Glossary - Terminology Explained

Rhinestones:

The French term 'pierres de Stras' (Stras stones) refers to the Paris court jeweler Georges Frédéric Stras (1701-1773). His enormous contribution was perfecting the technique of imitating real stones with glass paste, to which he added lead, and marketing them in rather grand style. Other terms existed, such as paste (English), simili, Rhine pebbles, River Mainz, “diamanté”...

Bakelite®:

Bakelite® jewelry was worn by the active modern woman during the jazz age and the era of the variety shows. Although earlier plastics were used in jewelry, they never achieved the status of bakelite®, which reached its zenith during the Art Déco and Bauhaus periods. Developed in 1907 by the Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland, it belongs to the phenolic resin group and results from the chemical reaction of carbolic acid with formaldehyde. Even though bakelite® lacks the number of descriptive synonyms as rhinestones have , it is experiencing a grand renaissance today.

Two older plastics, also used in jewelry, precede bakelite®:

Celluloid,  A noble plastic patented in 1870 in the US by the Hyatt brothers. The impetus came from an American company which offered a prize for a practical material which could be substituted for ivory in billiard balls.

Galalith, in 1897 a plastic was developed by Wilhelm Krische and Adolf Spittaler using milk casein and formaldehyde. A duroplast resulted, easily workable into jewelry, and because of its low cost production a challenge to celluloid. Unusual colors were created via the addition of metal oxides to this 'milkstone'.

Even 'connoisseurs' are often hard-pressed to differentiate among bakelite®, galalith or other early plastics, or even modern materials. Exquisite carved bakelite® is currently being produced in the orient, often difficult to distinguish from vintage pieces. 



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Pearls:

Harvested from oceans, lakes and rivers throughout the world.

Akoya - Kasumigaura pearls
Biwa Pearls (uncultured)
South Sea and Tahiti Pearls
South Sea and Tahiti Keshi cultured Pearls
Freshwater Pearls
Cultured Shell Pearls, or Mabe Pearls, which develop attached to the shell - and many more!

Uncultured (unseeded) Freshwater Pearls

The history of freshwater pearls is relatively recent. Around the end of WWI pearls were cultured with bivalve molluscs in Biwa Lake in central Japan, using the oriental freshwater mussel Cristaria Picata (Clessin) and Schlegel's freshwater mussel Hyrlopsis Schlegeli (Simpson). Lake Biwa is now toxic due to environmental influences. Today in China a freshwater mollusc, Hypiopsis cumingi (15-20 cm long, up to 8 cm thick) can produce 40-50 pearls in different shapes and colors. Unlike other bivalves, this one thrives on muddy lake and river beds. The pearls are unseeded, i.e., fine mother-of-pearl through and through, and can reach an impressive size of up to 12 mm, with a rich lustre.

Depending upon how much of the mantel tissue is removed, the color can change from silver white to lilac, pale yellow to apricot, and all shades of gold. Addition of certain liquified minerals can produce certain nuances, such as greens, brown, gold, bronze, etc. Since the pearls in this particular mussel develop between the mantel and the shell wall, the shell isn't damaged, and can produce a second and third time.


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Kasumigaura Cultured Pearls:

...from Lake Kasumigaura, north of Tokyo, as well as from natural waters and in artificial ponds. The pearl farmers use the renowned freshwater oyster Ikecho-gai, which can grow to an impressive 30cm, in culturing this fascinating pearl. A bead and mantel tissue are implanted in the oyster. The bead determines the size (programmed up to 18 mm) and form, the mantel the color of the pearl. The wide range of colors include white, apricot, pink, lilac, orange and bronze, and, rarely, unusually differentiated green and gold tones. 

Not only are the size and color of these pearls unique, but also the lustre, which appears as a second shade with a metallic tint. Kasumigaura pearls are indisputably the most interesting culture of all freshwater pearls.


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Tahiti Pearls - The 'Black Pearl"


This 'queen of pearls' from the South Seas is cultured mainly in French Polynesia, and is famous for its size and unique color range. The oyster pinctada margaritifera yields round pearls up to 19mm, and baroque pearls up to 30mm with colors ranging from black, peacock (black\greenish lustre\reddish lustre), platinum, grey, silver-grey and bronze to bamboo-green, which is reflected on the inside of the shell. This type of oyster is practically the only one which produces black naturally. A similar pearl which differs only in color is the Australian cultured pearl, which appears mainly in white, pink-white and cream. As with the Akoya oyster, a bead with a small piece of mantel tissue is inserted. The pinctada margaritifera reaches a size of 30cm with a thickness of nearly 12 cm.

Mr. Murol, the most important person in the history of the black pearl, began with its culture thirty years ago. In spite of numerous failed attempts, he and his team never gave up. Perseverance paid off, as his experience with the black pearl served him well in culturing the similar Australian South Sea pearl.

Once a year in Tahiti, an ancient ceremony takes place for the god of pearl shells, Oro, who protects the shells from theft and harm. Since 'culturing' mussels in captivity is impossible, and young oysters languish when out of their natural waters, the Tahitians always honor their god, and in mid-year offer as sacrifice part of their harvest from the sea.

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Summary: Rhinestone and Bakelite® Jewelry

Rhinestone jewelry is highly collectible today, as indicated by auctions, fairs and a comprehensive literature. An exhibit entitled 'Jewels of Fantasy' was shown in Cologne, Milan, Zurich, and other cities. For as long as diamonds have existed, there have been attempts to imitate them. When rhinestones became fashionable, a new type of jewelry came into its own. Stones were gold-foiled to increase their brilliance, and an ersatz gold also came into fashion. 'Simili' jewelry could be found in the upper classes all the way up to the French court. A variation of this imitation jewelry was black-colored glass, which became known as French jet. Precious and base materials were combined; the value lay in the design, not the materials. The Art Déco era brought severe geometrical forms and strong colors to jewelry. In the 20th century Coco Chanel paved the way to fake glitter with rhinestones, fake pearls, and base metals. Rhinestones soon conquered the New World, where numerous jewelry manufacturers appeared, specializing in costume jewelry, which Hollywood and the grand films of the times publicized. New designs were created; dress clips, and for hats, turbans and collars. Brooches were produced in animal forms or crowns, medals and flags. Long necklaces were worn, the so-called 'sautoirs', or close-fitting, as chokers.

Rhinestones have been used to embellish celluloid and bakelite® since these materials came into fashion as adornments. Celluloid combs in the l920s and earlier were stunning with their pavé rhinestones; the celluloid bracelets of the post-WWI years into the 1920s were 'cast' for rhinestone designs as were acrylic and bakelite® pieces.

Bakelite® jewelry was worn by the active modern woman. Other early plastics were also worked into jewelry, but none attained the importance of bakelite®. The end of the 19th century found plastics being produced for artistic ends, and also for jewelry to inexpensively imitate jade, ivory, horn, onyx, coral or mother-of-pearl. In the 20th century jewelry from plastics 'liberated' itself, and was even combined with diamonds to confirm its independence. The possibilities with this new material were limitless. From the jewelry historian Christiane Weber: 'The artistic statement asserts itself even more; often the jewelry artisan is concerned more with the philosophy of the jewel than with the desire to create a valuable piece...'

The period between the world wars was the prime time of bakelite®. This unheard-of modern, fresh, colorful jewelry could be worn without problems. One could revel in color; heavy reds with black, dark and luminous green tones, noble browns, shades of amber, yellow or white. Today bakelite is its own collectible domain. This early plastic was often worked as a natural element - carved, cut, faceted and polished, whereas later plastics could be more easily molded. Among big collectors were Josephine Baker and Andy Warhol. When his estate was auctioned in New York, it brought ten times the estimated price - and not a single piece of bakelite® remained!

In comparison, European bakelite jewelry appears more refined, 'decent', wearable. During the Bauhaus and Cubism eras, bakelite® was often combined with chrome. Germany wasn't the best market for producers of bakelite. Many large firms in Berlin, Idar-Oberstein (Jakob Bengel) or Pforzheim manufactured mainly for export.

Bakelite® has its own charisma - sometimes it's love at first sight; other times this unconventional jewelry can seem unapproachable...

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