Featured What kind of plastic is this cameo and how to tell different platics?

I got this at the estate sale I don't know what kind of plastic it is celluloid, lucite or whatever else there is? There are no signatures on it looks something like a Coro piece? I can't remember who in here said that lots of long chains was 70's?

 

It's not Celluloid. The generic term used, sounds a bit better than plastic, is 'resin'. The cameo itself could have been made any time from the late 50s on. Maybe others will have dating ideas based on other elements.

 

I would think 1970s plus or minus. The length and overall look.

 

Wow that was fast! Thanks!

 

Great! I am learning! TYVM!

 

Celluloid is more likely to be used to mimic ivory & is very light in weight:

 

You bet!

 

Ah. Do they hand carve it? Maybe those Chinese earrings? They are very light.

 

Sorry don't know why I replied twice.

 

I thought I might have seen something there earlier too but...

 

A piece like the one I showed is molded. That's sort of the point of plastics, you can shape them in less laborious ways than are required for working most natural materials. Perfect for mass production & lower cost.

 

Are we talking about these?



I looked at the thread & all your photos of them. The closeups clearly show chisel/file marks. None of the photos shows the grain clearly enough, but suspect they are bone. Japan has made a lot of beautiful floral themed jewellery using Celluloid:

 

Yes! Those are the ones I was talking about.

 

I did take some other photos but didn't want to drive everyone nuts about the same thing. I will post them on the other thread so you can see closer images of the grain.

 

i'm on the side of bone with Bronwen...

 

Cameo is early 70s plastic, they were a Thing then. went with all that Laura Ashley.

 

The type of plastic is likely to be polystyrene, with those swirls.

 

I was trying to find an old site I loved for plastics info, but it appears to have vanished into the ether.

But this is a good summary/starting page of the different older plastics.

https://chatsworthlady.com/2012/06/21/vintage-plastic-jewelry-what-it-is-and-isnt/