10 Ways Jewellery Changed during the 19th and 20th Centuries

2. Welcome Plastic

Plastic jewellery in the form of celluloid became popular during the Victorian era of the nineteenth century. By the 1930s, of course, Bakelite jewellery – a type of hard plastic jewellery – became all the rage and continues to be highly collectible today. Bakelite jewellery allowed more women to wear jewels during eras like the Great Depression. These jewels tended to be colorful as well as less expensive than jewels crafted with gems and precious metals.