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We add articles, reference pages and recent acquisitions continually and would like to keep you abreast of whats new on a monthly basis with this newsletter.
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MORNING GLORY also owns a bricks and mortar store called the ANTIQUE CONNECTION MALL on Historic Route 66 at 12815 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is just off of Interstate-40 East at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. We have about 60 friendly and knowledgeable dealers in a 10,000 square foot clean and well-lit building. It is a really fun and interesting place to shop with a wide variety of antiques and collectibles. In addition, we offer maps to the other local shops, places to sit and relax a bit while shopping, and clean bathrooms.

There's wonderful work being done by contemporary Bakelite Artisans who are fashioning jewelry using vintage 1930-40s bakelite stock, bakelite buttons and parts. It is such fun to wear, and mixing and matching stacks of bangles is just part of the personalization of your own collection. The creativity of some of these artisans is just a joy to see! Most sign their work, and that's wonderful to help us all know what we are buying. In the last half of the 20th Century, clothing designers also have put their mark on bakelite jewelry, including Diane von Furstenberg, Hattie Carnegie and others.

One current trend is the fun of wearing both jewelry and clothing in your own unique way, making your own unexpected combinations. Another is men wearing vintage jewelry! Have you seen Isaac Mizrahi and Zak Posen on "Project Runway"? Bakelite fits right into this trend. For example, stacks of thinner bangles can be combined so that 3-5 can be worn at a time, enabling different carving and color combinations. And it's also interesting to mix bakelite pieces in unusual ways, worn with Victorian black jewelry, for instance, or with large rhinestone brooches. I have one customer who uses her cell phone to document her combinations for future reference. It's a fun way to have a gallery of your own.

We offer pieces from Shultz, Butterfly Workshop, Brandon's Workshop, Elvenkraft Workshop and others.

ARTISAN BAKELITE JEWELRY is for sale by clicking HERE.

To see our reference GALLERY of Artisan bakelite jewelry please click HERE and Shultz bakelite HERE.

To see what's new on Morning Glory on any day, please click HERE.

Leo Beakeland (1863 -1944), a Belgian who had moved to America, was the inventor of Bakelite. Made by the condensation of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst, it was used for everything from tools and telephones to jewelry and accessories. "Bakelite" is frequently used as a generic name for all phenol formaldehyde, including Catalin and Marblette, which came later and in a wider range of colors. Bakelite is a thermoset plastic, meaning that once cast or molded and hardened, it will not melt or dissolve. It can only be worked by carving, sawing, tumbling, painting and gluing. One type of bakelite is called "Prystal", a completely transparent colored bakelite often described as a dichroic (color changing) bakelite.

Making Bakelite jewelry was at it's zenith from the late 1920s till the start of WWII in 1942, and was made even afterwards. Diane Von Furstenberg and Hattie Carnegie, among others, leant their names to this wonderful jewelry. The lack of money and need for inexpensive fun during the Depression era of the 1930s gave the whimsy, colorful and cheerful look of bakelite jewelry the perfect market.

Today, not only the vintage bakelite jewelry is collected, but also the work of contemporary Bakelite artisans who are fashioning different styles of jewelry using old stock and bakelite pieces and parts. Sadly, it is also being faked, like so many things these days, so buy from a reputable dealer who knows what they are selling. It is such fun to wear, and mixing and matching stacks of bangles is just part of the personalization of your own collection.

We have a wonderful selection on our web site and enjoy both buying and selling it.

VINTAGE BAKELITE JEWELRY FOR SALE is HERE.

Vintage Bakelite in our Jewel Chat gallery is HERE.

To see what's new on Morning Glory on any day, please click HERE.

The ANTIQUE CONNECTION MALL in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has a wide variety of items all the time. We have genuine antiques, furniture, Asian and smalls as well. We have collectibles, like Arts & Crafts leather purses, dolls, and New Mexican antiques. You'll also see a marvelous selection of antique and vintage jewelry, including some of the most rare pieces as well as everyday fun things to wear.

We have man-tiques like metal signs, Coco-Cola, Marilyn Monroe, hunting and fishing gear and duck calls. There are also kitchen collectibles like Jadite, Fiesta, Bauer, LuRay, 40s-50s painted glasses, cooking and baking gear. Also enjoy the sterling and silver plate for your dining room along with beautiful vintage linens. Art work and puzzles, toys and dolls... so many things to see and enjoy. What a fun way to brighten your kitchen and your home! And don't miss the furniture of all kinds and eras.

About 50 dealers sell here, and they are often at the mall to chat about what they enjoy. There's over 10,000 square feet of clean, well-lit mall, and always friendly welcoming and knowledgeable staff and dealers to help you. There is SO much more at the Antique Connection Mall, and new things come and go every day.

NEW ADDITIONS

Morning Glory adds recent acquisitions weekly and you can always see them here:

http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/