Archive for J
About Jet Jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsAbout Jet
Jet is a black material which was popular during the Victorian era for making jewellery. Jet is a actually a form of coal which has been formed many thousands of years ago from ancient trees.
The most sought after form of jet vintage jewellery is Whitby jet which is made from jet found near Whitby in Yorkshire. Whitby was the countries main center of the jet jewellery industry in the 1800s until about 1875 when jet jewellery became less fashionable.
Whitby jet charm
Jet was popular because its dark black colour made it suitable for mourning jewellery , it could be carved and polished into quite intricate designs and because it is light weight large pieces were not too heavy to wear.
All sorts of pieces of jewellery were made from jet including lockets, necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings, alberts and albertinas,pendants, brooches and beads.
Jet Immitators
There are several jet imitations which are black in colour but not as highly collectible as Whitby jet. These include French jet ( black glass) and bog oak.
There are several ways of distinguishing Whitby jet from its imitations. Personally I do not recommend you try this as you may ruin the jewellery but you can insert a hot needle into the piece – real jet will smell like burning coal. Bog oak , gutta percha and vulcanite are not as shiny as jet also they tend to be slightly brownish in colour where as jet is normally a true black in normal light. French jet will often have minute chips along the facets when you look as it under a jewellers loop. Also french jet is colder to the touch than Whitby jet.
Jet Locket
Care of Jet Jewellery
This applies to jet and not to other materials which have been used to make the jewellery. Where other materials such as metal and necklace cord exist please ensure you dont get these damp.
You can carefully wipe over your jet with a damp cloth perhaps with a little washing up liquid in the water. You should wipe off all traces of the washing up liquid with clean water and then pat dry with a soft cloth. Make sure that your jewellery is dry before storingeach piece separately. Each individual piece can be wrapped in acid free tissue paper to prevent it being chipped in your jewellery box.
Jet beads have often been strung on corn which is now long past its besst. I reccomend that such necklaces and bracelets are re-strung to prevent loss if you intend to wear your jet jewellery.
Buy Jet Jewellery
As jet is frequently imitated it is necessary to buy jet jewellery from a reliable source unless you are very sure you know how to tell the various materials apart. I suggest that you buy from a reputable jeweller in this case or at least a dealer who is prepared to accept returns if you are not happy with your purchase. AntiquesAvenue usually offers one or two pieces of genuine Whitby Jet jewellery however I am finding it increasingly difficult to source and pieces do sell out quickly.
Jade jewellery
Posted by: | CommentsJade is a lovely gemstone which is not as appreciated here in the west as it is in China and other Asian countries.
Jade is a very hard stone and comes in shades of green ranging from emerald green to quite a pale colour. Other colours are occasionally seen including lavender, orange, pink, black, and blue. Many of the colours you see these days are a pale jade enhanced chemically by man. The stone is hard enough to have been used in the past for weapons but most often these days we see it in jewellery.
Jade pendant
There are two forms of Jade, the most sought after jade is called Jadite , this is harder than the other form of Jade which is also known as Nephrite. The most valuable form of Jadite is a bright emerald green often known as Imperial Jade.
Jade can be polished into beads or cabochons or it can be shaped into ornaments and amulets. During the art deco era strings of jade beads were very popular as it matched the colour palate of the time. Look out for vintage jewellery strings of jade beads.
Jade can be imitated by several other materials including glass, plastics, serpentine and chalcedony. Jade is harder than all of these imitations and so with a gemstone testing machine it is quite easy to distinguish real Jade from its imitations.
If you are looking to buy jade jewellery you can find new Nephrite pieces form just a few pounds. If you are looking for antique or vintage imperial jade you will need to pay a hundred pounds or more.
Reverse of Jade pendant
AntiquesAvenue has a selection of Jade jewellery in shades of green and lavender.
Jabot Pin
Posted by: | CommentsThe Jabot Pin, A jabot pin is a special sort of vintage brooch which rarely seen or used these days. The pin is worn at the neck to keep a jabot in place with a jabot being a piece of lace or other material worn by men instead of a tie. The Jabot was worn in the 17th and 18th centuries and is rarely seen today except on ceremonial dress. In the UK you are most likely to see a Jabot being worn as part of formal Scottish evening dress.
The features that distinguish a Jabot pin from other brooches and pins is that is will have two sides which join some how. Here is a traditional Jabot pin with the first photograph showing it closed and the lower one showing the pin open:
Jabot pin open
Victorian Jabot Pin
Victorian Jabot Pin
Not all Jabot pins are as plain and simple as the one you see above. Here is a mechanical Jabot from circa 1970s ( see the Japanese Chrysanthemums in the design?). This pin opens when you depress the decorative finials at either side. This one is quite dangerous. The pins are spring loaded and come back into place when you release the finials. Very sharp too and so would pierce the material to keep it in place.
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