Lea Stein Rolls Royce Classic Car Pin Brooch 2.75 Paris France Vintage Collector

vory/Brown celluloid Rolls Royce limousine brooch. Classic car. Pin portion is signed “Lea Stein”, “Paris”. Measures approximately 2.75” long and 1” tall. Condition: Pre-owned/Excellent. About Lea Stein: Léa Stein (born 11 February 1936) is a French artist and accessories maker, known for her compressed plastic buttons, brooches and bracelets. She is often hailed as "the most notable and innovative designer of plastic jewelry of the 20th century” Stein entered the fashion industry in 1957 working in textiles, and by 1965 had developed an interest in plastic. She worked with her husband, chemist Fernand Steinberger, to develop a process of layering very thin sheets of cellulose acetate (or rhodoid) and laminating them to form a "multi-coloured sandwich of plastic". Each 'sandwich' was baked for a long time, then cooled and cut into shapes. The process could take as long as six months. The brooches were made in two periods: vintage (1969 to 1981) and modern (1991 —). Each brooch has a distinctive v-shaped metal clasp inscribed with 'Lea Stein Paris'. Some collectors suggest that the clasp determines which era it was made in. Vintage brooches had the clasps heat mounted into the plastic; in modern brooches, the clasps are riveted on.