| TTO WW A&V 0002 Victorian Lace & Jet Capelet |
| Our
Price £295.00
|
| Victorian
Lace Capelet. Deep chocolate brown lace (almost black)
with added layers at neck and hem. The back has a
panel embroidered with Whitby jet. The front is
fastened with hooks and eyes. The condition is near
perfect. A rare find. |
| The
capelet measures 30" across the shoulder (see
our sizing guide) and the front to the curved
cutaway measures 34". The capelet measures 46" at the widest point. The jet panel measures
11" x 3". |
|
|
Jet is best known for its popularity in Victorian England. The fashion
for this austere mourning jewelry was started by Queen Victoria who
deeply mourned the loss of her husband, Prince Albert after he died of
typhoid in 1861. For decades only jet jewelry was allowed at court.
Jet has been known for centuries. Ancient Greeks and Romans called it
gagates. and credited it with all sorts of medicinal properties
including the detection of epilepsy and as a toothache cure. But the
most incredulous of all claims was that it could test for virginity!
What is jet? It is really a type of black coal - the fossilised wood of
a type of ancient tree. Jet is very amenable to polishing and carving
and can also be cut and faceted. It is light weight which made wearing
large pieces easy which the Victorian women did. Jet also has a
velvet-like quality. People in the past confused amber (fossilised sap
of ancient trees) with jet and even called it black amber.
It is found all over the world but the most famous source was Whitby,
Yorkshire in northern England which had its heyday in the late 19th
century. Cheaper alt
ernatives like French Jet (black glass) and the
decline in fashionable use eventually killed demand for jet. Jet mining
there stopped in 1920 but the jet still gets washed up along the coast.
|
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