Victorian era carved vulcanite pin in the form of a delicate hand with lace cuff holding a perfect rose. Photo Courtesy of Lang Antiques.

Vulcanite is compressed (vulcanized)rubber. Vulcanite was a less expensive material than jet and used for similar jewelry items. Vulcanite is sometimes erroneously called gutta percha which is actually a substance from the Malayan palaquium tree of which very little survived.