Catalin
cat·a·lin | ˈkatᵊlə̇n
noun
A trade name for an early phenol plastic
Catalin is the brand name for an early phenol plastic, similar to Bakelite, that was developed in 1927 for a variety of household and aesthetic purposes, including to be used as a medium for jewelry pieces of a variety of bright, colorful hues. This thermosetting polymer is created by following two steps, different from the procedures followed when creating other phenolic resins. Catalin also doesn’t contain any fillers such as sawdust or carbon black. Jewelers in the late 1920s and 1930s liked using Catalin as a jewelry medium because it is naturally transparent and near colorless, meaning that jewelers could add any dyes they wanted to create brightly colored jewelry pieces that were very popular in the early 20th century. The material is durable, heavy, has a greasy feeling to it, and is as hard as brass. At the time that Catalin was popular, it was coined the “Gem of Modern Industry.”