Recently, I came across some shiny black stones while walking on a local island. Sparkly and lightweight, these rocks were irresistible, and I decided they deserved a place on my shelf.
After rinsing them off and admiring them some more, I turned to the World Wide Web for some research. It turns out these stones are actually most likely a mineraloid called “Jet.”
Jet is a precursor to coal. It is derived from decaying wood, millions of years old, that has been under high pressure. In other words, it’s basically a fossilized tree, and it will burn if ignited.
Jet is considered a jemstone and has been widely used in jewelry for hundreds of years.
The terms “jet black” or “black as jet”, which means “as dark as you can possibly get,” are derived from this stone.
Is that a fascinating fun fact, or what? Fabric, color theory and mineralogy coming together in one fun lesson!
Riley Blake Designs’ fabric equivalent of Jet Black is called “Riley Black,” and can be found HERE.
