The Master Carver - The Last Remaining Victorian Jet Jeweller

In this short film, we follow master carver and Whitby native restoration artist Hal Redvers-Jones, as he creates fine art in the traditional style of the Victorian era master carvers. Hal's artistic creations cover a broad range of design and are spread across multiple centuries of design and influence. Hal takes us on a journey as he carves a small jet rose, a traditional style carving that is signature to his shop, representing the Yorkshire rose and the proud Yorkshire heritage.
See more of Hal's work here: www.whitbyjet.c...
Music by Jack Shepherd - Assuage
Available for download on iTunes and streaming on Spotify
Directed, Edited & Produced by Jack Shepherd
Production Company - Frozen Pines
Thanks to Heritage Jet
Transcript:
I mean the thing that I like about the jet- that I'm fascinated by it is that it's a hundred and eighty million years old. It has a depth of antiquity to it that fascinates me. It has no other purpose or use. There is no medical use, it can't be used as a tool. It's for personal adornment only and there's nothing that I know, as a jeweler, that has the same warmth- the same velvety blackness that jet does, as black as jet. It's rare because it's only found in a narrow area of the world at this quality.
My personal interest in jewelry is restoration work. I love that. And there was an awful lot of jet produced in the 19th century. And the 19th century patterns were very complex- there was cross cut facets, there was high levels of cameo carving and really displaying lots of lapidary skills. Now as a restoration artist I'm often given one earring, because the customer has lost one, And I've got to walk in the footsteps of the original master carver so that she can't tell the difference Between the one that she owns and the ones that I've done. So in order to do that I've had to acquire the signature styles of a lot of the master carver's- which was challenging and extremely interesting.
I got commissioned to do some restoration work on a necklace that was found in a burial cist in argyllshire called the poltalloch necklace. Now this was a Bronze Age necklace- i.e. four and a half thousand years old- and was made completely out of jet. Found hundreds of miles away in Scotland When the jet is only domiciled in about seven and a half miles here in Whitby. So the whole idea of that fascinated me, and then I had to do a copy of this necklace, which required the acquisition of more of the jet, and that's how it kicked me off.
I got fascinated by the idea that this, as a gemstone had been used for personal adornment. Nothing else. Since early Bronze Age. Early tool-making man had been fascinated by jet, and that's what got me interested in it. You're stretched if you try to emulate master carver's. It's always like walking in the footsteps of a master carver, and that in itself promotes your own personal skill. At art college you were always Encouraged to look at some of the master Carver's and try to Paint like them or to carve like them, because that itself is instructive.
I'm lucky enough to have my daughter showing an enormous interest in the business and has joined it, and brings initially a whole new youthful concept to the design aspect, being only 21. Completely different approach to it, the useful combination of amber and jet together being the only two organic fossils. That's rather interesting. And also more modern shapes, flowing shapes, organic shapes, rather than the strict, disciplined 19th century ones. The constant approach of "how can we use this in a different way?" Very exciting. Very interesting.
I mean you can apply the thousand hours thing to it- if you do something long enough and hard enough, and you've got enough interest and passion in it, you will become competent in it, but yeah, it's not easy if you have got a piece of plasticine you could probably make a good job of molding a flower, but if you're then given a a stone, it's a whole different ballgame. You've got to then carve things, taking things away, and it's not going to move. Difficulty is the thing, and that's down to practice

[@jamesworrall-j7l]

Whitby jet and amber together are extremely healing for the body and mind

[@viridiangreen8259]

Your rose drop whitby jet earrings are so beautiful

[@KittyGrey13]

You are a very skilled man sir. Here in Derbyshire we have Blue John which is also incredibly rare and beautiful. There is something about Jet in particular though that I find very appealing and draws you to touch it. I absolutely love that little rose you created in the film. Well done indeed!

[@NickyDana]

Im from a little town called Zap, ND. When I was a kid we had a mine outside of town that mined what we called "lignite coal"...little did I know that this material is carved as a gem haha...we burned the stuff to stay warm in the winter. Blessings Fam ✨🙏🏼✨

[@connieharper12]

That's ma opa