With strong contrasting colors and a mix of metal and plastic materials, this necklace is an impressive example of Art Deco design. The graphic Cubist pendant is attached to an equally geometric chain. The French house of Auguste Bonaz was known for pioneering the use of synthetic materials. Auguste’s father had manufactured hair combs and related accessories, and his son began working with Galalith, a plastic derived from the milk protein casein. After Auguste’s untimely death in 1922, the business was made famous by his wife, who expanded the firm’s wares to include jewelry that she exhibited at the 1925 Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The jewelry created under her direction strongly connects to the period’s Art Deco movement and the more costly jewelry being designed by members of the avant-garde Union des Artistes Modernes (UAD), founded in 1929.