What's Black Jewelry Made From ? 8 Choices Simple Tests To Find Out !

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Now that's a Stack!

Plastic is very light weight. Tapping plastic on your natural tooth will result with a clicking sound. It might be hollow and could be solid but mold lines will most certainly be present. A jeweler's loupe helps to identify this line that will run all the way around your plastic's middle.

No mold lines present? No "click, click"? Now what?

Glass is heavier than plastic and reflects light. As you hold glass in your hand it will warm up.

Stone is also heavier than plastic. In your hand it will stay cold.

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Jet is as light as plastic. It's very hard and the material resembles coal. Jet was first mined in Whitby, England in the mid 1800s. Carving this type of fossilized wood became so popular by 1870 there were approximately 200 jet shops in the small town of Whitby. Mining for jet is illegal today which translates to rarity which translates to valuable.

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Take note, jet breaks easily. That's the bad news. The good news is there's a test. Rub your specimen on concrete or clay pottery. Jet will leave a brownish black mark behind.

Gutta-purcha first appeared in England in 1841. Made out of sap from the Malayan tree. Mostly used during the Victorian era. When you run this material under hot water it will produce a noticeable burnt rubber smell. Rubbing it against your clothing creating friction is another testing method that should result with the same burnt rubber smell.

Crepe Stone is a black material made of glass.The Fowler brothers of Providence, Rhode Island introduced this distinctive looking product in 1883. Also known as English Crepe Stone.

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Bog Oak is a black material that is easily recognized because of the Irish motifs used for jewelry. It is oak wood preserved in the Bogs of Ireland.

Bakelite can be black but not all Bakelite is black. Bakelite was super popular during the 1920s and 30s. It is a phenolic (phenol formaldehyde resin) plastic. A good test that has been proven to be reliable is the 409 test. Take a cotton swab dipped in 409 bathroom cleaner and touch the material. Make sure to make contact in a hidden area on the jewelry, just to be safe. If the cotton swab remains yellow after contact it must be Bakelite.

Amazingly Beautiful Bakelite
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