You don’t have to be rich to join the jet set

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 12

You don’t have to be rich to join the jet set

The twentieth century is not the first to have its “jet set” The Victorians had them too.

Though in no way related to the violent expulsions of air which enable aeroplanes to hurtle us around the world at everincreasing speeds, a fine set of sparkling jet jewellery would certainly have been no hindrance to a lady attempting to fly a little higher in Victorian society. A mineralised vegetable product related to ligniteand anthricite, jet is really a type of coal believed to be the fossilised wood of an ancient tree which flourished about 180 million years ago. It was similar to today’s Monkey Puzzle. How people find out all these things remains a mystery to my unscientific mind, but I am glad they do. It is exciting to hold in one’s hand a glowing, black necklace or bracelet and reflect that many millions of years ago it was part of a tree just like the old Monkey Puzzle growing a few hundred yards along the street today.

Another cause for wonder is that thousands of years ago human beings recognised certain properties in various substances, and made the same use of them as we do today.

Jet necklaces and amulets shaped as animals have been recovered from archaeological sites in Europe and found to date from 10,000 B.C. In Yorkshire, jet jewellery is unearthed from Bronze age barrows, and as far north as Scotland exquisitely shaped jet necklaces of a most sophisticated style have been retrieved by archaeologists.

The Romans were not slow to appreciate the possibilities of the plentiful supply of jet. During their period of colonisation they produced, used, and exported rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and dagger handles as well as some more frivolous items such as dice and hairpins. Examples of these - things may be seen in

various European museums, but not even the most rigorous search will reveal any such treasure in Christchurch. A determined collector, though, would probably locate some good Victorian pieces. The Roman industry had been centred at York, where a complete factory containing tools, halfmade pieces, and completed jewellery was discovered during excavations for a new railway station.

The raw material had come from Whitby, better known in New Zealand as the place where Captain James Cook served his apprenticeship and where his ships Endeavour and Resolution were built. It was in this town that jet continued to be worked, somewhat haphazardly, by individual craftsmen. Suddenly, last century everything changed and the jet industry, scarcely recognised since the departure of the Romans, revived, as if by a miracle, almost overnight. Railways had begun to bring loads of holidaymakers to the seaside. They were keen to take

home souvenirs. What could be better than Whitby jet, usually in the form of jewellery and sometimes, especially if their trip had included a visit to the Abbey, a cross or other religious memento, or a slab of jet inscribed “Souvenir of Whitby Abbey.” Jet displays at the Great Exhibition of 1851 attracted much attention, including orders from foreign royalty. By 1872 the industry had grown from two shops employing

25 people in 1832 to 200 employing 1500 men, women, and children.

Supplies of local material could not be obtained quickly enough so jet was imported, and man-made materials such as vulcanite, Bakelite, and black glass were used to make acceptable imitations.

The sadness of the citizens of Whitby at the untimely death of the Royal Consort, Prince Albert, in 1861 was somewhat tempered by the increasing prosperity which the long period of mourning decreed by the Queen brought to the town. Only jet jewellery was

permitted at Court. The whole nation seemed to follow the Queen’s decree, entering into a black period which lasted for 26 years.

Since this period coincided with a time of high infant mortality many women were wearing black for most of their lives. The demand for mourning jewellery for those who needed it, and something black but bright for those who were merely obeying the Royal decree, created an unprecedented demand for jewellery in jet and in other imitative materials.

Women accustomed to a certain elegance were determined to defeat the dowdiness of mourning. Their jet jewels sparkled like black diamonds, and their clothing too was often decorated with jet spangles. One of the first gems ever discovered had come into its own. But all good things must end. After so many years of unvaried jet adornment, the Queen’s decision to cdme out of mourning for her Golden Jubilee in 1887 was greeted with relief.

Fashidnable ladies discarded their long cherished jet jewellery along with their crinolines, and happily launched themselves into the Naughty Nineties.

Enjoyably naughty as these years were for

‘Skilled craftsmen are once again producing jewellery in Whitby from the local jet, sometimes in combination with other materials.’

many, for Whitby they were disastrous. Within 10 years the number employed had dropped to around 300, and by 1936 only five craftsmen remained. The last died in 1958. Happily, times have changed again. Skilled craftsmen are once again producing jewellery in Whitby from the local jet, sometimes in combination with other materials. Many amateurs also gain great satisfaction in helping to meet a rapidly increasing demand for jet jewellery in the modem style. Here too there is a rapidly increasing interest in Victorian jet. Good pieces are snapped up as soon as they appear, usually by young people anxious to wear them. I noticed only last week that the outfit of one of our most glamorous television personalities was enhanced by a choker necklace of faceted jet beads. If you are interested in jet it will pay to keep a constant watch, and act quickly.

Collecting with Myrtle Duff