Bakelite Bangle Bracelets, Hatstruck's Newest Obsession; Plus, a Peak at One of the Plexiglass Hats I Made Recently

OK, I finally took the plunge and became the successful winning bidder on  this set of Bakelite bangle bracelets on Ebay.  Well, I hope they're Bakelite.  I picked up two tiny bracelets labeled Bakelite at my local antique shop earlier this year, but I don't think they really were the real deals.  I rubbed them until my thumb and forefinger almost blistered, but I still didn't get that pungent Bakelite small.  I rubbed them with a cotton Q-Tip dipped in WD-40, but still saw no discoloration on the cotton's tip.  The cost of the two little bracelets was hardly anything, and since I liked them, it was really no big deal.

What really pushed me over the edge was my visit to the book store last night.  While browsing the antique book section, a ran across a book on plastic jewelry; actually I was looking for a book on vintage plastic jewelry.  I was absolutely amazed at what I saw in the book.  So I took the fashion sketching book back and vowed to purchase it later.  After all I had pinned so much of the same stuff on my Millinery Sketches, Fashion Illustration, and Tutorials board on Pinterest.  But since I really love books, it'll be on my book shelf very shortly.

This was not the  first time I had an interest in plastic jewelry.  Several years ago I picked up a plastic jewelry fabrication book.  This led me to purchase several small sheets of plexiglass (acrylic--plastic) for the purpose of making earrings.  Well that plexiglass hung around until I recently made and entered a hat contest on Facebook.  The hat to your right is one of those hats.  The hats were made using the same tools I use to fabricate sterling silver, brass, and copper jewelry.  I'll talk about that at a later date, and I will also do a little tutorial on this very simple creation; stay tuned. Anyway, if you like Bakelite jewelry, let me know what you think of these bangle bracelets.

WOW, I guess I have two tutorials in the oven!

Note:  Check out this image from  Heather Sonrisa, Fairytale Dreams In Fashion.  It is a hat from the 1930s that has a plastic brim.  So you see, this is not a new concept at all.