Words of the Week
What is Jet Jewelry?
Jet
Jet is fossilized coal, or black lignite, and is also known as agate. It is hard and light weight and is a lustrous black color. It was used in mourning jewelry during the Victorian period. Much of it exhibits a woody structure. The color is pitch black - very intense. Black glass and plastics are often made to look like jet. True jet is warm to the touch.
Jet can also be polished to a brilliant shine. It becomes electrically charged when it is polished with a cloth. It is flammable and gives off an odor like that of burning coal. Costume jewelry is sometimes made of black glass to resemble jet, but true jet tends to feel warm to the touch.
Jet jewelry has been made and worn for centuries, but it was not, until Queen Victoria mourned Albert and wore jet jewelry with her black attire, that it gained real popularity. After this, it was considered widely -- especially in Great Britain -- to be the appropriate jewelry to wear at funerals.
Example of Jet Jewelry:
Photo Credit Morning Glory Antiques |
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