Recognised as one of Britain’s rarest minerals, with many Blue John mines now extinct, the semi-precious gemstone is admired for its distinctive colour palette featuring shades of purple, blue and yellow. Named after their unique hues, Blue John derives from the French term ‘blue et jaune’ which means ‘blue and yellow’ when translated. An apt name for the beautiful, rare stone that is adored for the vivid colours that run through it.
Sourced from the hillside of Castleton in Hope Valley, Derrbyshire, there are only a few caverns left where Blue John can be found. Exclusive to Castleton, the natural gemstone is only found in the Peak Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern. With the latter first opening in 1745, Treak Cliff Cavern is believed to be the first to excavate the gemstone and is still in operation to this day, although on a much smaller scale. Now, a tourist attraction, the cavern is open to visitors throughout the year to those fascinated with the origins of the mesmerising purple stone.
Mining is typically carried out by hand as blasting can disturb the crystalline structure, sometimes altering the colour dramatically to a white opaque, which is as you can imagine unusable with the gem's desirability solely a result of the striking colours. Therefore, explosives methods are only carried out in extreme circumstances.
Blue John’s Legacy
With a legacy that dates back two thousand years ago, the Romans surprisingly discovered the stunning gem whilst mining for deposits of lead ore. Blown away by their findings, it is believed that the Romans would have crafted beautiful jewellery and ornament designs using the exquisite gemstone.
Throughout the Regency period of the 19th century, Blue John was extremely popular, favoured by the upper class who commissioned vases, tables, columns and windows, to decorate their prestigious homes. Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth House are the calibre of houses that would display such lavish ornaments and furnishings.
During World War I, Blue John was heavily mined as fluorspar was needed for the chemical industry and as flux in blast furnaces leaving veins in short supply after the fighting had finished. In an attempt to find any remaining veins of Blue John miners used explosives during the mid-1920s, which resulted in finding an extension of the natural cavern preserved by Colonel Broadbent.
It wasn’t until January 2013 that a ‘Lost Vein’ of Blue John was rediscovered after the initial siting in 1945 by miner John Royse. Concealed by wooden battens, a piece of carpet and a layer of clay, the discovery of the mysterious deposit reignited the country’s love for the beautiful British gemstone.
The latest recorded findings of Blue John was only in 2015 when Gary Ridley, a miner using a new specialist chainsaw method, came across a new vein that made the record books being the fifteenth variety of Blue John vein, which was named after the miner.
W Hamond and Blue John Jewellery
Precision set in gold and sterling silver, each piece of Blue John sourced from the Treak Cliff Cavern is cut and polished to perfection to showcase the beautiful gemstone. Each piece of stone is unique in appearance varying dramatically in shape and colour, which ensures that no two jewellery designs are the same. The beauty of working with such a rare and unique gem is the exclusivity that it offers. For over 30 years, we have handcrafted stunning collections of Blue John necklaces, earrings, rings, charms, brooches, cufflinks and bracelets that have been praised for their exquisite nature and contribution to British jewellery design.
