Featured Jet made to look like cut steel?

It's a leaf pin and the beads are set like cut steels, but they're black. Glass would have broken so I'm guessing jet. Has anyone else seen a similar one?

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/504526...campaign=us_location_buyer&utm_content=652301
The horse shoe one here looks similar, especially on the back.

 

Thanks Houseful. That's what I thought, but it never hurts to get outside confirmation. We Yanks don't see that much mourning jewelry.

 

It is lovely, evelyb. It isn't made to look like cut steel though, these are faceted beads beaded together just like (faux) pearl or coral beads were beaded into designs like this.
I think it is 'French jet' though, so glass. Did you test them? I have several pieces with similar beading, and mine are all French jet.
Mine date from the late 19th century, and it looks like yours and the ones in the Etsy listing do too. Not the 1950s, like it says in the listing.

 

I agree, I don't think jet can ever be that shiny.

 

When I got my first cameo set in a jet frame I taxed the poor seller with my suspicion that it was plastic because it was so shiny, light weight, & made a 'plastic-y' sound when tapped with a fingernail. They assured me they were experienced with jet, so were confident about the cameo, & I have since had other pieces with the same qualities.

 

I have very shiny jet earrings, bought from the maker in Whitby. But the sheen is different from French jet.

Evelyb's beads look molded to me, another sign of glass. French jet can also be facet cut, btw, most of my French jet is.

 

How to polish jet..... https://whamond.com/blogs/news/how-to-polish-whitby-jet

https://orchid.ganoksin.com/t/polishing-jet-its-just-not-shiny/54242/22

 

Get that lid off the loo cistern, and do the test on unglazed porcelain.

 

They're awfully warm to the touch. warmer than glass would be, and the backs of the bits aren't flat. Under 10X a lot of them look broken off. Probably safer to sell as glass and let the buyer get lucky.

 

Or test them. Rub one on an unglazed piece of (white) procelain. That is why obb suggested the loo cistern. I use the back of a leftover piece of a bathroom tile.

 

I'll have to find a way to test the back; it would scratch up the front and the back is curved. (and lifting the loo lid HURTS.) I do have some loose tile around somewhere though.

 

I couldn't lift a porcelain loo lid either. The piece of tile is small and does the job.

 

I'll have to try it later.