The most truly ‘Jet Black’ item on the Earth.
How many phrases and descriptive words do we commonly use in conversation without knowing their origin? Have you ever described an item as Jet Black? Did you know that Jet is a gemstone that is as black as any gemstone can be?
Along with Amber and Pearl, Jet is a member of a very exclusive club of gems that are created organically and not formed from minerals. It is not considered a mineral as it is derived from an organic substance - wood!
Decaying wood dating back millions of years held under pressure beneath the Earth’s surface has given us this fascinating, unusual and very brittle gemstone. Add salt water into the creation process and the gemstone takes a slightly harder form, but still only achieves a maximum of 4 on the Mohs scale.
Jet can be found in several locations around the world and one of the best sources for Jet is the small town of Whitby on the East Coast of England. It became a very fashionable gemstone during the reign of Queen Victoria and, because of its sombre colour, formed part of the jewellery she wore with her mourning dress. During the 1920’s, Jet was heavily used in long beaded necklaces upon which the wearer would wear multiple strands.
Just like Diamonds, Jet is made from carbon. Furthermore, with a look similar to that of a Black Diamond with high lustre, combined with its unusual source of origin and its unusual electrical properties (Jet has the ability to generate a small electric charge if rubbed) there has recently been an increasing amount of interest in this curious British gemstone.
