Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-15
ANCIENT JET JEWELRY
OUR ANCESTORS TREASURED THE
BLACK STONE.
Long . Popular Material for Rosaries,
Crosses and other Eccle-
siastcd Devices.

From the New York Evening Post.
Our great-great grandfathers were as
proud of their Whitby Jet jewelry as the
American duchesses are today Of their
husbands family diamonds Fifteen hum
dred years ago Whitby jet was fashioned
into crucifixes, rosaries, crosses and other
ecclesiastical devices for the monks and
nuns under the charge Of the Abbess Hilda
at the Monastery of Streonshalh now
known as the ruins Of Whitby Abbey. The
Lady Hilda was the eldest daughter OF
Oswy. King Of Northumbria as the north
ern part of the middle counties of England
was then called. Her father. in gratitude
for having beaten the pagan King Penda,
on the battlefield Of Winwidfield, founded
the monastery in AID. 65S, and placed
Hilda. then forty-fve years of age, in
charge She was very devout woman.
and the monks and nuns under her were
supplied with beads and crosses made from
local substance known as Jet. AS the
years rolled by, jet became popular on ac-
count OF its beauty, rarity and suscepti-
bility to a very high polish.
Grtndstone and Lathe.
1t was worked by clever artisans over
grindstone and lathe, and then turned over
to expert carvers. who fashioned 1t into the
most elaborate brooches, necklaces, ear
rings. pendants, bracelets. pins, etc. Some
times 1t was set In gold and sometimes sur
rounded by diamonds and other precious
stones, so that brooch would retail for
hundreds OF pounds sterling. Paper knives,
articles followed. and at length it became
popular to wear Jet for mourning. At the
first glance, jet looks like polished black
glass. but the merest novice can detect its
peculiar beauties upon closer examina-
ton. It SO happens that Jet has never been
found anywhere in England except in the
precipitous cliffs overlooking the sea, on
which the quaint old seaport Of Whitby
STANDS. The chief industry of Whitby for
hundreds Of years was the manufacture of
Jet. and then some seven hundred years ago
part of the inhabitants took to fishing and
whaling, and the picturesque old seaport
community.
Victoria Liked Jet.
The late Queen Victoria was a great ad-
mirer Of Jet, and during her reign Whitby
dourished from the industry as never be-
fore. Muff chains lockets, penholders,
cigarette holders. book marks. shirt studs.
cuff links. hat pins, spangles and bangles,
flowers and medallions, were produced in
great quantities and shipped all over Eu-
rope. and especially over the British en-
pire When any person of any Importance
died in any part Of Europe the Whitby
merchants would Immediately send a box
Of Jet mourning by express to the bereaved
family. Such jewelry as was kept was
paid for by check and the rest Of the stock
returned.
OF late years a cheap substitute has been
discovered in Spain, and much of this Is
now used by the Whitby manufacturers,
who find the real article scarce and very
dear. From skeletons found in the tuma1i
of the district 1t Is known that hundreds Of
years ago 1t was customary to bury the
dead with Jet ornaments.
"Black Amber"
In his Mirror of Stones Camillus Leon
ardus calls Jet black amber and states
that 1t possesses the peculiar property of
attracting to 1t, when rubbed, light sub
stances Of all kinds. He also tells US that
the thin smoke produced by this friction
Of rubbing was used by the ancient Britains
for driving away devils and dissolving
spells. 81
Jet" says Dr. Young, appears to be
wood in a high state of bituminiza tion."
And certainly Jet often appears with traces
Of ligneous structure; at the same time
there are specimens of bones which SEEM
ingly have been gradually impregnated
with, and at last wholly replaced by. this
substance. Among the jetrock there is
found a liquid hydrocarbon, somewhat re-
sembling petroleum Oil. which occurs in
the cavities of ammonites, etc., and Is also
sometimes found In nodules the presence
Of which is generally supposed to point to
a rich vein Of Jet.
From these and other observations it
would appear that jet existed as a liquid
ally permeated between the Nominations Of
| the shales etc. covering over or In some
cases entirely replacing any woody matter
which 1t met with.