Featured Foil Like Plastic?

Hello all! I'm posting today to get a consensus on this necklace I picked up yesterday. I bought it because I've never seen plastic like this before, it almost has a crumpled foil look to it. I tried to determine what kind of plastic it is but I'm unfamiliar with it so I thought perhaps this forum would have a better inkling then I!

It wieghs 39.71 grams and measures 57cm (22'') from end to end. The color is true to the pictures, an icy or light sky blue. The beads are a little transluscent, not hollow and in perfect condition as far as I can tell, with no cracks or scratches. Are they molded? They are most definitely plastic, they're light weight and room temperature, with a typical plastic sound when clinked together. My amateur research on barrel clasps points to this not being modern but I'm not sure. No marks or anything. The inside of the clasp and some spots on the chain have some grey blue patina like that found on copper.

What kind of plastic is this and does this technique have a name? And what sort of date can we put on it? It might be helpful to mention that I am in rural France so this is most definitely European.

Thanks for reading I appreciate it!


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Vintage Antique Glass Beads Italian Foil Beads Venetian Beaded Necklace | eBay

 

@Tahmoor girl Did you miss the part where RachelW said they AREN'T glass.

 

Could it be some kind of clear lucite? I've found this listing, for exemple, which shows similar beads - albeit those seem to be newer, from the 1980s.

Edit : And these, from the 1950s.
Finally, these Art Deco beads, which are more regular but show similarities.

 

Must be acrylic or lucite! Super mid century!

 

I would guess the clasp is Art Deco period or so, but someone else could have a better idea of the age.
It is best to clean the verdigris off, or it will damage the screw thread. A q-tip with some oil should do the job.

 

Don't know but pretty cool!

 

Wow. I'm a big bead hound (in U.S.) and have never seen similar, maybe because they are a French style? I would say positively older, thinking 1950s, plus or minus. Dating the clasp and the fact that the beads are individually hand connected with a wire loops. That's more work than just stringing them all on a string and you wouldn't see that nowadays for a costume piece.

Realize these are plastic, but whenever I have a vintage glass necklace separated with those individual wire loops it has always been found with nicer glass beads. So I think it points to a slightly better costume necklace. Can't help with the bead name, perhaps others will have ideas, or maybe a style that never took off? They are really cool looking.

 

I don't know why my previous message said acrylic or glass.....I thought I typed lucite! Need more coffee! I think they are really cool!

 

Probably. I just skim through these the posts here and do my best to answer people.

 

I skim through message boards so I can view the most posts before I go to bed. New South Walse, Australia, has been in strict lockdown. No one can leave their house unless it's to buy food or for essential reasons and you have to wear a mask.

We're expecting the case numbers to start going down but they are going up because infectious people keep breaking the rules. Yesterday a Covid 19 positive man was fined for leaving his home because "he needed exercise and fresh air". The police were waiting for him when he got home and now he has to pay a heavy fine (they do random spot checks on Positive people who are supposed to isolate.

 

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I spend a lot of time searching for a similar item and can't do it, so I don't say anything and leave it up to experts. I am learning how to spot worthy things as I go.

When lockdown ends and I go back to volunteering in 'LifeLine Tahmoor', I'll know a bit more about what I am disinfecting. I used to completely ignored the costume jewellery as it came in, but now I'll look closer. I sometimes went to neighbouring opshops too. There's a good one in Picton that I've grabbed a lot of silverware from.

 

Tahmoor is part of the Wollondilly Shire and is a semi-rural town just outside of the Greater-Sydney area. A lot of people move here when they retire and donate things they've held onto for ages.

 

Thank you all for your replies! I'm over the moon I found something nice at last It will certainly look nice over a turtleneck this winter. I appreciate all the information here, I do agree they look very similar to those lucite beads @MmePlantier. I will arm myself with a Qtip and get to work on that clasp, thank you @Any Jewelry! @Lucille.b thank you so much for your insight, if I find a positive ID on the beads I'll let you all know!

 

Just made a few searches and came across this bead on an extender. The seller listed the necklace as 50s molded blue lucite.


This 80s necklace seems to have the same type of bead and is again described as blue molded lucite!

 

It is also on metal wire, like your necklace.

 

Indeed it is! Good eye, I didn't catch that.

 

I have found this necklace's twin!
And according to the listing, we were right about the era, mid-century.

 

Wow thats right on the money! How lovely that one is too, would be fun to have the pair. Thanks for posting!