What is Whitby Jet
Jet
is a type of lignite, a precursor to coal, and considered to be a minor
gemstone. Jet is not a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic
origin, derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_(lignite))
It
is the unlikiest gemstone as it is really fossilised wood. It can be found in
many countries such as China and the USA, but the finest quality is found in
the north east coast of Yorkshire.
It
is found in seams of shale in the cliff face or washed up on the beach. The
pieces I found are small but it is still possible to create pieces of
jewellery. The picture above shows a piece of jet found x150 years ago by the
jewelleres “W.Hamond”, which is still making and selling Whitby Jet jewellery
today. Another interesting fact to add to the theme of my project of hertiage
and reinvention. Obviously today you would be extremely lucky to find pieces
this large. It is suggested the piece of jet in the picture would have taken
180 million years to make, and is a staggering 21ft in length. (http://whamond.com/pages/what-is-whitby-jet).
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