Picker Knowledge?!?!

[inspectorgadget]

No problem at all, not hijacked. I honestly had the same question rattling in my head and is GREAT stuff to learn. How do i identify bakelite compared to just crappy ole plastic stuff? I don't want to destroy the quality of something, i guess seeing a 14k clasp would be a great tip on maybe the beads are something valuable also. This is a great thing in this thread and happy to learn about it, I am sure there are a lot of pickers going for silver/gold, probably not as many that know bakelite and such here.

On another note though, i have been talking to a lady that is the jewelry lady at a local thriftshop. She has bins of jewelry still left to go through and she said it is so tasking on time and her counters are already full she would have no problem selling me a bin or 2 just so she doesn't need to go through it all and detangle, label, match up, etc.... I told her that sounds great and i would even return to her the stuff i don't want, free of most tangles and matched up if she likes as a donation. She seemed very receptive, lets hope it pans out )

Bakelite was made into jewelry because it was way cheaper to make & sell than real jewelry was.. Don't go thinking much bakelite jewelry will have 14K clasps cause most wont because again it was made to sell cheap, as costume jewelry in the depression era. Those now valuable beads were once almost worthless thus didn't need & most didn't have real gold clasps.

 

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[diggummup]

Yes Dig that looks like bakelite to me! Kind of a cross between butterscotch & amber Bakelite! Are there any seams from a mold? Bakelite never has mold lines! That would indeed be considered "amber" bakelite tho the real valuable stuff is quite a bit more red (cherry amber) or tan (butterscotch), yours is more of a cross but any "colored yet transparent" bakelite is considered amber regardless of it's actual color. The beads on that necklace would fall into what I see & hear people call the "chunky" bead category. The color of your beads are kind of unique like a cross between butterscotch & Cherry.

Very somewhat similar color but a short choker & shows that its transparent.. They call it cherry but it's really not or at least not by my standards, it's more of a true amber which is an iced tea color.


Id guesstimate your necklace is worth right around $500. How much does it weigh?

It's very lightweight. It only weighs 24.62 grams and it's 24 inches long, has 71 graduated beads ranging from 6mm to 13mm.

 

[inspectorgadget]

It's very lightweight. It only weighs 24.62 grams and it's 24 inches long, has 71 graduated beads ranging from 6mm to 13mm.

I had already edited my post to say $500 tops... with that weight its probably $300 tops! Bakelite necklaces were almost always graduated.

 

[inspectorgadget]

I can usually tell bakelite from the sound it makes when you clank it together.. It has its own unique sound quality like very hard yet hollowish plastic, sort of, it's hard to explain but if you learn what bakelite sounds like when its banged with another piece of bakelite (such as knocking 2 of those beads together) then you will know what to listen for when out picking. No different than telling crystal from glass by its ring tone alone! The rub it & smell it trick doesn't always work but if you can rub it hard for several seconds & get it warm & smell that spot it should have a mild formaldehyde like smell.. like embalming fluid, some call it the grave yard smell.

 

[diggummup]

Yeah, I placed in hot water the other day to warm it up, it definitely stinks. I'll list it for $100 start bid probably. The lot I purchased it in has already made me money so it's all profit anyway. Thanks

 

[randazzo1]

One note - I think the vendor on the links with the high priced necklaces above is just using bakelite as a keyword. I think Those actually are amber beads. Descriptions make no mention of bake lite as far as I can tell and the prices don't make sense.

 

[twiasp]

Well i got my box of jewelry today from the thrift shop, it costed me 150.00. But it was a box about 1 foot tall, 2 foot wide and 3 feet long =) I have 3 piles now, 1 of all marked 925 or sterling pieces, 1 for gold (won't list those since its only a few small pieces) , and 1 that is a questionable pile(one piece in it is the most peculiar, it is marked 925 tennis bracelet with lots of stones, but looks like it was gold plated but plating is worn down fairly well, wondering about the stones since it has a clasp with a double safety on it.) I will try and upload pics if asked but for sakes of time i am going to list the stuff i found.

1 what appears to be stone, kinda beige/tan with grain pattern in it bangle.
1 large sterling oak leaf brooch, made by James Avery, very tarnished.
1 1942 vintage "Christ and Country" sterling Lapel pin.
2 fairly large and weighty 925 hearts bracelets, 1 with blue turquoise other with black something (wish i had a scale)
1 VERY ugly looking fat cat necklace pendant, it is hollow, slightly misshapen, It also isn't marked but appears blatantly silver to me in feel.
1 small 925 snake chain necklace.
7 925 bracelets, 4 with 925 charms.
3 small 925 bangles, 1 looks like the end of 2 spoons bent and linked together.. kinda nifty looking. Spoons are not marked will have them checked, inside on spoons where a normal spoon mark would be both say "Remembrance" in cursive script.
1 925 cross pendant with 4 stones in it, green, blue, yellow, purple.
1 small wispy 925 chain with a silver santa clause head pendant.
1 sterling heart locket.
7 medium sized sterling necklace pendants, 2 with turquoise, 2 black stone, 1 red coral looking stone, 1 Walt Disney World, 1 with an "S" on it.
4 small to medium 925 rings, one says avon and has a diamond shaped stamp right before the 925 mark.
14 sets of sterling/925 earrings. 7 are native american looking (3 with turquoise, 1 with black stone, 1 with red garnet looking stones, and one is a man on one and woman on other), 1 has fake pearls, 1 with some random little cloudy white'ish stones, 1 small plain hoops, 1 pair are semi circles and have different colored stones that reminds me of a mothers ring, 1 mexico special with wraps of what appears to be brass wire, 1 pair of fleur-de-lis (if that is spelled right lol), 1 very interesting pair that are marked Sterling and also a mark that looks like 2 triangles facing left and one right, and the initials J J one in each triangle and stone in the front middle appears to look like amber and are tiny diamond looking stones around the face also.

Quick pic of all but the gold and questionable pile.

 

[inspectorgadget]

One note - I think the vendor on the links with the high priced necklaces above is just using bakelite as a keyword. I think Those actually are amber beads. Descriptions make no mention of bake lite as far as I can tell and the prices don't make sense.

I see bakelite beads written in every title & in the description of every link I supplied. The first one even has the part filled out where you can list the materials, length, weight, color & so on. Bead material is listed as "bakelite".

Bakelite beads are often tubular (was the easiest way to make them) out of a long hollow rod of Bakelite cut down into short pieces. The round ones or lumpy looking ones like Dig's known sometimes as "chunky" have more labor in them.

I have dealt in Bakelite for years now, it's one of my things I've never shared here before. I've made some nice money off larger cherry amber bakelite pieces & a few butterscotch pieces as well. Bakelite bangle type bracelets are a huge money maker! Often worth more than ivory bracelets of the same size! Bakelite is like marbles you gotta know the difference between the cheap stuff & the real good stuff.

 

[inspectorgadget]

One note - I think the vendor on the links with the high priced necklaces above is just using bakelite as a keyword. I think Those actually are amber beads. Descriptions make no mention of bake lite as far as I can tell and the prices don't make sense.

I see bakelite beads written in every title & in the description of every link I supplied except one, the Baltic Amber one which might really be amber? The first one even has the part filled out where you can list the materials, length, weight, color & so on. Bead material is listed as "bakelite".

"Up for sale is this rare Art Deco necklace of round cherry amber bakelite beads. The length of the necklace is approximately 530mm (21"), the weight is 89g. 100% guaranteed bakelite"

"Vintage Trifari Bakelite beads choker necklace, Large cherry amber swirls Bakelite beads, Beads tested positive using Simichrome Polish. Lovely and unique, sure to be complimented!"

Bakelite beads are often tubular (was the easiest way to make them) out of a long hollow rod of Bakelite cut down into short pieces. The round ones or lumpy looking ones like Dig's known sometimes as "chunky" have more labor in them.

I have dealt in Bakelite for years now, it's one of my things I've never shared here before. I've made some nice money off larger cherry amber bakelite pieces & a few butterscotch pieces as well. Bakelite bangle type bracelets are a huge money maker! Often worth way more than ivory bracelets of the same size! Bakelite is like marbles you gotta know the difference between the cheap stuff & the real good stuff. Catalin is great as well & usually worth more than bakelite even tho its basically the same stuff tho catalin often has more of a multi color sort of swirl to it.

Here is what I've made nice $ on in the past (not these exact items) but ones very similar & I got very similar prices out of mine! I paid next to nothing for them every time (usually garage sales) because everyone thinks they are just plastic junk! The 2nd one I list below (the gumdrop one) I've had 2 of in the past & got $1800+ & $1900+ out of each one. I paid $3 each & that was in 07!

Sold for $5200 http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAREST-1940s-Vintage-BAKELITE-BOWTIE-Polka-DOT-Bangle-BRACELET-WIDEST-/131025733121?pt=Vintage_Costume_Jewelry&hash=item1e81be0601&nma=true&si=l7Dkz4kCoqAUaXnYiULYocV%252BVAA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


Sold for $2025 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bakelite-Charles-Elkaim-Wide-Rainbow-Bowtie-Polka-Dot-Gumdrop-Bangle-Bracelet-/390674204783?pt=Vintage_Costume_Jewelry&hash=item5af5ff486f&nma=true&si=l7Dkz4kCoqAUaXnYiULYocV%252BVAA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


Sold for $1500 http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-VINTAGE-BAKELITE-BRACELET-PHILADELPHIA-TESTED-/221318396488?pt=Vintage_Costume_Jewelry&hash=item33879aba48&nma=true&si=l7Dkz4kCoqAUaXnYiULYocV%252BVAA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


Sold for $539.75 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bakelite-Bracelet-Shultz-Signed-Book-Piece-Christmas-Red-Bow-Tie-Rare-/141085249994?hash=item20d95611ca&nma=true&si=l7Dkz4kCoqAUaXnYiULYocV%252BVAA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


& this one (just cause it's unusual & I think kinda neat) sold $500 http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-40S-REVERSE-CARVED-PAINTED-FISH-APPLE-JUICE-BAKELITE-BRACELET-BANGLE-/360803164753?pt=Vintage_Costume_Jewelry&hash=item54018b6251&nma=true&si=l7Dkz4kCoqAUaXnYiULYocV%252BVAA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[dumpsterdiver]

wow, one of my favorite things to sell are things I have no desire to keep in the slightest. I think I can now add another item to that list.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

i would throw in some advice though. If you already know metals so well it might be better to stick to that for awhile. Where I go to thrift stores one guy already has an easy 30 years experience in the pottery and china department so unless you beat him there nothing will ever jump out at you. He can stand 30 feet away and name the patterns on the bottom of a stack of plates. So if i see him in there I look at the glass, shirts and the toys no need to worry with the china. But he is really helpful so I don't try to step on his toes too much. I've been going off and on for 18 years and its common to see the same people everyday. Most people know the major sellers in every area but around here competition is so great you often have to know the unmarked items.

 

[diggummup]

Well i got my box of jewelry today from the thrift shop, it costed me 150.00. But it was a box about 1 foot tall, 2 foot wide and 3 feet long =) I have 3 piles now, 1 of all marked 925 or sterling pieces, 1 for gold (won't list those since its only a few small pieces) , and 1 that is a questionable pile(one piece in it is the most peculiar, it is marked 925 tennis bracelet with lots of stones, but looks like it was gold plated but plating is worn down fairly well, wondering about the stones since it has a clasp with a double safety on it.) I will try and upload pics if asked but for sakes of time i am going to list the stuff i found.

1 what appears to be stone, kinda beige/tan with grain pattern in it bangle.
1 large sterling oak leaf brooch, made by James Avery, very tarnished.
1 1942 vintage "Christ and Country" sterling Lapel pin.
2 fairly large and weighty 925 hearts bracelets, 1 with blue turquoise other with black something (wish i had a scale)
1 VERY ugly looking fat cat necklace pendant, it is hollow, slightly misshapen, It also isn't marked but appears blatantly silver to me in feel.
1 small 925 snake chain necklace.
7 925 bracelets, 4 with 925 charms.
3 small 925 bangles, 1 looks like the end of 2 spoons bent and linked together.. kinda nifty looking. Spoons are not marked will have them checked, inside on spoons where a normal spoon mark would be both say "Remembrance" in cursive script.
1 925 cross pendant with 4 stones in it, green, blue, yellow, purple.
1 small wispy 925 chain with a silver santa clause head pendant.
1 sterling heart locket.
7 medium sized sterling necklace pendants, 2 with turquoise, 2 black stone, 1 red coral looking stone, 1 Walt Disney World, 1 with an "S" on it.
4 small to medium 925 rings, one says avon and has a diamond shaped stamp right before the 925 mark.
14 sets of sterling/925 earrings. 7 are native american looking (3 with turquoise, 1 with black stone, 1 with red garnet looking stones, and one is a man on one and woman on other), 1 has fake pearls, 1 with some random little cloudy white'ish stones, 1 small plain hoops, 1 pair are semi circles and have different colored stones that reminds me of a mothers ring, 1 mexico special with wraps of what appears to be brass wire, 1 pair of fleur-de-lis (if that is spelled right lol), 1 very interesting pair that are marked Sterling and also a mark that looks like 2 triangles facing left and one right, and the initials J J one in each triangle and stone in the front middle appears to look like amber and are tiny diamond looking stones around the face also.

Quick pic of all but the gold and questionable pile.

I think you did alright with that. That James Avery Oak leaf brooch is a real good find. Make sure you list it with a higher price. It should sell for around $100. The bangle could be onyx maybe, if it is stone. Don't forget that many pieces of signed costume jewelry can be worth good money. It doesn't have to contain precious metals or stones to be worth something. What did the gold weigh out to?

 

[twiasp]

I think you did alright with that. That James Avery Oak leaf brooch is a real good find. Make sure you list it with a higher price. It should sell for around $100. The bangle could be onyx maybe, if it is stone. Don't forget that many pieces of signed costume jewelry can be worth good money. It doesn't have to contain precious metals or stones to be worth something. What did the gold weigh out to?

Yeah if I can find the maker of the silver items which i would love to do before even thinking about listing them on ebay. Not sure on the gold since i don't have a scale yet, i need to find a good one that isn't crazy expensive, that does grams, oz and penny weight. The gold weight will be fairly small but boosted if one piece that for some reason is unmarked but i have never seen this pattern much in faked stuff so am hopeful.

 

[diggummup]

Yeah if I can find the maker of the silver items which i would love to do before even thinking about listing them on ebay. Not sure on the gold since i don't have a scale yet, i need to find a good one that isn't crazy expensive, that does grams, oz and penny weight. The gold weight will be fairly small but boosted if one piece that for some reason is unmarked but i have never seen this pattern much in faked stuff so am hopeful.

If you need any help just call out. I bought my scale from this guy. He's in the US and he is the cheapest on ebay. Mine was less than $10- ezaker in Jewelry & Watches > Jewelry Design & Repair| eBay

 

[twiasp]

If you need any help just call out. I bought my scale from this guy. He's in the US and he is the cheapest on ebay. Mine was less than $10- ezaker in Jewelry & Watches > Jewelry Design & Repair| eBay

Hmm that link took me to a page with a lot of different ones. Maybe you could help me make a good decision? I would use it at home, on a counter or desk, want to make sure it can weigh a decent amount (not sure what that would be =( ) I don't think i will need one for my pocket, but i have thought about it, just didn't want to tip anybody off that i am buying from.

 

[twiasp]

So I looked up some of the items that I am going to try possibly Ebaying. Found the marks on a website, one pair of earrings were Judith Jack (the 2 Js in 2 triangles mark), another were sterling feathers with what looks like garnets, marked ROLYN (R with inc inside the R). And these others are some pictures of the ones i can't figure out what they are and hoping you guys could help so i don't have to list them as just silver items. Sorry for the odd colors, these pics were taken inside and lightened some with photobucket to help see the markings better, but they are all marked items.

 

[FloridaHunter]

Does that leave a Permanent mark on it?

It never has for me, but if it is old and dirty you may be able to tell where the 409 is. I have tested dozens of pieces this way and never had any problem, and I am very careful with my jewelry. With that being said, if you are concerned with a possible permanent mark, definitely try another method. No reason to ruin a good piece when there are other ways to test. An easy way to test bracelets is to look for a seam. Seams = not bakelite.

Just go to youtube and search "test bakelite" or something along those lines and you will see lots of instructional videos.

 

[2Minnesota]

Try this link for the S.F.T. Makers mark earrings to id maker. Possibly Frank Salcido??

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...jIHADg&usg=AFQjCNEENRQQvria8KGcV7_QQ2rCBDa1sQ

 

[2Minnesota]

Also check eBay for Frank Sacido. The earrings look like his work. Check completed listings to.

 

[2Minnesota]

Also check eBay for Frank Sacido. The earrings look like his work. Check completed listings to.

**Salcido**