Atlanta Antique Gallery - Lea Stein

Lea Stein is a French trained artist who was born in Paris in 1931. Her husband Fernand Steinberger came up with a process of laminating layers of rhodoid (cellulose acetate sheets (with interesting textures and colors. The layers were baked overnight with a secret component of his creation and then cut into shapes for various designs of pins, bracelets, earrings and shaped decorative object. From the side of a piece of jewelry, in some instances, as many as 20 layers of cellulose bonded together to make these pieces.

These “vintage” pieces of jewelry were made from 1969 until 1991 and are identified by a v-shaped pin back which s heat mounted to the back of each piece. They are always marked “Lea Stein Paris.”

Lea Stein’s work is heavily influenced by the Art Deco period and rhizoid, the cellulose acetate from which her jewelry is fashioned, strongly resembles Bakelite and some older plastics, such as Galalith.

It has such a lovely, high-gloss finish, that you’ll be amazed to find out that it’s really a form of plastic.