Jet
About Jet
A black gem formed from fossilized wood compressed into a dense type of lignite. The most famous source is the coast around Whitby in Yorkshire, where the wood dates to the Jurassic period. It has been carved into beads and amulets since the Bronze Age. It became highly fashionable after Queen Victoria wore it while mourning Prince Albert, who died in 1861. Jet feels warm to the touch and can build a static charge when rubbed. It is light and easily carved.
Related Gemstones
Pearl
The only gem created by a living creature. An oyster secretes nacre around an irritant at ...
Amber
Tree resin fossilized over millions of years - Baltic amber is 30-50 million years old. It...
Coral
Made by tiny marine polyps that build colonies over decades. Precious coral (Corallium rub...
Ammonite (Ammolite)
Made from the fossilized shells of ammonites - extinct cephalopods that lived 70+ million ...