June 2019 Speaker: Rosanna Falabella

Faking It: Plastic Imitations of Organic Materials

Rare and precious natural materials used for jewelry and other personal adornment have been imitated since antiquity. The first major invention in this area was glass, which was used to substitute for naturally occurring minerals and gems. The development of semi-synthetic and fully synthetic materials, starting in the late 1800s, brought the art of faking it to a whole new level, as impressive imitations of many natural materials were made possible.

This presentation will give a brief history of the most important man-made plastics used to imitate natural materials. Many examples of the fakes along side the “real thing”; will be shown for ivory, pearl, amber, tortoiseshell, coral, and jet. Some of the techniques used to identify the different plastics will be presented. A display of fakes will be available for hands-on examination and comparison.

Rosanna has her B.S. Chemistry, M.S. and Ph.D. Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  She has been a beaded jewelry hobbyist for 20 years, and bead collector and researcher for 10 years. Her main interests are glass and imitation plastic beads made in Europe for the African trade.

Rosanna became fascinated with plastic imitation beads since they represent an intersection of her technical training and love of beads. Additionally, she enjoy a good mystery and found that there is not much known about where and when many plastic beads were produced.

Rosanna has given presentations at three different bead societies and a rock club, and most recently at the Mini Bead Symposium at the Sonoran Glass School in Tucson. She has published several articles on imitation beads:

“Imitation Amber Beads of Phenolic Resin from the African Trade”, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 28:3-16 (2016). 

“Update on Imitation Amber Bead Sample Cards in the Jablonec Museum of Glass and Jewelry”, The Bead Forum: Newsletter of the Society of Bead Researchers 71:3-5 (Autumn 2017), with Floor Kaspers.

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Speaker: Rosanna Falabella, June 18, 2019, 7:30-9:00pm with 30 minute social before the meeting.

Location: Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany, CA  map . Parking is in the back of the building.

Everyone is invited to attend this speaker meeting. Members with membership card: free, non-members: $5. Membership can be purchased at the meeting or online by clicking here.