Price is per 16-inch strand of these beautiful beads - ready for stringing. Each bead measures 16mm x 12mm x 6mm. Nice shine! Jet is a soft, opaque black gemstone, easily identified because it is very, very lightweight. Jet is composed of carbonized wood. The material was first found near the River Gages and mentioned by Pliny in Ancient Greece. Jet is rather difficult to find today, but there is quite a lot in China.
Jet has been used since the Bronze Age as an ornamental stone. The Hopi and other tribes of the western United States used jet in making fetishes, beads, and inlaid jewelry. Jet reached its zenith in popularity during the reign of Queen Victoria, who wore black jet jewelry while in mourning for her late husband, Prince Albert.
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