mind American vintage bakelite collectors won't touch them.  They may appeal to those who like the looks of them but I don't think you'll make much of a profit.  Like Sarah, I baled on bakelite years ago because too many imports muddied the waters.

[flipping_treasures]

Since you have been collecting for over 20 years I'm not sure how you missed the available information out there about fakelite.  If you do a google search I think you may find it interesting.  Also as others have advised, since the buyer does have a return policy, if it were me, I'd use it.

On another note.  You might want to get the book Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry by Leigh Leshner and check out pages 18 & 19.  There are modern designers of bakelite mentioned there.  You also might want to check out Brad Elfrink, a true master, his pieces go for huge amounts.

Good luck.

[fortvintage]

hats off to everyone for your advice..i've not collected for 20 years, just been in the general vintage buisness..never been this badly suckered in my life before..lets see how this goes down i will update. 

[fortvintage]

eauxdevie - That was the bait that drew me in..the seller has 100% positive feedback, with 1000+ feedbacks in total, ofcourse because the actual feedbacks are hidden, one cannot determine if most of them are from bakelite sales..but i suspect with a name like "oldbeadstrader" he/she must be focused on jewelry. One other side note, in every package we recieved, we also got an additional bonus gift of SEVERAL bakelite-ish type brooches/pins..ofcourse our immediate reaction was "how generous is that"?????