We have a couple of tips and a few ‘dos and don’ts’ for those of you shopping for vintage celluloid bangle bracelets. We’re talking about the beautiful floral themed bangle bracelets such as the ones pictured below:
There’s no truly universal, fail-safe method for testing celluloid bangles. If the bracelet (or if any celluloid material, for that matter) is old enough, it may be the kind of celluloid that’s highly flammable. Non-flammable celluloid material (technically called ‘cellulose acetate’) was developed in the late 1920s. Celluloid jewelry and other household celluloid items manufactured prior to that time can, literally, burst into flame if exposed to open flame or high heat.
We know, however, that floral motif celluloid bracelets such as the ones pictured can generally be attributed to the 1930s-40s or so and thus exploding bracelets are probably no threat. Cellulose acetate, however, can still discolor, singe, melt and become misshapen so hot pin tests are not recommended.
Common Characteristics of Celluloid Bangle Bracelets
Look for Seams. Contrary to popular belief and the claims of many a seller, floral bracelets like the ones pictured were NOT carved. These were inexpensive, mass-production items. The celluloid material was manufactured in sheets and the design molds were pressed into the still-warm material. The floral designs were created in strips. Look closely at a celluloid bangle: You’ll probably find it has a repeating pattern or an obvious seam, or both. And that’s good. Evidence of a seam can be one characteristic of a celluloid bangle.
The seam is simply where the strip of celluloid was joined together to form the bracelet’s shape. And it will more than likely be an uneven seam rather than razor-sharp and perfectly straight. Do you know what a seam looks like when you’re joining pie crust together or making a Play-Doh ring with your child? That’s the kind of seam we’re talking about here.
Is the Color Believable? The majority of the celluloid bangles you’ll run into are going to be mild colors – white or cream, sea foam green, pale blue, coral or pinkish. Among the brighter celluloid bracelet colors are deep coral and deep green, and still the overall impression will be of a subdued, muted or ‘dusty’ color. Hot pink, electric blue, neon green or neon orange are not vintage floral celluloid bangle colors.
Sometimes white or cream color bracelets were painted with a variety of colors. Odds are, if the paint was applied as part of the original manufacturing process, it’s probably now faded to the delightful and subtle tint we see on some collectible bracelets. Some jewelry sellers and collectors even paint or repaint vintage celluloid bangles with lively, modern colors. And you’ll probably find disagreement between dealers AND collectors on whether such after-market painting adds or detracts from the beauty and value of the jewelry. It’s simply in the eye of the beholder.
Shiny or Matte Finish? The amount of gleam on a floral bangle’s finish isn’t really an indicator of authenticity. Some bangles have a shine or gleam to them and some don’t. We’ve read that celluloid jewelry items made in Japan will sometimes have a shinier appearance than American-made celluloid but it’s not a consistent rule.
‘Made in Japan’? Yes, a great deal of floral bangles, pins and novelties were manufactured in Japan. It’s fairly common to find markings indicating such on the interior of a bracelet, either stamped in ink or with raised letters:
Celluloid Bracelet Testing
The most reliable way to test your bracelet is the hot water test. Ideally, you won’t even have to do this, because you’ll be familiar enough – through online window shopping and by reading about some of the characteristics we’ve mentioned – that you’ll find testing unnecessary. However, a quick hot water test can be conducted as follows:
Heat some water in the microwave, NOT to boiling, but maybe just a tad hotter than the hottest water that comes out of your tap.
Dunk a small portion of the bracelet in the water for a couple of seconds.
Quickly bring the bracelet to your nose and sniff. A cellulose acetate bracelet will give off a vinegary smell. An older celluloid bracelet (older than the late 20s, when cellulose acetate was first invented) will give off a camphor smell.
Be sure to blot off any moisture on your bracelet immediately, then put it in a safe place to finish air drying. Moisture and moist environments are very damaging to celluloid jewelry.
Imposters, Wannabes and Fakes
There are a ton of hard plastic bangles out there that mimic the floral designs of vintage celluloid bracelets, and why not? The designs are beautiful. It only becomes a problem when such wannabes are passed off as vintage. Indicators include impossibly bright colors, transparency and/or iridescence, and seams other than that which we discussed above (hard plastic bangles will usually have a very straight, very obvious seam that runs horizontally along the interior of the piece versus the single, imperfect vertical seam of a true celluloid bracelet).
Collectible Imposters. During the 1950s, Featherweight jewelry enjoyed popularity. Featherweight mimics vintage floral celluloid jewelry styling and colors and oftentimes incorporates small rhinestone accents. Featherweight bracelets are usually a white color, lighter than that found in true celluloid bangles, and has a chalk-like appearance.
Now here’s where collecting gets fun: Featherweight jewelry is vintage jewelry and collectible in its own right. And, of course, whenever any product is popular, there’s copycats and off-brands. So there were jewelry manufacturers that mimicked Featherweight jewelry, which in turn got its inspiration from vintage celluloid pieces.
Keep your eyes peeled as your visit Ebay or other general purpose selling sites and you’ll run across listings for marked and unmarked Featherweight style jewelry that claims to be celluloid. Unless you’re fairly well acquainted with vintage celluloid, it’s a very easy mistake to make for both seller and buyer.
Do some due diligence by browsing the web. Study photos, read about celluloid’s characteristics, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’ve got them. And don’t be afraid to ask for more photos, either, if you need them. Most jewelry sellers, whether through their own site or through sites like Ebay, eCrater, Etsy, etc., will have no problem accommodating such a request if they have the time. You’ll find that floral celluloid bracelets are still relatively easy to locate and still fairly affordable.
