When Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland created the first entirely synthetic plastic in 1909, it revolutionized the way many consumer goods were manufactured. Baekeland called his plastic “Bakelite” and ...

Created more than a century ago, bakelite is a completely synthetic plastic material used in industrial and commercial products. Because it doesn’t contain petroleum, it can’t be melted or recycled.

A new class of Bakelite collectors is emerging, and it’s hardly the swap-meet set. The spoils: a bangle or three with inlaid geometrics, perhaps a marbled ring with bursts of bezel-set gemstones. That ...