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Bakelite Bangles

You are on a reference page of Morning Glory Antiques & Jewelry. These items were photographed from private collections, and are for reference only.

Jewelry that we have available TO BUY can be accessed by clicking HERE

Morning Glory Collects…

vintage
jewelry we enjoy buying, wearing and sharing
BAKELITE BRACELETS

circa 1930s to
1970’s




Bakelite
Bangle
Colors






NOTE: You are on a reference part of our web site. Click

HERE FOR BAKELITE BANGLES for sale
.

Leo Beakeland (1863 -1944), a Belgian who had
moved to America, was the inventor of Bakelite.
Made by the condensation of phenol and
formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst, it was used

for everything from tools and telephones to
jewelry. "Bakelite" is frequently used as a generic name for all phenol
formaldehyde, including Catalin and Marblette, which came later and in a
wider range of colors. Bakelite is a thermoset plastic, meaning that once
cast or molded and hardened, it will not melt, burn or dissolve. It can only
be worked by carving, sawing, tumbling, painting and gluing.
One type of bakelite is called "Prystal",
often described as a dichroic (color changing) bakelite, and also as a fully
transparent bakelite.

Making Bakelite jewelry was at it’s zenith from the late 1920s till the
start of WWII in 1942, and even after Diane Von Furstenberg and Hattie
Carnegie, among others, leant their names to this wonderful jewelry. The
lack of money and need for inexpensive fun during the Depression era of the
1930s gave the whimsy, colorful and cheerful look of bakelite jewelry the
perfect market. The sophisticated Deco and machine age look of some of the
pieces made them fashion-forward.

Today, not only the vintage bakelite jewelry is collected, but also the work
of contemporary Bakelite artisans who are fashioning different styles of
jewelry using old stock and bakelite pieces and parts. Sadly, it is also
being faked, like so many things these days, so buy from a reputable dealer.
It is such fun to wear, and mixing and matching stacks of bangles is just
part of the personalization of your own collection.

We have a wonderful selection on our web site and enjoy both buying and
selling it.
See our bakelite feature in Jewel Chat.

BAKELITE BANGLES Page 1
BAKELITE BANGLES Page 2

BAKELITE BANGLE Page 3
BAKELITE BANGLES Page 4

BAKELITE BANGLES Page 5


BAKELITE BANGLES for sale

BUTTERSCOTCH & CREAM CORN






BAKELITE
deep butterscotch stylized flower and leaves carved
bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/3".

View
#B
63120

BAKELITE
deep butterscotch leaf and flower carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8"
by 1/4". #B61718


BAKELITE
butterscotch tire track or slash carved bangle with a
frosted over-glaze, circa 1940, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4".
#B60851






BAKELITE
butterscotch carved spacer bangles, a set of to. Each is
2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/4". Circa 1940, the bracelets are in excellent
vintage condition. #B61637


BAKELITE
butterscotch carved spacer bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by
1/4". Circa 1940, this bracelet is in excellent vintage condition.

View #B35145
BAKELITE
medium butterscotch bangle with slash carved rays, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by
1/4". Circa 1940, it is in very good vintage condition. #B64711






BAKELITE
gouge carved bangle with deep rich color, 3/4 inch wide,
2-1/2 inch in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Circa 1940, there are three
light marks inside the band, original in the marking. Otherwise, this bracelet is
in excellent vintage condition. #B
18837


BAKELITE
butterscotch gouge carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by
1/4". Circa 1940, this bracelet is in excellent vintage condition..
#B
64495


BAKELITE
deep matte butterscotch gouge carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4". Circa 1940, this bracelet is
in excellent vintage condition. #B
35288




BAKELITE butterscotch bangle with close herringbone
carving, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/3". Circa 1940, it is in excellent vintage
condition.
View
#B65435


BAKELITE
butterscotch bangle with cross-hatched designs, 2-1/2"
by 1-1/8" by 3/16". This circa 1940 bracelet is in excellent vintage
condition.
#B63112
BAKELITE lemon colored bangle with star and ferns
carving that repeats 3 times, 2-1/2" by 5/8" with 1/4" walls.
View
#B42069




BAKELITE butterscotch spacer bangle with vertically
carved line and rays out of them, 2 repeats in all, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4" .
View
#B40275
BAKELITE banana yellow spacer bangle with diagonal slash carving all
the way around, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4".
View
#B40267
BAKELITE cream corn bangle with 4 slash carved small flowers, 2-1/2" by
1/2" by 1/4.
View
#B62570




BAKELITE butterscotch with milk chocolate marbling domed bangle, 2-1/2" by
1-1/8" by 1/4".
View
#B61714

BAKELITE butterscotch spacer bangle with carving and pierced areas,
just lovely! It is 1/2" by 1/4", circa 1940. It has a bit of brown wash
to highlight the wonderful carving.
View
#B40287
BAKELITE set
of two slanted bangles, one a yellow-green color and the other butterscotch.
Circa 1940, each one is 5/8" at the widest
by 1/3" thick. 66510b
View
View
#B65510




BAKELITE medium
butterscotch bangle with leaf and buds slash carving, 2-1/2" by 1-1/8" and
1/4" walls.
View

View
#B40700
BAKELITE medium
butterscotch bangle, slightly domed and slash carved with buds and leaves,
2-1/2" by 7/8" with 1/4" walls.
View
View
#B40702
BAKELITE
corn colored bangle with cross hatch and ferns carving all the way around.
NOTE there is a tiny chip on one edge, very small, so this is priced
accordingly. This bangle is
2-1/2" by 1" with 1/4" walls.
View

View
#B40446




BAKELITE butter
yellow
wavy carved bangle 2-1/2" by 5/8" with 1/3" walls.

View
View
#B40701


BAKELITE
matte finish butterscotch bangle with pineapple, petals and
leaves carving. This is a 1940s vintage bangle that was later carved,
probably by an artisan whose name is Young, in about 1970, or so I am told
by one of my bakelite expert friends.
It is genuine vintage bakelite. View
#B35358
BAKELITE goldenrod
yellow wavy shaped bangle, 2-5/8" by 2-1/3" with 1/3" tube walls. The aqua
"stripe" in the photo is actually my price tag, which comes right off. Circa
1940 and in excellent condition. #B17826

RED, BLACK CHERRY, WINE & BURGUNDY




BAKELITE red apple bangle with
pineapple and slash carving, 2-1/2" by 5/8" by 1/4".
View #B34206
BAKELITE red deep cherry
carved bangle with leaves design, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/4".
View #B34205
BAKELITE red carved bangle,
2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4". #B34348




BAKELITE apple red roses and
leaves carved bangle, translucent when held to the light, 2-1/2" by 1" by
1/4". #B35263
BAKELITE apple red carved
bangle with dots and commas, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4". #B35265
BAKELITE apple red slash
carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4". #B35264



BAKELITE transparent
red bangle carved with three horizontal lines that are thicker than the
bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" with 1/4" walls. The
last photo shows how fun these are when stacked with other similar bangles,
but the price is just for this one bracelet. This is also called Prystal
bakelite.


View


View
#B40692
BAKELITE translucent
red bangle with five rows of horizontal carving, 2-1/2" by 1" with 1/4" walls.
What a yummy color and how fun to wear and mix with other stacks.

View


View
#B40694
BAKELITE wider translucent red faceted bangle, 2-1/2" by
1" with 3/16" walls.
View

View
#B40706



BAKELITE red carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" by 3/16".
#B18905

BAKELITE red woven design
carved bangle, a great design to go with lots of other bangles, 2-1/2" by 1"
by 1/4". #B35859




BAKELITE black
cherry marbled and rib carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" with 1/3" walls.
View
#B40419

BAKELITE rich red really chunky bangle with 4 dots around it, each a colorful
glass millefiori held in place by a silver tone rim, 2-1/2" by 2-1/2" by
1-1/3" with 1/3" walls. There is some wear on the silver settings
and also a very tight crack above one round that’s very difficult to see and
does not go through to the back side. That’s why it is priced as-is.
View
View
View
#B66766
BAKELITE
thick black cherry swirl bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" by 5/16". #B16786




BAKELITE red flat-sided bangle with horizontally
carved grooves, 2-1/2" by 3/4" with 3/16" walls.
View
#B66673
BAKELITE wide red bangle, 2-1/2" by 1-1/2" with 3/16" walls.
View
#B40271
BAKELITE apple red octagonal bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/4" walls.
View
#B40272




BAKELITE red carved expansion
bracelet, a smaller maiden size at 6-1/3" relaxed by 3/4" by 1/3". It is
slightly loosely strung which makes it really comfortable to wear. This is a
maiden’s size bracelet. #B35611.


BAKELITE
apple red swirl carved bangle, a luscious color and
circa 1940, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/4". #B65805
BAKELITE apple red simple bangle that is 2-1/2" by
5/8" with 1/8" walls.
View
#B40273

BLACK & NAVY BLUE




BAKELITE black carved
pineapple and leaves bangle, 2-5/8" by 1" by 1/4" thick. If
held to the light you can see that while it definitely looks black when
worn, the leaf tips are a deep translucent green. #B61706
BAKELITE black flower and
leaves carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" wide by 3/16" thick.
View #B32804
BAKELITE black slash carved
bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4". #B18836




BAKELITE black carved bangle,
2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/2". #V28006

BAKELITE black leafy design
well carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/3". #V29013

BAKELITE
black carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4". #B17707





BAKELITE
black carved 4-segmented elastic bracelet, 6-3/4" by 3/4".
This is a maiden’s size bracelet.
View #B32739

BAKELITE black carved bangle,
2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/4". #B29014

BAKELITE
black chunky heavily carved floral and cross hatch bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/2".
#B29012




BAKELITE black carved criss
cross and scoop carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/4". #B63925
BAKELITE black well carved wide flower bangle, 2-1/2" by 1-1/2" by
1/4". View #B63888
BAKELITE very deep green
swirl flower carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/4".
View #B63887




BAKELITE
black flower carved and pierced bangle, 2-1/2" by 1" with 1/4" walls. Circa
1940 it is in excellent vintage condition and I love the design as well as
the true black color.

View


View
#B40789
BAKELITE black wide ribbed
bangle, 2-1/2" by 2" by 3/16" . This piece can be seen in Matthew Burkholz’s
book "The Bakelite Collection" on page 121. #B64488

BAKELITE
set of matching hand-painted translucent navy octagonal shaped
bangles, each measures 1/2" wide with 2 1/2" wrist opening and varying wall
widths. Painted bakelite bangles similar to these can be seen in the
wonderful book by Matthew Burkholz, "The Bakelite Collection" on page 49.

View


View


View
#B40285


https://www.morninggloryantiques.com/imagesAC/BkltBang/bklt41874.jpg

BAKELITE
ink black carved bangle with slash carved poinsettia flower and leaves design,
2-1/2" by 3/4" and 1/4" thick.
View

View


View
#B41874

GREEN




BAKELITE blue-green
marbled bangle with ribbed design, a set of two, each 2-1/2" by 5/8" by
1/4".
View
#B63123



BAKELITE
green carved bangle with yellow marbling, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by
1/3".

View
#B66716


BAKELITE
evergreen with translucent edges bangle with fern and line
slashed carving all the way around, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/4".
When held to the light, the edges are a translucent blue-green.

View
#B66717

ORANGE & MUSTARD




BAKELITE deep
orange wide bangle with faint cream marbling, 2-1/2" by 1-1/3" by 3/16"
walls. It has a tiny dent on one edge that looks like it happened in the making
because it is smooth, not cracked.
View
#B40265
BAKELITE sunset orange bangle with red marbling,
2-1/2" by 1" with 1/8" walls.
View
#B61379

BAKELITE
bangle in a color between a dull mustard and pea green,
2-1/2" by 5/8" with 1/4" walls.
View
#B40268




BAKELITE
swamp green marbled bangle with butterscotch and mustard tints and simple
carving, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/3" walls.

View
#B66715
BAKELITE
peach marmalade marbled and carved bangle with deep diagonal carving, 2-1/2"
by 1" with 1/4" walls.
View
#B40421

SWAMP, CARAMEL, BROWN & PAPRIKA






BAKELITE swamp marbled flat
sided spacer bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/4". #B34863
BAKELITE translucent swamp
swirl tumbled octagonal bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/3".
View #B35084
View
BAKELITE
bangle, caramel with black marbling "Mississippi mud", 2-1/2" by
1-1/4" by 1/3". #B24282



BAKELITE swamp octagonal wavy
bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/2" thick. #B35108
BAKELITE swamp octagonal wavy
bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/2" thick, set of 2. #B35108
BAKELITE swamp octagonal wavy
bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/2" thick. #B35109




BAKELITE bangle,
Mississippi mud with deep cross-hatch carving on three sides, 2-1/2" by
1/3" by 1/3".
View
View
#B31987

BAKELITE caramel marbled
bangle with carved lines and flowers, 2-1/2" by by 7/8" by 1/4" thick.
#B61433

BAKELITE bangle, Mississippi
mud with slash carving on three sides, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/3".
View #B31986




BAKELITE carved and pierced
marbled brown bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4".
View
#B60775
BAKELITE caramel brown carved
bangle, a yummy color, 2-1/2" by 7/8" by 1/4".
View #B61150

BAKELITE reddish brown rope
carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/3". #B16514





BAKELITE
octagonal marbled swamp bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" with 1/3"
walls.

View
#40470
BAKELITE chocolate
brown leaf and cross hatched carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" with 1/4" walls.
View
#B40439
BAKELITE dark
chocolate brown bangle that is carved and pierced, 2-1/2" by 7/8" with 3/16" walls.
View
#B66792




BAKELITE peach translucent carved
and pierced bangle, leaves design, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/4". #B33880
BAKELITE peach and brown
marbled bangle with stylized carving, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4".
#B61451
BAKELITE caramel translucent
carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 2/3" by 1/8". #B62667






BAKELITE green spacer
bangle with bakelite charms in butterscotch, burnt sienna and green, 2-1/2"
by 1/4". This piece is in the book "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry" by
Leigh Leshner on page 113. #B63733
BAKELITE green bangle with dangling charms, 2-1/2"
by 1/4". #B63734
BAKELITE green bangle with dangling charms, 2-1/2" by 1/4". View #B65515



BAKELITE black with pea green
swirl carved ovals tube bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2".
View #B63104
BAKELITE milk chocolate carved
bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/4". #B60740
BAKELITE unusual dark brown
and tan bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2". This is not painted but the colors were
rather molded together in the making. #B63024



BAKELITE paprika marbled saucer bangle with beautiful
marbling, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/3" thick. This is circa 1940 and in
excellent vintage condition. #B40220
BAKELITE paprika slightly marbled tube bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/3" by 1/3".
This is circa 1940 and in excellent vintage condition. #B40221
BAKELITE paprika marbled bangle with beautiful marbling, 2-1/2" by 5/8"
by 1/3". This is circa 1940 and in excellent vintage condition. #B40222




BAKELITE sienna and caramel stardust bangle, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/3". #B24312 BAKELITE translucent zig-zag
bangles in paprika red, set of 5, each 2-1/2" by 1/3"
by 1/4". View
View #B35863
BAKELITE paprika marbled
bangle with inset metal bands, 2-1/2" by 1" by 1/4".
#B63110




BAKELITE tortoise colored bangle with 3 horizontal ribs carved into it,
2-1/2" by 7/8" by 3/16" walls.
View
#B65439

BAKELITE
chocolate, caramel and cream beautifully marbled bangle, 2-1/2".
#B39210
BAKELITE root beer marbled bangle with 5 brass surrounded black dots,
2-1/2" by 1" by 1/4".
View
#B66714

BAKELITE RECENTLY POLISHED BANGLES
These bangles are bakelite that had mellowed over time to the colors we
associate with today’s bakelite. They have now been polished back to the
original 1940s colors from when they were first made. The work was done
by the wonderful Brandon Welch of Brandon’s Bakelite, who began his work
in 2007, and he did a great job! It can be difficult to tell what colors
are underneath today’s bakelite colors, but there can be some fun surprises when the polishing is done.





BAKELITE
chunky
bangle gray with black and white marbling carved bakelite bangle, measures
2-1/2" by 1" by 1/3" thick. I
recently sent it to "Brandon’s Bakelite" Welch to be restored, as it had
mellowed over the decades to a peanut and cream marbled color. He restored it to this amazing
color that it originally was when it was first made. It is a great one to wear alone or to mix with other
bangles. The last photo shows the color it was before restoring.

View


View


View

#B40250

BAKELITE
amazing purple pineapple and leaves carved bangle, 2-1/2" by
5/8" by 1/3". It had mellowed to a brownish-apricot color over the years,
but when it was polished again, look what was underneath! The man who
polished it is Brandon Welch of Brandon’s Bakelite, and he did his usual
wonderful job. What a lovely
surprise.

View


View


View
#B35250
BAKELITE bright blue marbled rope carved bangle, 2-1/2" by 1/2" by 1/3". It
has been polished again to reveal the color it was when it was new circa
1940, and what a gorgeous color it is! Brandon of Brandon’s Bakelite"
polished it for me, and the last two photos show the
oxidized bangle before it was polished. View
View
View
#B35861





BAKELITE
denim blue carved and overdyed saucer bangle, 2-1/2"
by 1" by 1/3". It has been recently polished again to reveal the color it
was when it was new, circa 1940. A re-polished bakelite bangle similar
to this can be seen in the wonderful book by Matthew Burkholz, "The Bakelite
Collection" on page 49, top right.
View
#B37947

BAKELITE
gray bangle
with black resin washed finished and slash carved design, 2-1/2" by 3/4" by
1/3" thick. Circa 1940s, it is in excellent vintage condition. It has been
polished again to reveal the color it was when it was new in the
1940s.
View

View
#B40251

BAKELITE
dramatic blue bangle with ruffled carving all the way around, 2-1/2" by 1"
by 1/3" thick. This is a 1940’s bakelite blue overdyed bangle that has been
polished, removing the overdyed finish. And what a luscious color was
underneath!

View
#B40219





BAKELITE
carved bangle in blue moon with black marbling, 2-1/2" by 1/3"
tube shaped. In 2018, it has mellowed to a green marbled color (see the last
link) but it has now been polished again back to it’s rich blue 1940s color.

View


View
#B63124



BAKELITE
blue moon bangle with black and cream swirls, carved and black resin
washed. It had mellowed to green, but it has now been polished back to it’s
original 1940s color of blue. It is 2-1/2" by 1/2" with 1/3" walls. The
resin wash process is also called "overdyed". .
View
View #B
34996


BAKELITE
blue moon
with black and cream swirl carved and black resin washed bangle that has
been polished back to it’s original 1940s color of blue. It is 2-1/2" by
1/2" with 1/3" walls. The resin wash process is also called "overdyed".
On another web site, I saw this bangle in resin washed butterscotch and it
had a Hattie Carnegie foil hang tag on it, but this has no identification at
all. I don’t like making attributions by hang tag only because it is so easy
to move them from one piece to another, so let’s call this a lovely vintage
bangle.

View
View #B64326




BAKELITE stack.
BAKELITE
spectacular blue marbled and thumb carved bangle, circa 1940.
It is 2-1/2" by 3/4" by 1/3". I recently sent it to Brandon Welch to be
restored, as it had mellowed over the decades to a deep green marbled color.
He restored it to this amazing color that it originally was when it was
first made. It is a great one to wear alone or to mix with other bangles.
The last photo shows the color it was before polishing.

View


View
#B40223


BAKELITE
deep raspberry bangle that has a lovely polish on it by Brandon
Welch, 2-1/2" by 1/2" with 1/3" walls. This looks yummy enough to
be a berry!

View
#B66676



Bakelite Bangles

BAKELITE BANGLES Page 1
BAKELITE BANGLES Page 2

BAKELITE BANGLE Page 3
BAKELITE BANGLES Page 4

BAKELITE BANGLES Page 5


BAKELITE BANGLES for sale