.: Antiques - Bakelite - Jewelry :.

Bakelite was developed in 1907 by Chemist Dr. Leo Hendrick Baekeland in his Yonkers, N.Y. lab and was originally intended to be an insulator for electricity. It became an incredibly useful material because it was able to be laminated, stretched into fibers, and molded. Scientists had adapted bakelite to dozens of applications by 1927. Catalin was the most popular name in cast phenolic and was made in a wide range of colors by the American Catalin Corporation of New York. Today, collectors seek antique Bakelite and Catalin in all their various uses--antique jewelry, antique boxes, antique lamps, antique desk sets, antique radios, antique cutlery handles, antique telephones, etc.