GEM NOIR : Being blacklisted is a good thing if it includes wearing cool, dark 30-millimeter Whitby jet hoop earrings by designer Jacqueline Cullen. Edgy, contemporary and distinctive, these are made from a rare type of prehistoric black fossilized wood that comes from the source of the best jet, a mine along the coastal area of Whitby, England. The earrings from the Gem Noir collection feature organic cutouts, black Swarovski crystals and fasten on with an 18-karat gold snap bar closure.
Since discovering rare and valuable Whitby jet during her final year of studies at Central Saint Martins, Jacqueline
has been working with it exclusively. She enlists a Whitby jet supplier to collect her materials who abseils down the cliffs on a rope and
collects raw samples from the disused mines and ancient caves. The incredible metamorphosis of Whitby Jet inspires Jacqueline to represent the unpredictable and dramatic acts of nature and the result is sensitive handmade jewelry with a provenance that expresses individuality.
