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Victorian Jet &Fossil Ammonite Brooch

157F
Written by Olly Gerrish

Whitby Jet is actually fossilised wood which has been compressed over millions of years. It is most frequently found in seams of shale between Robin Hood’s Bay and Boulby in Yorkshire.
In 1851, Whitby Jet was exhibited at the Great Exhibition, London and soon became very sought after. Whitby Jet’s most prolific patron was Queen Victoria. When her beloved Albert died in 1861, Victoria took to wearing Jet jewellery in remembrance of him, and it soon became the etiquette to accessorise the period’s mourning fashion with jewellery made from jet.  So much so, that the only jewellery allowed to be worn in court during the period was Whitby Jet.  Craftsman in Whitby would also take fossils such as ammonites and inlay them into Jet to produce souvenir brooches for sale to the tourists who visited Whitby. This brooch is an excellent example of the craft.

Item Number
157F
Measurements
Diameter 2.6 cm
Materials
Date & Origin
Provenance
English
Condition
Very Good
Discovered
7 years ago
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