How Lucite Changed Everything

Before skyscrapers were sculpted in crystal, before tiny airplanes floated in resin—there was just the block.

Clear. Solid. Polished on all sides.

Lucite, also known as PMMA, was developed during World War II for aircraft windows and canopies. It was light, strong, shatter-resistant, and optically pure. But after the war, it entered the civilian world—not just in manufacturing, but in craft.

Hobbyists, collectors, and tinkerers began using Lucite to encase coins, dried flowers, and keepsakes. And eventually, someone in finance saw its potential.

In the late 1960s, bankers and law firms began embedding printed tombstone ads inside Lucite slabs. The result was something permanent, personal, and surprisingly elegant.

It wasn’t flashy. But it was different. And it felt important.

Lucite turned out to be the perfect material for deal toys—not just because of how it looked, but because of what it could hold: paper, metal, symbols, and memories.

At Polaris, we’ve worked with Lucite in all its forms: blocks, embeds, shapes, castings. We know its capabilities—and its limits. And we use that knowledge to craft pieces that do more than commemorate. They elevate.