What is lucite?

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What is lucite?

Lucite is a brand of acrylic glass that basically combines the good features of both glass and plastic.  Its clarity is said to be similar to glass, and its durability is similar to the highest quality plastic.  Many people prefer acrylics like lucite because of its quality and versatility.

Lucite products are made from PMMA, or polymethylmethacrylate, and this ingredient is typically used to create alternative materials to standard glass and plastic.  Lucite materials and products are transparent, similar to standard glass, but have plastic-like properties since they cannot be broken or shattered.  This property is what makes acrylics like lucite the preferred choice in making various items.

The lucite brand of acrylics was first developed back in the 1930s.  It was the DuPont Chemical Company that first introduced this type of acrylic or so-called plastic glass.  Other companies, meanwhile, were able to create a similar PMMA-based material and labeled them with different trade names.  Lucite was originally used back then in the manufacture of materials needed for the war back in the 1940s.  Later on, acrylic glass was widely used in the making of various fashion accessories including bags and jewelry.  In fact, these fashion items have become so popular currently that they are very valuable and in demand.  Lucite items from the past are commonly labeled as vintage pieces.  Jewelry pieces and handbags created from the 1940s up to the 1980s are highly sought after currently.

Aside from its use in the fashion industry, though, lucite is also widely used in making customized designs and materials.  Acrylic glass is the preferred material of choice by some who are in the business of making replicas, trophies, and corporate or team mascots, for example.  With its combined transparency and durability, lucite is still used for a variety of reasons today.

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