Prison ring

A prison ring is a type of plastic jewelry fashioned by hand in prisons, by working scrap plastic material, commonly celluloid items such as a toothbrush or a pen.^[1]^[2] Celluloid was historically a popular material since it could be heat bonded and glues were often less available.^[3] A common feature of prison rings were small photos mounted on the bezel.^[3]

The rings were produced as early as the 1920s. Rainey Bethea, the last person to be publicly executed in the United States, was caught after a 1936 rape and murder because he left a distinctive prison ring at the murder scene.^[4]^[5]

References[]

^ "More Celluloid Jewelry - Laminated Bob Dodd Rings". December 7, 2012.
^ Leigh Leshner (28 February 2011). Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide. Krause Publications. pp. 9–. ISBN 978-1-4402-2751-6. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
^ ^a ^b Grasso, Tony (1996). Bakelite Jewellery A Collector's guide. The Apple Press. pp. 94–98. ISBN 1850766134.
^ "August 14: On This Day in History … briefly".
^ Craughwell, Thomas J. (December 12, 2011). Busted: Mugshots and Arrest Records of the Famous and Infamous. Running Press. ISBN 9781603762694 – via Google Books.

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[1] "More Celluloid Jewelry - Laminated Bob Dodd Rings". December 7, 2012.

[Leshner2011-2] Leigh Leshner (28 February 2011). Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide. Krause Publications. pp. 9–. ISBN 978-1-4402-2751-6. Retrieved 26 August 2012.

[Grasso-3] Grasso, Tony (1996). Bakelite Jewellery A Collector's guide. The Apple Press. pp. 94–98. ISBN 1850766134.

[4] "August 14: On This Day in History … briefly".

[5] Craughwell, Thomas J. (December 12, 2011). Busted: Mugshots and Arrest Records of the Famous and Infamous. Running Press. ISBN 9781603762694 – via Google Books.

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