Vintage View: Auction fever

Lucite handbag with carved clear top to a trunk style, probably made in Miami. Clear Lucite pieces are generally less expensive than a searing colour.

In the first half of the 20th century there was a fascination among scientists and manufacturers with new synthetic materials, thermo-plastics that could be poured and moulded into an infinite variety of objects drew a lot of attention. Strong, versatile plastic was seen as a wildly exciting, almost luxurious newcomer. Despite its worthy commercial beginnings, plastic was soon integrated into everything from cigarette cases to decorative Art Deco figures, clothes, radios sets, jewellery, and embellishments for couture clothing.

Lucite (or polymethyl methacrylate) was a polymer, a form of glass acrylic invented in 1931 by US chemical giant DuPont. Proven to be a stronger, more stable material than celluloid and Bakelite, it had the added interest of an icy translucence. Lucite could be compounded as clear as crystal, or coloured up to resemble slabs of semi-precious stone.