17/03/2026
Whitby Jet is one of just a few organic gemstones in the world naturally formed from fossilised wood, like that of the Monkey Puzzle or Araucaria tree. Millions of years ago, this wood became washed up into a body of water and covered by organic sediment. The pressure beneath all this matter over so many years eventually compacted the wood and transformed it into what we know as Whitby Jet today. Jet stone has been found all over the world including Spain, Germany, the USA and China but it is widely agreed that the finest of its kind is found in Whitby.
It is believed that the first deposits of Jet stone were discovered in Whitby since examples of Jet jewellery have been dated back to the Neolithic man and the Romans who transported the gemstone from Whitby to York to use it to carve out sculptures.
It was in the mid 1800’s that the popularity of Whitby Jet really begun to grow. In 1851, the stunning gemstone was displayed at the Great Exhibition in London where it became coveted by a number of high-profile royals including the Queen of Bavaria and the Empress of France. Then in 1861, when Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert passed away, the monarch took to wearing the stone as jewellery in remembrance of him. She even disallowed any other jewellery to be worn in court during this time.
With such an illustrious background, its clear to see why this jewellery continues to hold such fascination for collectors.
