The Jet Industry

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DEMPSEY & FARGIS

603, Broadway, New York



Dempsey & Fargis - New York - 1909

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D. LISNER & Co.

140, Fifth Avenue, New York



D. Lisner & Co. - New York - 1909

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LEWY & COHEN

530, Broadway, New York



Lewy & Cohen - New York - 1909

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B.T. BURLTON

59, Cheapside, London



B.T. Burlton - London - 1872

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ANTHONY BROTHERS

24, Adelaide Street West, Toronto



Anthony Brothers - Toronto - 1920

The business of Ivon T. Anthony and Fred. B. Anthony.

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WILLIAM KNAGGS

119b, George Street, Edinburgh - 319, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow - 8, Skinner Street and Church Street, Whitby



William Knaggs - Edinburgh and Whitby - 1872


William Knaggs - Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Whitby - 1872

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G. & J. SPEEDY

9, Cliff Street and Flowergate, Whitby, and 5, Parliament Street, Low Harrogate, and 179, Lord Street, Southport



G. & J. Speedy - Whitby - 1870


Whitby Jet.—A set of very elegant jet ornaments has recently been presented to the Maharanee Bamba, whoso marriage with the Maharajah Duleep Singh excited so much attention long since, from the romantic and interesting circumstances which led to the union. The gift is a present from the inhabitants of Whitby, to testify their high appreciation "not only of the Maharajah's private character, but of the great benefits received by the town during the residence of his highness at Mulgrave Castle, and the lasting advantage conferred upon the town and district by his spontaneous liberality in the formation of a new road to the North, which secures accommodation and pleasure to the public," &c. The ornaments are of the scallop shell pattern, beautifully executed and richly set in gold by Messrs. G. and J. Speedy, of Whitby.

Source: The Art Journal - 1864

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GREENBURY & WAKEFIELD

St. Hilda's Hall, Baxtergate, Whitby, and The Pantheon, Harrogate



Greenbury & Wakefield - Whitby - 1870


Greenbury & Wakefield - Whitby - 1873

The business of Isaac Greenbury and Robert Wakefield.

Established in 1835.


The highest price ever given for a single piece of jet is said to have been 21l. This piece, which was obtained at Staithes, about 1866, was 2 inches in the thickest part, 7 inches broad, and 6 feet long. It weighed 21 Ibs., and belonged to Messrs. Greenbury and Wakefield.

Source: The Jurassic Rocks of Britain - C. Fox-Strangways, F.G.S. - 1892

The business was later continued by Robert Wakefield. See: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=38870&p=153233&hilit=Wakefield#p153233

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ROBERT WAKEFIELD

St. Hilda's Hall, Baxtergate, Whitby



Robert Wakefield - Whitby - 1879

This would be the continuation of the business of Greenbury & Wakefield. See: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=38870&p=153107&hilit=greenbury#p153107

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SILBER & FLEMING

London

Examples of Jet jewellery supplied by Silber & Flemng:



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S. LICHTENSTEIN

34, Saint Paul's Square, Birmingham



S. Lichtenstein - Birmingham - 1858

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THE WHITBY JET WORKS - WILLIAM WRIGHT

Marine Parade, Whitby and 61, Union Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight



The Whitby Jet Works - Whitby - 1878

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KENT BROTHERS

168, Yonge Street, Toronto



Kent Bros. - Toronto - c.1885

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VULCANITE JEWELRY Co.

191, Broadway, New York



Vulcanite Jewelry Co. - New York - 1875

'Byron's Patent, May 18, 1869'

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Pronounced Demand for Jet

The demand for jet, which is now so apparent in Paris, has already had its effect in this country, and considerable jet jewelry is being sold. In Paris jet has taken on a particular importance. The number of people there in mourning and the general desire to wear only very sober jewels is the cause of this vogue. They sometimes attract people who are not absolutely compelled to choose black. Around the neck they put narrow ribbons of black velvet, or better still, insertions of Chantilly with a jet clasp and a jet plaque worked and perforated.

In hair ornaments jet is pre-eminent. In many of the new pins for the hair the shaped part is covered with tiny dull beads and the border of polished cut jet. In back combs and ornaments such as tiaras, etc., the designs are usually extremely light. Some of them have light, fine antennas in imitation of an ostrich feather or a hair ribbon, but they often attain the importance of real diamonds.

Jet pendants are similar to the jewel pendants ornamented with real or artificial stones, many being close copies of those most popular. Sometimes small fine paste stones brighten them up, in black and white effect. For certain highly priced pieces onyx is employed. In this class are crosses of onyx ornamented with fine beads. The question of mourning jewels has put the amethyst also in favor.

Rhinestone hair ornaments are beautiful, shown with the evening gowns. Most of these are in crescent moon effects, both in rhinestones and colored stones. Others show rhinestone tracery in high ornamental combs of tortoise shell; and very often just the large carved tortoise shell comb supports the puff of hair in back.

Source: Notions and Fancy Goods - February 1917

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W. SAWDON

17, Bridge Street, Whitby



W. Sawdon - Whitby - 1893

Established in 1840.

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CHAMPENOIS & Co.

44, Hill Street, Newark, New Jersey and 1, Maiden Lane, New York



Champenois & Co. - Newark, N.J. - 1879

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BOOM IN JET TRADE

Jet ornaments and brooches are having an extraordinary revival just now.

"The sale of jewellery made of jet is three times larger than it was last year," said a Regent-street jeweller to a press representative yesterday. "Jet hat-pins, earrings, and bracelets are largely worn just now. They are very cheap, brooches and bracelets costing only 2s. 6d. or 3s. 6d. each.

"The revival of the jet trade will mean increased prosperity for Whitby, where most of the jet is obtained."

Source: Evening Express and Evening Mail - 5th November 1907

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MESSRS. SPEEDY

7, Flowergate, Whitby, and 5, Parliament Street, Harrogate, and 179, Lord Street, Southport



Messrs. Speedy - Harrogate - c.1870

See: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=38870&p=151227&hilit=speedy#p151227

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The Use of Jet in Jewelry

United States Bureau of Mines Reports Increase in Demand for Jet, Following World War, at Discovery of Mine in Utah

WASHINGTON, D. C., March 21.—Results of the tremendous mortality of the World War are reflected in an increased demand for the mineral jet, which is used to a considerable extent in mourning jewelry, according to the Bureau of Mines, which has completed a study of the subject. The bureau reports the occurrence of a deposit of jet in Wayne County, Utah, of sufficient size to meet any demand for the material likely to arise. Despite recent activity in the production of this material, the jet industry has declined to only a fraction of its former importance. One of the principal causes of the disuse of jet in recent years has been the substitution of the more durable black onyx. This stone, possessing a superior hardness, wears better than jet, and retains its polish for an indefinite period. This onyx is artificially colored black by allowing chalcedony, which is somewhat porous, to absorb a solution of an organic substance like sugar, which is then carbonized by immersion in sulphuric acid. This treatment produces a jet black color in the stone. Owing to the cheapness with which this black onyx can be produced, and also its superior hardness, it is doubtful whether the jet industry will revive or that it will be profitable to develop the deposits in the United States.

Jet is a substance of organic origin and has been defined as a dense black lignite. Jet is characterized by the lustrous, intense black surface it displays when polished. It is due to this property that the expression “jet black” is so commonly used to imply intense blackness.

Jet possesses fair dielectric strength and is a poor conductor of heat. When rubbed, it acquires a static charge and draws particles toward it; from this property it has probably acquired the name “black amber.” It ignites readily and burns with a brilliant smoky flame, which gives off a strong bituminous odor.

Jet has been used for ornamental purposes since prehistoric times, according to Pliny. The name itself is derived from a river or town in Lycia called Gagas, hence the term “gagates,” which has been gradually shortened to jet. Buttons, rings, amulets, and other ornaments have been found in barrows of the Bronze Age in England. The abundance of jet in Britain has been referred to by Roman writers in the third century, and many ornaments of jet have been found associated with Roman relics.

Whitby, in Yorkshire, has long been famous as the source of much of the world’s finest jet. A large industry in mining and manufacturing has been developed there, which was of considerable importance until the gradual exhaustion of the deposits, and the substitution of jet from foreign sources caused a steady decline in the industry. The industry at Whitby Abbey was first mentioned in 1350. Little more is known until 1808, when the first workshop was established. In 1873, 200 workshops employing about 1,500 persons were in operation. The production for that was valued at £90,000. Since that date there has been a gradual decline, until at present the Whitby industry is small, irregular, and comparatively unimportant.

It is believed that jet has been formed by the metamorphosis of wood. Examination of jet with the microscope discloses woody structure, and the general structure of coniferous wood. From the manner in which jet occurs in the Yorkshire deposits, it seems probable that these conifers did not grow on the spot, but drifted out to sea, where they became waterlogged and sank to the bottom. They then became gradually buried in the slowly depositing mud, where, in the presence of salt water, and under increasing pressures as deposition continued, the woody structure was compressed and metamorphosed until jet resulted. The muds were converted into shales, which were subsequently elevated to their present position.

Other foreign deposits of jet have been developed in the province of Asturias, Spain, which at present supply much of the small demands of the Whitby jet carvers. Jet has also been produced in the province of Aude, France, and Wurtemburg, Germany.

In the United States, jet has been found in a number of localities, but it has never been systematically mined or marketed. The small amount occasionally produced has been sold as mineralogical specimens, and very little has been used for ornamental purposes. Jet of excellent quality has been found in many places in Colorado, associated with coal-bearing rocks, particularly in El Paso County. The interesting and apparently large deposit reported in Wayne County, Utah, is in the form of flattened-out trees, whose entire structure, including roots and bark, has been metamorphosed to jet. From their occurrence in the stratum it is apparent that at one time they were covered with several thousand feet of overburden, which produced an enormous pressure sufficient to close the pores of the wood and greatly reduce its volume. The accompanying heat was sufficient to metamorphose the woody structure to jet. Sufficient of the original structure has been retained to permit the identification of three kinds of trees. The jet occurs promiscuously throughout a stratum which has, been exposed about 14,000 feet. Conditions for mining this material are said to be favorable in case any demand for jet arises which would make the exploitation of these deposits possible.

The value of the world’s yearly production of jet is estimated at $20,000. After being carved and polished, the cost to the ultimate consumer is several times this figure. Practically all the production is from Spain, England, France and Germany. The value of jet produced in this country in 1921 was $460. The average selling price of rough jet in the Whitby district in England is approximately five shillings ($1.25) per pound.

Details of the investigations of the Bureau of Mines are given in Serial 2452, “Jet,” by W. M. Myers, assistant mineral technologist.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 28th March 1923

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