Whitby

In Whitby, there is a traditional craft of jewelry and decorative arts based on the locally occurring jet, Whitby Jet. The black fossil is found around the cliffs of Whitby and has been used since the Bronze Age to make beads and other ornaments. The Romans extensively mined jet. Whitby jet was at the height of its popularity in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria chose it for her mourning jewelry. Jet (lignite) is an organic amorphous mineral. It is a mineraloid but not a mineral. Jet is black or dark brown in color and sometimes contains pyrite inclusions, giving it a coppery color or metallic luster. Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, his widow Queen Victoria wore mourning black. By wearing jewelry made from Whitby jet with her mourning attire, she made this semi-precious stone popular among the upper classes in the 19th century.

Dromos