Blue Moonglow Lucite Cabochon Earrings

Manufactured in the early 1950s, these lovely earrings have a large blue Moonglow Lucite cabochon in their centers and a small blue aurora rhinestone on each of their four sides. The earrings also have scrolling details around the borders in an antiqued, silver-tone metal. The earrings are in good vintage condition, and the clip-on mechanism for each earring works well.

For those unfamiliar with the material, Lucite is the “queen of diversity,” appearing in many forms, colors and styles in jewelry from the 1940s to today, although it was most popular during the 1940s and 50s. Lucite is an acrylic resin, and one type of thermoset plastic (Bakelite is another, although Bakelite is a phenol formaldehyde resin). A brief aside here to clear up a point: the term “thermoset” does not refer to a specific form or style of plastic; it is a broad-based term referring to any plastic that, once heated and formed, cannot be melted a second time and reformed. Although clear in its original state, as with this reverse-carved roses brooch, Lucite can be tinted virtually any color, in ranges from transparent to opaque, with a few interesting variations along the way.