The CollectingChannel.com held a live chat last week with a leading jewelry expert. Peter Shemonsky, Director of Fine Jewelry & Timepieces at Butterfields, participated in a live chat in the CollectingChannel.com "Meet the Experts" Chat Room on Tuesday evening.

There were some excellent questions, and Peter gave helpful, expert advice. For example, a question was asked, "There always seems to be so much confusion about Bakelite. Is there a simple home test that can be done to determine if a piece is authentic Bakelite?"

Now, I've read something about sticking a warm pin in the piece, which actually damages it, depending on if it is real Bakelite or not! So I was very happy to hear the EXPERT answer:

"Yes, since true Bakelite is petroleum based, if you rub it against a soft cloth, to get it warm, it will smell like oil/rubber," Shemonsky answered.

If you want to learn some other interesting things about jewelry, you can find the fulltext of the transcript at: http://www.collectingchannel.com/cdsDetArt.asp?PID=111534&MC=8

Thanks to Ron McCoy of the CollectingChannel.com for letting me include this tidbit. Note: I announce upcoming events like this one in the NewsFlash newsletter, so be sure and check it daily.