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The Stop
Jet is a dense, fine-grained variety of coal or lignite formed over millennia from highly pressurised wood. Coal-black in colour, the finest examples of the stone can be worked on a lathe and polished to a high gloss. The most highly prized jet is found near Whitby, a small town on the north-east Yorkshire coast.1
Though jet buttons have been found in Bronze Age burial sites, the Romans were the first to truly exploit the gemstone and its properties. Gathered on the beach and shipped to their provincial capital at what is now York, the stone would be worked and carved by artisans who then exported their products to the rest of the empire. Most of the objects were ornamental or decorative, though a figurine found in the early 20th century revealed an ancient use which would reappear centuries later. Dating to around 330 CE - near the end of Rome’s control of Britain - the figurine depicts a woman leaning on a barrel, wearing a ‘mantle that is hitched over her left shoulder,’ and she appears to be ‘wiping away tears with her left hand.’ Most scholars think this depiction of a Roman goddess would have been used as a funerary offering by someone grieving a loss. If so, it would be the first example of jet’s involvement in what for a few years became a Victorian ‘obsession.’
The wearing of ‘special, drab’ clothes when someone died began as a tradition in Ancient Greece and Rome, but the Victorians made this into an art: ‘rules and conventions governed every colour of every stitch of clothing a person could wear from the time their loved one died until the niceties of grief were exhausted’ - a period that could last for up to two years. Black jewellery was considered appropriate during the extended mourning, and thus intricately carved, glossy pieces of jet became ‘immensely popular.’ Part of this was due to Queen Victoria’s influence, for when Prince Albert died suddenly of typhoid in 1861 she commissioned the crown jewellers to produce commemorative black jewellery which she ‘continued to press on relatives for years afterwards.’2
The 1870s saw the height of this cult of mourning, with Whitby’s jet production at an all-time high. Though before this time, the stone was so abundant ‘great lumps could be gathered form the beaches,’ the demand for jet forced small mines to be opened to satisfy the need. At its busiest, the Whitby jet industry employed over 1400 men and boys. The jewellery quickly became a popular item for the ‘conspicuously bereaved the world over,’ but by the late 1880s, Whitby’s best-quality jet had been consumed and artists turned to cheaper alternatives like glass. By 1884, there were only 300 jobs in the jet industry at Whitby and this number would dwindle to five by 1936. Part of the reduction in jet’s popularity was a societal change regarding the ‘public performance of grief:’ the enormous number of dead caused by the First World War ‘all but extinguished the West’s taste for sartorial grieving’ … and with it the attraction of this gemstone.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is a short (4:07) stop-motion video involving woodwork. ‘Milk Crate’ is an excellent example of this form of film-making and definitely worth four minutes of your day. Enjoy.
The Recommendation
Today’s recommendation is Audition (1999). A jet-black film by anyone’s estimation, the plot of this Japanese horror/thriller revolves around a widower who accepts a film-producer friend’s offer to ‘audition’ potential dates in order to find a new wife. Needless to say, it doesn’t work out the way he wishes. And the way it works out is definitely unexpected, disturbing - and unpleasant.3
Audition is intense (a ‘stomach-churning masterpiece,’ according to The Guardian), so don’t say you weren’t warned.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is composed of five tracks residing on the darker side: ‘Henry Lee’ (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 1996), ‘Lux Aeterna’ (Clint Mansell and Kronos Quartet, 2000), ‘I See a Darkness’ (Johnny Cash, 2000), ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ (Nirvana, 1994), and ‘Atlanta’ (Stone Temple Pilots, 1999). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from the French philosopher, essayist and novelist Albert Camus:4
‘Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next stop …
Unsurprisingly, a Google search for ‘jet’ does not immediately go to the stone, but rather to aeroplanes and there are thoughts that its original sense is on the ‘cusp of disappearing.’ Though the phrase ‘jet-black’ is still used - often to describe hair colour or a dark atmosphere (like I do in today’s Recommendation), this is also becoming rarer … more than likely because of its inherent redundancy. Sources for today’s Stop include: St Clair, Kassia. The Secret Lives of Colour. London: John Murray, 2016 and Jet - Gemstone (Britannica)
She remained in mourning for the rest of her life - 40 years.
I generally don’t like horror films, but Audition is something entirely different. Yes, it’s disturbing and horrible, etc. - but it’s also very cool. Beautifully shot and acted, it’s unlike anything I’d seen before - and since.
For more about Camus, see: Camus (Britannica)
Love that video Bryan
Feels like this would have made for a great Halloween newsletter. ;)