This is a gorgeous antique Victorian Whitby Jet buckle bracelet. This piece is extremely rare. The bracelet was created around 1850. Buckle bracelets were a favored theme of Victorian jewelry. It measures approximately 6 inches inner circumference and averages about 3/4 inch in height around the lightly graduated links. The jet beads are strung on two elastic strands making it easy to accomodate varying wrist sizes. There are some minor fleabites and small chips consistent with it's age and use, including one on the edge of the hasp of the buckle. On the back side of the links there are 2 larger chips and a scratch.
About Whitby Jet
Whitby Jet is found in only one place in the world - Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, along a seven and a half mile stretch of the North Yorkshire coastline. Whitby Jet is known the world over for its beautiful soft texture, dense black colour and very high polish. Whitby jet not only lends a warm touch to the skin of the wearer but also is lightweight making it ideal for jewelry. Whitby jet was at the peak of its popularity in the mid-19th century, in Victorian Britain. Mourning was almost an art form at that time and Whitby's superior jet was coveted for mourning jewellery, especially after it became favoured by Queen Victoria. This demand for jet was so great, that the cliffsides where it was mined were at dire risk of collapse. Due to the dangers of cave-ins in the unstable cliffsides of the Whitby coastline, mining for jet in Whitby was declared illegal and the only new jet pieces are those scarce few that are washed ashore after storms making these gorgeous jewelry pieces even rarer as they can no longer be made.
