Characteristics of Whitby Jet

Characteristics of Whitby Jet

Photograph taken by Sam Ellis 25/07/2016

The above photograph shows the collection of Whitby Jet I collected from the beach at Robin Hoods Bay, North East Yorkshire; it shows the varying sizes and shapes that can be found and used to create the jewellery.

The colour is unique, with its blackness being so intense, which gives it the feeling of high quality. It is smooth and light weight which makes it ideal to be worn in comfort as jewellery. It can be polished to a high intensity, even to be used as mirror.

The difficulty with Whitby Jet is that it breaks very easily. It is relatively easy to manipulate but can easily shatter. The identification of the jet on the beach can be difficult, as the piece found quite often is found to be coal. The test to confirm the jet is genuine is by rubbing it against a piece of stone and if genuine will leave a chocolate brown streak.

Jet was extremely popular in the Victorian era and loved by Queen Victoria. Today it suits an older audience and is seen as a niche market product. I do find this interesting and challenging, as I intend to create simple, modern designs which would aim more at the 25+ market.