Life is not so black after all for Whitby jet company

While the rest of the country's manufacturing industry may be facing tough times, one of the North Yorkshire resort's oldest businesses is enjoying a 21st century renaissance thanks to a foreign love of all things British.

W Hamond's jet workshop opened its doors in 1860 and as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, it seems the gemstone is firmly back in fashion, particularly with overseas customers keen to get their hands on a little slice of English heritage.

"The jet renaissance is definitely under way," said Chris Sellors, who runs the firm with his wife Diane, son James and daughter Becky.

"British manufacturing and craftsmanship has gradually been eroded over the years, but a lot of people have worked incredibly hard to keep the name of W Hamond alive.

"Recently our export sales to country's like America, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have flourished.

"We now go to the US every year to show our latest collections and they can't seem to get enough of it.

"There's definitely an overseas market for products with an undeniable British charm and with Whitby jet only found on a short stretch of coastline, it has a rarity that people seem to like," he said.

Whitby jet first became fashionable when it was showcased as part of the Great Exhibition during the Victorian era.

Sales really took off in the late 1860s, after Queen Victoria wore it as part of her mourning dress following the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861.

At the time, Whitby was home to 200 small workshops employing around 1,500 people, but the good times only lasted for a few decades.

It's funereal associations eventually caused its popularity to wane and by the end of the century the jet industry was on its knees.

However, W Hamond, which is still based in its original Church Street premises, was among the handful which survived the downturn.

The business defied varying fashion trends in the 20th century and now Mr Sellors hopes the emergence of new foreign markets – as well as Whitby's twice-yearly Gothic Weekend – will allow the business to continue for another 150 years.

"Today we have 84 staff, which is more than was employed by any single jet workshop during the Victorian heyday," he added.

"We are lucky in that tourists still flock to Whitby and it has become something of a Mecca for Goths who seem to really like the jet black pieces we make.

"Every year we try to produce a new collection to coincide with the Gothic Weekend and we always notice that sales around that time do go up.

"However, we know we can't rest on our laurels and recently we have invested in a major redevelopment, which will give us more space to show our antique designs alongside our contemporary collections, which are about moving jet jewellery away from its dreary Victorian connections and making it much more wearable.

"This is still very much a family-run business and I hope a modern day British success story," he added.

As part of the redevelopment, W Hamond has also opened up a new workshop, which now gives visitors to Whitby the chance to see how a rough piece of jet is transformed into luxury jewellery.

It is a painstaking business and that is reflected in the cost, with pieces costing anything from 11.95 to 15,000, and it is one that the craftsmen take seriously.

"In some ways not an awful lot has changed behind the scenes," said workshop manager Matthew Hatch, who has 20 years' experience under his belt. "A lot of the techniques date back many decades and even today, the cutting and polishing is all done by hand.

"There is nothing more satisfying than working a piece of gemstone from start to finish and being able to share that process with visitors is a real privilege.

"Jet is something very close to all our hearts, and we want to keep it very much alive," said Mr Hatch.