Jet is not actually a stone made of minerals, yet it is fossilized driftwood produced under extreme pressure forming a mineraloid.  It is found in hard and soft formations.  The hardness of this mineraloid depends on whether the driftwood originated in salt water (hard form) or fresh water (soft form).  It is found in colors of black or deep brown and is very light in weight.  It is electrically charged when rubbed, similar to amber, thus this stone is nick-named “black amber”.

Even the hardest jet is very soft with a rating of 2.5 to 4.0 on the moh’s scale.

Myths and Therapeutic Properties

Jet has been used mythically since ancient times through our more recent years, and has been mined since before recorded history.  The Pueblo Indians have been reputed to bury jet with their dead to bring protection in the afterlife.  Amulets of jet and amber have been found in ancient European ruins.  Jet became very popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, during which the Queen wore Whitby jet as part of her mourning dress.  It has been made into rosaries for monks.  Wives of sailors used to burn jet, believing it would protect their husbands at sea.  In the United States, long necklaces of jet beads were very popular during the 1920s, or Roaring Twenties, when women and young flappers would wear multiple strands of jet beads stretching from the neckline to the waistline.  Many cultures still use jet as religious symbols.  Jet is thought to protect against illness and the evil eye.

Go to Jet Beads