I have been dog sitting near Yelverton in Devon and one rainy morning I popped into the Woodside Animal Welfare shop and spotted this string of black beads.At first I thought they were plastic but then I spotted a cracked bead and was very excited! These were real jet beads! And for £1!
What is Jet?
According to Wiki
Jet is a type of lignite, a precursor to coal, and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather amineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure.
What isn't Jet?
Lots of people have so-called Jet beads but they are usually French Jet which are faceted glass beads.They can look like Jet but they feel cold and are heavy compared with Jet which is very light and easily chipped.
These do not have the value of real Jet.