Necklace
ca. 1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Jet is the fossilised remains of driftwood. In Britain, the main source is Whitby, in Yorkshire. It became particularly popular in mourning jewellery in the mid 19th century. The first industrial jet workshops in Whitby, using lathes to carve the jet, were set up in 1808. By 1872, the industry employed up to 1500 men, women and children.
The custom of wearing mourning dress was encouraged by Queen Victoria’s prolonged mourning after the death of her husband Albert in 1861. Formal mourning required black crepe or bombazine clothes along with ‘a few trinkets to accentuate the general sombreness of the costume’. Jet jewellery could be highly fashionable and followed the styles of the day. As jet is light, substantial pieces of jewellery could be worn without discomfort. Its hard, dense nature made it easy to carve and it could be left matt or polished to a high shine.
The custom of wearing mourning dress was encouraged by Queen Victoria’s prolonged mourning after the death of her husband Albert in 1861. Formal mourning required black crepe or bombazine clothes along with ‘a few trinkets to accentuate the general sombreness of the costume’. Jet jewellery could be highly fashionable and followed the styles of the day. As jet is light, substantial pieces of jewellery could be worn without discomfort. Its hard, dense nature made it easy to carve and it could be left matt or polished to a high shine.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Carved jet |
| Brief description | Carved jet necklace with pendant. England, about 1875. |
| Physical description | Jet necklace with pendant. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs C. Ball |
| Historical context | The increasing rigidity of mourning conventions during the reign of Queen Victoria gave great encouragement to the manufacture of black jewellery. Expensive work in black-enamelled gold was made by hand. Jet was much in demand, and the workshops in Whitby, Yorkshire, near the main source of the material, produced articles which often comprised hand-carved details applied to mass-produced bodies turned on lathes. Mass production methods, and the use of substitute materials, brought mourning jewellery within reach of all but the poorest. Although pieces were often made from cast black glass, or 'French jet', mounted on metal, or from vulcanite, this piece is of jet. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Jet is the fossilised remains of driftwood. In Britain, the main source is Whitby, in Yorkshire. It became particularly popular in mourning jewellery in the mid 19th century. The first industrial jet workshops in Whitby, using lathes to carve the jet, were set up in 1808. By 1872, the industry employed up to 1500 men, women and children. The custom of wearing mourning dress was encouraged by Queen Victoria’s prolonged mourning after the death of her husband Albert in 1861. Formal mourning required black crepe or bombazine clothes along with ‘a few trinkets to accentuate the general sombreness of the costume’. Jet jewellery could be highly fashionable and followed the styles of the day. As jet is light, substantial pieces of jewellery could be worn without discomfort. Its hard, dense nature made it easy to carve and it could be left matt or polished to a high shine. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.62&part-1974 |
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| Record created | January 19, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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