This is a stunning vintage bakelite bangle covered in silver repoussé work. The design shows and aquatic scene. The bangle is from Tibet, where bakelite became a medium for the art of silver repoussé.

As I've explained in previous posts, bakelite is one of the first man-made polymers, created by Leo Baekeland in 1907. It was all the rage in the 1920s through the 1940s, when better methods of producing polymers became available. Today, collectors are in pursuit of these near antique bangles. Thanks to technology, you can find these collectors on message boards and listservs all over the internet.