Lucite Vintage Clutch Handbag

Wilardy Lucite clutch bag. Crystal cut design on all surfaces, domed lid with a metal piano hinge, and a silver-colored sprung metal clasp.

Condition: Very good used condition.

A lucite clutch bag designed and produced by the American handbag makers, Wilardy, who manufactured bags from 1946 until the late 1970s. This example is colourless with a crystal cut design on all surfaces. It has a domed lid with a metal piano hinge and a silver coloured sprung metal clasp. Wilardy produced a wide range of lucite bags. Lucite is a trade name for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) also known as acrylic. Sheets of the material were cut to the size needed for the shape of bag. The pieces were heated until flexible and then wrapped and clamped around a wooden form until they cooled. After cooling, the pieces maintained their new shape indefinitely. The shaped and formed pieces were assembled using methylene chloride, a cohesive solvent, which formed bonds between adjacent surfaces, creating a joint as strong as the material itself.