Our Whitby Jet Research

Our Whitby jet research is challenging the perceptions of jet, a material with 5,500 years history of usuage in the British Isles. Sarah Steele graduated from Durham University with a degree in Geology. She has since qualified as a professional gemmologist (FGA, DGA). She returned to Durham University in Oct 2019 to complete her postgraduate Whitby Jet research, her project “Jet – Identification, utilisation, production and exchange” will for the first time give us a better understanding of the material known as Whitby Jet.

      We also specialise in the identification of Whitby jet simulants read more Our other current research collaborations include a project based at The Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Yale, where we are working on a jet specific gem fingerprinting technique to establish appellation of origin for jet materials. Sarah also has ongoing research collaborations with the National Museums of Scotland, York Archaeological Trust, The Jorvik Viking Centre and is often asked to appraise the national collections of jet both home and abroad. In order to understand jet and its many unrelated simulants Sarah is spear-heading a new branch of gemmology which she terms “Hydrocarbon Gemmology”. In the past couple of years months Sarah has spoken on the subject at the , American Gem Traders Association, Tucson, Arizona agta.org, The Geologist Association student symposium, London, The Peabody Museum, University of Yale, The Canadian Gemmological Association conference, Vancouver, and the Jurassic Coast symposium in York, The Gemological Institute of America San Franscisco Chapter and The Geological Society of America, Phoenix. She has also delivered research posters on her new branch of gemmology at the World Gem Symposium in Carlsbad, California. gia.edu  We can tailor talks and events to suit every age and ability group.

“Every age is an age of wonders. There is always something which appears to be beyond the ken of mortal men.”