Jet Stone (Black Amber)

Weight:  40.7 gram

Size: 52x55x30 mm  
 

Location: Shanxi Province, China

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Jet (Black Amber)
Jet is also known as black amber, although it is not actually an amber, but rather fossilized coal. It was used extensively in mourning jewelry in Victorian times and was considered a stone for alleviating and bringing grief to the surface to be healed. It has also historically been used as a protection stone and is said to have very powerful protection energies to ward off evil, negativity, and psychic attacks. It is also said to protect finances and protect from depression. Jet is related primarily to the base chakra, but when used on the upper chakras it helps kundalini move to the crown chakra. Mystically, jet is considered a stone of sympathy, healing grief, psychic experiences. It is said by intuitive sources to be an excellent calming stone, and helpful for treating epilepsy, migraines, stomach pain, colds, glandular problems, and lympathic problems.

Jet is a type of lignite, the lowest rank of coal, and is a gemstone. Unlike many gemstones, jet is not a mineral, but is rather a mineraloid. It is derived from wood that has changed under extreme pressure.

Jet is either black or dark brown, but may contain pyrite inclusions] which are of brassy colour and metallic lustre. The adjective "jet-black", meaning as dark a black as possible, derives from this material.

Jet is a product of decomposition of wood from millions of years ago, commonly the wood of trees of the family Araucariaceae. Jet is found in two forms, hard and soft. Hard jet is the result of carbon compression and salt water; soft jet may be the result of carbon compression and fresh water. Despite the name they both occupy the same area of the Mohs scale with the difference being that soft jet is more likely to crack when exposed to changes in temperature.

Jet is around 75% carbon and 12% oxygen with sulfur and hydrogen making up most of the balance. Other elements are found at trace level and the exact ratios varying with the source. Jet has a Mohs hardness ranging between 2.5 and 4 and a specific gravity of 1.30 to 1.34. The refractive index of jet is approximately 1.66. The touch of a red-hot needle should cause jet to emit an odour similar to coal.

Jet may induce an electric charge like that of amber when rubbed.

Jet is very easy to carve, but it is difficult to create fine details without breaking so it takes an experienced lapidary to execute more elaborate carvings.