Bakelite Earrings Bright Tangerine / Screw back Tangerine Orange Bakelite Earrings / Vintage 1950s Screw back Bakelite Earrings

In 1909 a Belgian chemist named Leo Baekeland created the first entirely synthetic plastic—and it would revolutionize the way many consumer goods were manufactured. Baekeland called his plastic “Bakelite.”

It was resistant to heat and would not conduct electricity, so it was a really good insulator—which made it particularly useful in the automotive and electrical industries emerging in the early 1900s. Like many modern plastics, Bakelite was lightweight and durable, and it could be molded into nearly infinite shapes, so its use quickly expanded as manufacturers realized its potential.

Consumers primarily were attracted to its aesthetic qualities: a sleek, stylish look coupled with a substantial, high-end feel. People bought Bakelite jewelry boxes, lamps, desk sets, clocks, radios, telephones, anything could be made from it.

Bakelite ushered in a new era of attractive, affordable consumer goods, making it possible for a broad range of consumers to enjoy products that previously had been inaccessible. Bakelite made perhaps its largest stamp on the world of fashion. Bakelite jewelry became immensely popular in the 1920s as an affordable and attractive replacement for other materials. It came in several colours.

These earrings are a bright tangerine orange with strong secure screw backs. Screw backs were more prevalent from the early 1900s through the early 1950s. This is a true testament to it's vintage age. These earrings are a great solution to your vintage look and are light weight and easy to wear.