How to Identify Jet and Its (Many) Imitators

You’ve probably seen jet jewellery before. It’s black, it’s shiny, it’s reminiscent of the Victorian era, when Queen Victoria wore it during her long period of mourning after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and accidentally caused a fashion sensation.

This fashion during the high Victorian period meant that jet (especially from Whitby in Yorkshire, England) became immensely popular as a material for mourning jewellery. Which means it became more expensive. Which, in turn, means that many cheaper alternatives to jet were employed to make less expensive jewellery that captured the sombre elegance of jet.

Unfortunately, the differences between jet and its imitations are sometimes very hard to distinguish; it’s not like comparing a rhinestone to a diamond. Jet isn’t actually a mineral, as it’s made when decaying wood is under extreme pressure (sort of like coal). Its what’s known as a mineraloid. Thus some traditional measures of the intrinsic material can’t be used in this instance.

Anyway, down to business…here’s a few pointers if you want to work out whether something is jet:

Jet: Will feel warm to the touch and leave a brownish/black streak on a piece of unglazed porcelain or concrete (but I urge caution if you do this, because jet is also very fragile). The definitive test to tell if something’s jet is the same as the bakelite test: prick it with a red hot pin. If it smells like coal, you’re onto a winner, but remember that jet will burn, so only do this if you absolutely have to and BE CAREFUL. (PS bakelite should smell like formaldehyde).

Anthracite: Looks glassier and more metallic than jet. Not found all that much in jewellery, but was a used as a ‘classy’ coal for some rail companies, which boasted that passengers who travelled on anthracite-fuelled trains wouldn’t get soot on their persons.

Bog Oak: Looks duller and browner than jet. Also has a definite ‘bog’ smell.

Horn: If held up to the light, horn won’t be evenly/solidly black – at the edges it may look translucent.

French Jet: I love the term ‘french jet’. It sounds so Ooh La La, when all it really means is glass. Yep, black glass. You can tell French jet because it will be heavier than jet, and it will be cold to the touch; jet has a lower thermal conductivity rate than glass and will thusly be warm.

Plastics: Sometimes it’s hard to tell with plastic imitations, but look for signs of moulding/roundness, as real jet is always carved. If a piece is made of Bakelite and is scratched, a black powder should come off.

Vulcanite (aka Ebonite): This is an American invention made from sulphurised rubber. It is one of the best simulants of jet, but will fade to brown with prolonged exposure to light. Jet always looks black.

Hope that helps. Luckily, that other great Victorian jewellery fashion, hair, isn’t hard to identify. It is a bit gross though. Just saying.