Whitby Jet on Valentine’s Day. Perfect.

Queen Victoria started to wear black, including jet jewellery, when her beloved Albert died in 1861.

Convention at the time dictated a widow wear black for at least a year, or until she felt that she had mourned for a long enough period. Victoria continued to mourn for 40 years, until her death in 1901. During this time, the colour black became extremely fashionable – not just to convey mourning – but as a statement. For thousands of years, jet had been hand-fashioned into jewels, talismans and trinkets for thousands of years. Its popularity, however, soared under the reign of Queen Victoria. Thanks to her, genuine Whitby jet jewellery became highly desirable.

Jet is found in many parts of the world.

It varies in quality of course, but that which is found in and around Whitby in North Yorkshire has long since been considered the finest that exists. So, what is jet? If someone tells you it’s brown coal, they’re not fibbing!

Jet is formed from the fossilised wood of a very specific tree.

It is closest in nature to today’s Monkey Puzzle tree or “Araucaria”. These particular trees were common in the Jurassic period, some 180 million years ago. When they died, they’d often fall into a swamp, or river, or perhaps end up in the sea. The trees would usually disintegrate and the pieces would lie on the bottom for millions of years. Pressure was exerted from debris and decaying organisms, eventually causing the wood to flatten and with chemical changes, become the jet we know today.

Jet varies in quality.

It is also often mimicked by nature (sea coal and bog oak) or by human hand (glass or Vulcanite for example). So, how can you tell if you’ve found genuine Whitby jet whilst beachcoming? Because jet is fossilised wood it’s fairly easy to tell if it’s real. It will mark a brown streak when rubbed on sandpaper or an unglazed tile. The best quality leaves a pale brown mark like cinnamon and this is the type that is prized by jewellery makers. Jet is still “real” if it leaves a dark brown mark but this is less suitable for carving. The dark brown jet will often crack or break at a later date.

Jet pieces can be found on the beaches around Whitby, especially after a storm, although some people still mine for it in the cliffs. This can be potentially dangerous and is less common today. Whitby jet was so much in demand in the Victorian era that miners lost their lives retrieving it by blasting or due to cliffs collapsing. The last working jet mine, near Guisborough, closed in 1920.

So why is Whitby jet considered the best in the world?

Well, it’s rare, so that makes it desirable, and is especially hard and light. This means it can be polished to a very glossy, mirror shine. Jet from Spain, or China, or the USA, will never polish up in this same way.

Lustrous, shiny “jet black” jet truly does only originate on the Jurassic Coast around Whitby.

Despite jet falling out of favour towards the end of Queen Victoria’s life, it has become highly prized once again. These days Whitby has a large number of shops selling genuine Whitby jet jewellery and carvings. If you visit the town, it’s well worth viewing the world-class Whitby jet collection in the museum in Pannett Park. You can read about their collection HERE.

Although I still have many pieces to add to the online shop you can view my Whitby jet offerings for sale right HERE.