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I doubt this has any more connection to the Jett surname than the gemstone jet (worn by the first Queen Elizabeth in the 1500s) or jet engines. It's more likely related to, and pronounced like the French word for jetty (a pier or wharf) -- which, incidentally, has the same origin as the aircraft-related jet.
Of course, most of us with English ancestors are also descendants of the French who invaded and conquered the island from Normandy in 1066. Like many English surnames, Jett may have French roots. But it's also possible that it is a variant, based on regional pronunciation, of Judde, which appears in Coventry in the 1400s. By the next century, we know the Coventry mayor's name was Jett.
A website that sells jet jewelry provides this information:
Amber is from the sap of the tree and symbolizes the light of the world. Jet is from the wood of the tree and symbolizes the dark of the night. The combination is symbolic of the balance in nature, the yin and the yang, the Equinox.
Jet is a gemstone with a history as ancient and interesting as that of Amber. Jet, like amber, has a history of magical association. Amulets of jet and amber have been found together in ancient European ruins. Jet became fashionable in Victorian England which is when it acquired its identity as mourning jewelry. Many cultures use jet for prayer beads and religious sculpture, including American Indians.
Jet is formed by the compression of lignite, an organic material that was once driftwood. Lignite layers are often found with amber and so Jet has often been called "Black Amber".
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