Jet

Phenomenal & Rare Gems

Jet is a lightweight, carbon-rich organic mineraloid formed from ancient wood preserved as a hydrocarbon-rich material rather than replaced by minerals. It is black or dark brown, relatively soft, and capable of taking a mirror-like polish.

Identity

Material or variety: Organic mineraloid
Scientific or material identity: Jet (organic-rich lignite)
Classification: Organic gem material
Composition or formula: Carbon-rich organic material
Crystal system or structure: Non-crystalline (amorphous)
Geological or manufacturing origin: Preserved or mineral-replaced through fossilization.
Mohs hardness: 2.5 to 4
Specific gravity: 1.30 to 1.34

Origins

France · Germany · Portugal · Spain · Turkey · UK

Appearance & optical properties

deep black compact fossil wood with a soft resinous luster.

History & discovery

The name ultimately refers to the ancient town of Gagae in Asia Minor. Jet has been worked as a gem for at least 5,500 years. Whitby became a major center of the craft in the nineteenth century, when black jet jewelry became closely associated with Victorian mourning dress.

Uses & care

Common uses: Jet is carved and polished into beads, cameos, brooches, necklaces, small sculptures, ornaments, and other decorative objects.
Handling and cleaning: Wash gently with warm water and mild detergent, using a moistened cotton swab for surface dirt. Dry it fully and store it separately, because this soft material scratches easily.

Jewellery

7 pieces of Jet jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.

Whitby Mourning Brooch
Brooch
A deep black jet brooch carved with a weeping willow, in the style Queen Victoria made fashionable after her husband died.
Jet Bead Necklace
Necklace
Strands of polished jet beads were worn in mourning, their black light and warm to the touch.
Memento Mori Jet Ring
Ring
A jet ring carved with a skull and crossbones warns the wearer to remember that all must die.
Venus Figurines of Petersfels
Jewel
Tiny female figures carved from jet in the Magdalenian era, 15,000 to 11,500 years ago, and found in the Petersfels caves near Engen in Germany. The tallest, the Venus of Engen, stands only about 4 centimetres high.
Migdale Hoard
Jewel
Early Bronze Age jewellery found in 1900 by workmen blasting granite near Bonar Bridge in Scotland, now in the National Museum of Scotland. Its carved jet and cannel coal buttons may once have fastened a Bronze Age jacket, beside bronze bangles and anklets.
Widow's Veil Necklace
Necklace
An imagined Victorian mourning necklace of the 1870s, when Whitby jet was at the height of its fashion. Faceted jet beads lead to a carved jet cameo framed in cut steel, with three jet drops beneath.
Midnight Court Tiara
Tiara
An imagined court tiara for a royal widow, made only of the materials mourning etiquette allowed: jet, pearls and diamonds in black settings. Carved jet stars rise above a band of pearls, each star centred on a diamond.