What is special about Whitby jet?
What is special about Whitby jet?
Whitby jet is famed for is deep and intense black colour and the lustrous shine that can be achieved by polishing it. It is also very light in weight making it perfect for jewellery. Whitby jet has a hardness of 3.5-4 on the Mohs hardness scale.
How can you tell a real Whitby jet?
How do I check it’s really Whitby Jet?
- Jet is not cool to the touch.
- True jet will either float or sink very slowly, in water.
- Jet does not fade over time.
- Gently rub an inconspicuous part of the object across some unglazed pottery or stone; true jet produces a brown/black streak.
Does Whitby jet crack?
True Whitby jet will never fade or crack over time and will leave a brown mark when rubbed on unglazed porcelain. It’s also warmer to the touch than the common black glass imitation.
Is Whitby jet shiny?
This fossilized black material was quite soft to work with, could be intricately carved, and was polished to a shiny finish. Antique Whitby jet jewellery is highly prized and desired. It is black in colour, and occasionally prone to cracking and chipping with age.
Is Whitby jet rare?
Rarer than diamonds. As a natural and organic resource, Whitby Jet is of a finite quantity, generally limited to one small stretch of North Yorkshire coastline – see Where Can Whitby Jet be Found.
Can you find Whitby jet on the beach?
Although Jet can be found worldwide, the finest quality Jet is found in seams of shale along the Whitby coastline. It can be found in the exposed cliffs along the coast and also on the beaches and in amongst the foreshore rocks.
Is Whitby Jet rare?
Does Whitby Jet burn?
The definitive test is to use a red hot needle on some inconspicuous part of the item when a coal-burning smell will ensue. However be very careful not to destroy or damage the item, remember Jet will burn.
Does Whitby jet burn?
Is Whitby jet fragile?
Soft jet is liable to crack or break after a period of time or when exposed to the sun. Whitby Jet has a hardness of 2.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale of hardness making it an easy material to carve or cut.
Is jet only found in Whitby?
Roman use. Whitby jet was a popular material for jewellery in Roman Britain from the 3rd century onward. There is no evidence for Roman jet working in Whitby itself, rather it was transferred to Eboracum (modern York) where considerable evidence for jet production has been found.
How can you tell Whitby jet from coal?
Jet will leave a light brown streak whereas coal’s mark is black when rubbed on a ceramic tile for example. The Touch Test – to put it simply Jet is warm to touch while coal is cold. Therefore, when holding the piece of Whitby Jet it will be surprisingly warm in your hand.
