Rarer than diamonds.
As a natural and organic resource, Whitby Jet is of a finite quantity, generally limited to one small stretch of North Yorkshire coastline – see Where Can Whitby Jet be Found. Long gone are the days where large pieces could be mined using explosives and dangerous collection methods and as such has made the jet of North Yorkshire a gemstone with diminished supply.
Today, we are reliant on the skills of those who go in search of the local gemstone on the shoreline and beaches to bring back originally sourced Whitby Jet for our workshop to craft into the jewellery collections we have for sale at Robert and Victoria. It is these processes, combined with the unique quality of Whitby Jet and the limited area in which it can be found that make the North Yorkshire gemstone so rare and offers a great appeal.
To offer further indication into its rare nature, across our workshops, for every carat of Whitby Jet we use for manufacturing in our jewellery, 450 carats of diamonds are produced from mines worldwide. This figure could be effectively doubled if just the usable part of any Whitby Jet is considered. From the rough Whitby Jet we take in, we have to remove the spar (shale) from the surface and reject and material with natural flaws or we feel is unsuitable for jewellery purposes.
At Robert & Victoria, we recognise the intrinsically rare nature of the gemstone we are so lucky to work with and which is why we like to pair Whitby Jet with diamonds and other precious gemstones to acknowledge its heritage and value to the world of fine jewellery.
