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> Is there a sure fire way to discern jet from crystal or resin
> without chemical testing? I greatly appreciate your help! Vera
The very light weight is one obvious indication of jet. Jet is
actually a form of coal, not a resin. You can tell it from it's
streak (rub it lightly on a bit of tile or unglazed ceramic. The line
it leaves is dark brown). This test should only be done on an
inconspicous area, though, since it mars the piece of jet. If you
can find a tiny chip (with a loupe), it will be dull and grainy
looking, not shiny and glassy. Another classic test is the "hot
point" test. Touching the piece briefly with a red hot needle in an
inconspicous spot will show different results with resins (which melt
and emit a smell) vs jet, which emits only a mild smell, vs crystal,
which does nothing. Whether you can tell jet this way depends on your
sense of smell though, and again, it's a test that can leave a mark on
some materials. Use a loupe to watch the reaction as you touch the
piece, and use only the tip of a sharp point, red hot, and you won't
leave a large mark. And jet, like crystal, but unlike many plastics,
will crumble/powder in front of a needle or sharp blade, while many
plastics and resins will let the blade "bite" in, raising a tiny
curl. And finally, some, but not all, jet will be porous enough to
absorb moisture, so that if you put a tiny drop of water or saliva on
it, it will appear to dry off faster than it would on non-porous
materials. This isn't always visible, but when you see it, it tells
you that the material is not glass (crystal) or plastic...
Peter Rowe
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