Faturan

And so "Faturan", named after its original inventor, became a brand of cast thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, similar to Bakelite and Catalin, manufactured by Traun & Son of Hamburg.,[1][2] developed in the early 20th century, and produced until the 1940s.

"Faturan" became the protected brand name of one particular German company who mass-produced synthetic resin in rod form for making beads.

The bead carvers, mainly in Turkey, were swift to understand that Bakelite was a material that could be well carved, had a great appearance, and could replace amber.

Each master also had his secret "recipe", even heating in various liquids and oils, and making it undergo various physical or chemical processes to obtain the most beautiful product.

The last genuine Faturan beads were made in the 1940s, and production ended mainly due to the Second World War, when the supply of raw material became very scarce.

Genuine pre-war Faturan, with beads still intact, in complete strands, and made from one single type of material, are considered museum items and fetch extremely high prices by both institutional and individual auction bidders.