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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". 14 August 2018.
- ^ Craughwell, Thomas J. (December 12, 2011). Busted: Mugshots and Arrest Records of the Famous and Infamous. Running Press. ISBN 9781603762694 – via Google Books.