Lucite Jewelry Styles
A very popular material for fashion jewelry starting in the 1930s was ‘Lucite’. So you may have examples of such jewelry handed down or know which ancestors loved wearing this style.
Lucite is an acrylic resin created by DuPont in 1937. It is a very lightweight material and inexpensive to make compared to other plastic material such as Bakelite, Catalin, celluloid and Galalith. The original plan by DuPont was to use lucite to replace glass windows in the home but seeing it made nice jewelry DuPont licensed it for other companies to make jewelry with lucite.
Lucite jewelry was very popular from the early 1940s and through the 1950s. The lucite was hard, water-resistant and lightweight. It can be polished carved, cut, heated and even hues of color could be added. Lucite was made into earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches and rings. This material looks and feels similar to ceramic. The lucite jewelry was also always easy to clean.
So check the jewelry boxes, there just might be some to be found. Also, look at family photos of the 1940s and 1950s, an ancestor could be wearing a piece.
Photo: Lucite necklace and matching earrings.
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