Jet necklace
Bronze Age, 2200 – 1950 BC. Rasharkin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Collected by Louis C.G. Clarke, MAA 1938.460
Like amber, jadeite and quartz, jet was thought of as a special material – it only comes from particular sources in the landscape, most notably from Whitby in Yorkshire. It can be easily carved and highly polished, and is warm to the touch. A necklace of so many jet beads would demonstrate the wealth and high status of the wearer.
