1. History

2. W Hamond Museum of Whitby Jet, Wesley Hall

3. Events

4. Television

5. References

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W Hamond is a British jewellers with three boutiques based in York, Leeds and Whitby.

History

W Hamond is recognised as the original Whitby Jet store since they first opened their doors in 1860.^[1]Whitby Jet is formed from fossilised wood, similar to our present day Monkey Puzzle or Araucaria Tree, which over millions of years has been compressed under extreme pressure. ^[2] Found on the shores of the north east coast of Yorkshire, Whitby Jet is an extremely rare, highly sought after gemstone.^[3]

The British gemstone has a rich history, which saw huge popularity in the Victorian times when Queen Victoria famously wore Whitby Jet after Albert died in 1861.^[4] As a result, the gemstone became recognised as mourning jewellery due to the dark black colour and Queen Victoria’s influence. ^[5] During this time, the only jewellery allowed to be worn in court was Whitby Jet. The new rail links to Whitby enticed Victorian seaside tourists to the town in search of Jet as a souvenir to take home. The lightweight nature of the gemstone was perfect for the large, eye-catching jewellery designs of the Victorian period.^[6]

Today, W Hamond continues to share the British gemstone’s legacy and heritage by designing and creating handmade pieces of jewellery featuring the finest quality Whitby Jet, gathered from the local shores of the north east coast of Yorkshire. ^[7]The organic gemstone has a deep black hue, which is highly polished to create a smooth, mirror like shine. Its intense blackness is to blame for the familiar phrase ‘as black as jet.’ ^[8]W Hamond also work closely with other gemstones including Blue John and Amber to compliment the Whitby Jet pieces.

Whitby’s origins and history, including the Whitby Abbey, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Whitby's regatta, is the perfect source of inspiration for the jewellery collections. The W Hamond store is situated at the top of Church Street, in the harbour town located in North Yorkshire, England.

W Hamond Museum of Whitby Jet, Wesley Hall

W Hamond holds the world’s largest antique collection that remains in great condition. ^[9]To showcase their vast archive, W Hamond have carefully restored Wesley Hall to its original condition where the world’s largest piece of Whitby Jet currently sits. The spectacular piece measures at a staggering 21ft in length, which would have taken 180 million years to form. The museum explores the history of the rare gemstone sharing their passion, knowledge and understanding of the Whitby Jet industry with the town.

Wesley Hall also includes Albert’s Eatery serving a traditional and unique seafood menu that uses only the finest local ingredients. The restaurant honours Prince Albert offering a dining experience like no other.

Events

W Hamond proudly showcase their collections at antique shows and events across the UK.

• Harrogate Antique Fair
• Great Yorkshire Show
• Duncombe Park Antiques Fair
• Galloway Antiques Fair
• Gem and Mineral Show in Tuscan, USA.

Television

W Hamond has appeared on TV shows to promote Whitby Jet and the store. Programmes include:

• BBC’s Back to the Land^[10]
• Jewellery TV USA^[11]
• Antiques Roadshow^[12]

References

• Car number plates (US Army in Germany)
• Carnwath
• Carnwath railway station
• Carny (disambiguation)
• Carnyorth
• CARO
• Caro and Cuervo Institute
• Carob bean
• Carob bean gum
• Carobbiite
• Carobbio degli Angeli
• Carob Chip
• Carob chip
• Carobeth Laird
• C. A. Robins
• Carob Pod
• Carochi
• Carochi, Horacio
• Carodejnice
• Caro diario
• Carodnia
• Caro (drink)
• Carod Rovira
• Caroebe
• Car of the Century