ArtFire

This Faux Bakelite Red Dangling Cherries Necklace is a stunning and affordable reproduction inspired by the rare vintage Bakelite Cherry classic from 1940s that often now sells for over $1000 in the antiques market. I made it by hand entirely from artist-quality polymer clay, with the exception of the green stereo wire stems and modern red plastic PVC chain. The necklace remains true to the spirit of vintage original and I discovered an un-credited photograph of my recent work (c. 2009) in a gallery of online photos featuring the "best of the vintage 1940s Bakelite jewelry"!

The necklace, with antique brass plated lobster claw clasp, is 16 inches long (40.64cm) and comes with a 2 inch (5.08cm) necklace extender. The length can be customized if requested.

The necklace arrives wrapped in tissue paper nestled in a colorful recycled lithographed cookie tin that is placed inside a padded mailer. Depending on availability, the design of the tin may vary from the one pictured in the listing photo.

A version of the cherry necklace utilizing GREEN plastic chain is also available, as are a coordinating pair of cherry earrings, and a cherry bar brooch. See Faux Cherry Bakelite Collection in the "Sections" area on the right of the main page.

I first fell in love with the original prototype for this necklace when I saw it on a segment of PBS's Antiques Roadshow. The stems were in poor condition, as is usually the case, but after seeing the whopping price tag it commanded I set out to see if I could make an authentic looking affordable reproduction.

I love the way the dangling cherries move when the necklace is worn. Build your next vintage outfit around this coveted piece of jewelry and wear to your next Big Band Dance, Rockabilly Dance, or antique show, or pair it with modern clothing and you're guaranteed to get attention either way.

Polymer clay, stereo wire, PVC plastic chain, Antique plated brass lobster claw clasp, artistic wire

Now back in stock and READY TO SHIP out May 2, 2012. To read more about Mom's Jewelry Box and my love affair with vintage red Bakelite see my blog post: http://melobeau.blogspot.com/2011/11/dangling-red-cherry-bakelite-jewelry.html