Pop bead necklace

Details

Descriptive Terms

necklaces
plastic by property: thermoplastic or thermoset
Necklace

Label

Toy or fashion jewelry? These pop beads, also called pop-its, were named for the sound they make when one separates their linking mechanism. These iconic beads were a favorite of folk art scholar and collector Nina Fletcher Little.
These molded-plastic beads could be strung together in flexible chains using an ingenious “ball and socket” connecting method. Many of us remember playing with versions of them as children, enjoying the satisfying burst of sound when we disconnected two beads then jammed them back together again. What people think of as children's toys originally began as costume jewelry for adults. Providence, Rhode Island-based company Coro Manufacturing debuted gold, silver, and pearlized versions of beads in the 1950s that owners could cleverly adjust to form anything from an opera-length rope to a stylish choker in seconds. Coro's new, inexpensive baubles soon spurred rivals to develop their own versions as American women made them a jewelry sensation.

Associated Building

Original to Cogswell's Grant (Essex, Mass.),

Additional Identification Number

1752

Maker

Possibly Coro, Inc. (Manufacturer)
Possibly Richelieu (Manufacturer)

Location of Origin

Rhode Island

Dimensions

3/8 (W) (inches)

Credit Line

Family of Nina Fletcher Little

Accession Number

1993.61

Reference Notes

For more information of Pop-It beads see DiNoto, Andrea, "Art Plastic: Designed for Living," (1994): 62-63.

Places

Probably Rhode Island (United States)
Probably Providence county (Rhode Island) [county]

Related Items

Title Pop bead necklace Accession Number 1993.63