Whitby & North York Moors Guide - Days Out Leaflets

Whitby's black gold
Whitby jet is a much sought after commodity and a magnet for tourists
The formative years
The coast around Whitby is well known for
fossils, and perhaps one of the more famous
types is jet, the petrified wood of an ancient
tree, once common to this area of the British
Isles. 180 million years ago during the Jurassic
period that particular type of tree, similar to
the monkey-puzzle (or Araucaria), was in
abundance.
As the trees died, those which fell into the
waterways fragmented, and the trunks and
branches washed towards the sea.
Once waterlogged they would sink to the
seabed, where they would lie for millions
of years, depressed by detritus and the
decaying remains of aquatic organisms,
and eventually transforming into jet.
right: Queen Victoria. Below: Jewellery by robinson’s Jet.
The Victorian influence
Although jet has been used as a jewel and
talisman since the Stone Age, when it was
believed to have magical powers, there was
no organised jet industry in Britain until the
beginning of the 19th Century.
It was the Victorians who introduced the
idea of taking an annual holiday, and in
1836 the first railway to Whitby was built,
finally rendering the town accessible for
holidaymakers.
The Victorians also loved to collect
souvenirs, and thus Whitby jet items
became popular keepsakes as reminders
of much-enjoyed holidays by the sea
(even Queen Victoria wore Whitby jet).
And so the thriving Whitby jet industry
was born.
Where to buy Whitby jet
…the following Whitby shops,
which specialise in Whitby jet
jewellery, each with its own
unique designs and styles.
The Ebor Jetworks
138 Church Street
Whitby
YO22 4DE
Tel: 01947 603 113
Web: www.eborjetworks.co.uk
Email: info@eborjetworks.co.uk
Robinson’s Jet
6 Sandgate
Whitby
YO22 4DB
Tel: 01947 606 100
Web: www.robinsonsjet.co.uk
W Hamond
112 Church Street
Whitby
Y022 4DE
Tel: 01947 603 330
Web: www.whamond.com
Email: whitby@whamond.com
Whitby jet today
Whitby is now a bustling holiday destination
with a totally unique character, to which
the town’s jet industry is a significant
contributor. A diverse range of styles and
designs can be seen in the shop fronts as you
meander through Whitby’s quirky streets.
Some tend towards traditional styles and
some incorporate modern influences, each
in its own way contributing to the historical,
Gothic and creative characteristics that
define this rare jewel of a town.
Simpson’s Jet of Whitby
21 Grape Lane
Whitby
YO22 4BA
Tel: 01947 897 166
Web: www.whitbyjetjewellery.net
Email: simpsonsjet@btinternet.com
One O Five
105 Church Street
Whitby
YO22 4DE
Tel: 01947 825 573
Email: kevswhitbyjet@hotmail.com
The Whitby Jet Heritage Centre
123b Church Street
Whitby
YO22 4DE
The Ebor Jetworks
As a child, Sarah Steele spent hours watching
craftsmen such as the late Alex McKenzie
carving and faceting Whitby Jet using a butter
knife wrapped in a piece of wet n dry - she
was hooked! By the age of 11 she was making
jewellery and selling it to friends.
When Sarah graduated with an honours degree
in geology from Durham in the early 90s
she already knew that she wanted a career in
Whitby Jet, and she set up shop in Whitby.
Her designs contrast the intense blackness of
Whitby jet with other brightly coloured stones,
breathing new life into the ancient material, and
set in her handmade precious metal mounts.
Her shop now holds the country’s most diverse
collection of indigenous British stone jewellery.
There are only half a dozen or so craftsmen
working genuine Whitby Jet as a cottage
industry in Whitby. Sarah passionately believes
in preserving the heritage and integrity of the
industry, and that Whitby Jet has no place in a
high street setting. As a result she has chosen
to work it by hand herself as the old Victorian
craftsmen did.
Nowhere else in Britain is it possible to watch
a piece of jewellery made for you from start
to finish by the person who has found the raw
material themselves.
The Ebor Jetworks at 138 Church Street, in
Whitby’s historic East Side.
Tel 01947 603113
www.eborjetworks.co.uk
THinGS To do
Tel: 01947 821 530
Web: www.whitbyjet.co.uk
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