Coral Jewellery

Etymologists are unsure about the origins of the word ‘coral’ although some experts believe it is derived from the Greek word 'korallion' which describes the hard calcareous skeleton of the coral animals. Others maintain that the word comes from 'kura-halos', for 'mermaid', as the fine branches of the coral sometimes look like small figures. Still others believe that the word is derived from the Hebrew ‘goral’, which is a small stone used in drawing lots.

Whatever the origins of the word, coral is a fascinating substance that reminds us of summer. According to ICA Gem Bureau Idar-Oberstein “corals live at depths of between three and 300 metres in the waters around Japan, Taiwan and in the Malaysian Archipelago, in the Red Sea, in the Bay of Biscay and around the Canary Islands, as well as in north-east Australia and the Midway Islands. In the Mediterranean, there are coral banks in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Sardinia, off Tunisia and Algeria, former Yugoslavia and Turkey.”

They are the product of tiny living creatures which have settled into enormous colonies in warm seas thousands of years ago. Surrounded by fleshy skin, the polyps excrete a carbonic substance and it is from these that the corals grow like branches and trees. They can grow as high as 16 inches though the actual branches seldem gorw longer than 1 ½ inches. At the forks in the branches the corals are thiker and it is from here the the precious material for jewellery is harvested.

Typically, coral was harvested with trawl nets, but better quality coral is something of a rare commodity these days and so now divers are sent down to retrieve it. This is a much less destructive process. Once the coral is collected it is are cleaned, sorted and processed by means of saws, knives, files or drills. Coral is not usually ground or cut on a wheel.

Until it is shined, coral has a matte finish. Often times it is porous, full of holes or cracked and is often filled with coloured wax to improve its appearance. High quality coral is of an even colour and is normally free of cracks and blotches. Genuine untreated coral is rare and generally commands good prices on the market place.

Coral comes in a variety of colours- even though we typically think of it as being red.
Coral actually exists in nature in a wide variety of colours, from from red to white., blue and brown to black. The most popular are the red hues such as pale pink or salmon, all the way out to a deep dark red. Black corals and gold corals are very much in fashion, whilst the blue ones are extremely rare. The white of the angel skin coral, suffused with pink, is regarded as particularly precious. Other well known colours are the rich red Japanese Moro coral, the pale pink 'Boke' and the red 'Sardegna'.

Corals are softer than any other gemstone and should therefore be handled with care.
Coral jewellery should be kept in a safe place and from time to time cleaned with a soft, damp towel. If the surface of the coral does get scratched, the jeweller can have it repolished.

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