Huge antique Victorian Whitby jet bead, triple strand mourning necklace

Fabulous antique Whitby jet necklace with three central strands and large polished beads. The necklace is in very good vintage condition, especially considering it dates from the second half of the nineteenth century. I believe it is strung on its original Victorian thread and there is only a small amount of looseness between the beads. I am keen to keep its original threading where possible as this is unusual to have. In close-ups, cracking to the beads is visible but this has not effected the polished shine of the beads.

The necklace fastens with a secure push-in box clasp, decorated with a Whitby jet rectangular cabochon. Two strands of beads come around each side from the clasp and are each split into three strands by pretty shaped Whitby jet beads on each side of the neck. The shortest strand has a length of about 16 inches around the neck. The necklace weighs a total of 133 grams.

Whitby Jet is organic and is naturally formed from fossilised wood from millions of years ago, commonly the wood of trees of the family Araucariaceae. The prehistoric wood gets washed up into a body of water and becomes covered by organic sediment. The pressure of the water and sediment over millions of years compacts the wood and slowly transforms it into what we know as Whitby Jet stone today. The colour of Whitby Jet is truly unique, boasting a deep blackness so intense that the expression ‘jet black’ or ‘as black as jet’ derives from the colour of the stone. It has a smooth and very lightweight appeal making it an excellent choice for jewellery. Its smoothness allows it to take on an extremely high polish to the extent that is could even be used a mirror. Meanwhile, its light weight makes it comfortable to wear around the neck. Whitby Jet has been found in many countries worldwide including China, Siberia and the USA. It has also been found in other European countries like Germany and Spain, however, the finest quality Jet has always come from the North-East coast of England in the county of North Yorkshire, particularly the picturesque fishing town of Whitby. Although most frequently found in seams of shale between Robin Hood's Bay and Boulby, Whitby Jet can also be discovered washed up on the shore when bad weather or rough seas occur where seams that extend under the sea have broken away.