Amber - Authenticating Natural Plastics

Amber is a natural plastic derived from tree resin.  It usually "honey" or golden in color, with varying shades from dark honey to golden yellow.  It's sometimes green as well.

In a good piece of amber you will see lots of tree moss and/or insects.  The rarest and highest valued pieces may have whole insects in them.

Applying friction to amber should result in a pine aroma.  Faked amber will be pretty obvious but can be even further verified by tasting it (wash it first!).  Faked amber might taste like bitter plastic.

The bigger the piece, the better!

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Celluloid Plastic - Authentication

Celluloid Plastic was patented in the early 1870s and was used in jewelry (as well as other items such as vanity sets, combs, decorative veneers in automobiles, pull handles on furniture, film for movies etc, etc, etc).

It was used to simulate the look of tortoise shell, amber, and ivory in many products especially jewelry but was also made in many other colors.

It is very light-weight and is often translucent or semi-translucent in appearance.

Celluloid plastic contains camphor which is easily recognized by it's smell.  If you think you may have a piece of it, you can easily identify it by rubbing the piece to apply friction and then sniff testing it for the camphor smell.

Celluloid Jewelry is very collectible and old jewelry made of this plastic (especially necklace chains) can bring good prices online.

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Bakelite Plastic Authentication

Bakelite Plastic is highly collectible. It was the first chemical plastic ever made.  The name "Bakelite" was patented in the 1900s and was first mass produced for every day household products and jewelry in the 40s.

Bakelite plastic is rather dense and heavier than other plastics.  Also, because of the way Bakelite was produced and carved, you will not find any mold lines in it.  If you're out treasure hunting and think you may have found a piece, look for the absence of mold lines, size it up for weight as compared to other plastics, and try this little test:  Apply friction to the piece by rubbing it, it will emit an odor that resembles a freshly peeled Band-Aid.  This is because of the formaldehyde used in making the plastic.  Although this method is not 100% fool-proof, it is the best way to go on a hunch when other testing methods are not readily available. If the piece has passed all the above tests, your chances are good :)

If you run a piece of Bakelite plastic under hot water, it will emit that same formaldehyde odor.  When you get to place where you can authenticate your piece further, have on hand a can of Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaner and some cotton swabs.

Make sure your piece has been gently cleaned with a damp cloth or run under luke-warm water until all soil/dust has been removed, before cleaning.

I simply shake the can of Scrubbing Bubbles, take the lid off and spray some of the cleaner into the cap.  Then I soak my Q-Tip in the cleaning solution until the cotton tip is completely wet.

Find an inconspicuous place to apply the chemical for testing (such as the back, inside, or hidden section).  Rub the Q-Tip onto your Bakelite Plastic for up to 30 seconds.  You should see a bright yellow chemical reaction on your cotton swab.

Rinse the chemical off the piece using warm water.

If you are re-selling your piece, photograph the yellowed cotton swab next to the piece you have just tested, and include it in your online listing.

Carved Bakelite pieces can bring high prices, bangles and earrings will always sell as too, as long as you have priced your items according the current market trends.

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