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Coral
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Corals live in depths
between three to three thousand metres in the seas around Japan, Taiwan
and the Malayan Archipelago, in the Red Sea, the Biscayan Gulf and
around the Canary Islands, but also in north-eastern Australia and off
the Midway Islands. In the Mediterranean there are Coral reefs all
around the Tyrrhenian Sea, along the coastline of Sardinia and also off
the shores of Tunisia and Algeria, Yugoslavia and Turkey.
Like pearls, Corals also belong to the organic jewelry material. It is
an interesting phenomenon indeed that both are products of the element
water, and are in fact chemically related. Both consist of over 90%
carbonic lime. It is a virtual miracle that Nature manages use the same
dull material to create fiery red Coral and to let grow beautiful
pearls. |
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What are
Corals? |
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 Corals are produced by
tiniest life forms, which settled in the depths of warm seas in vast
colonies, long before our time. The Coral cnidarian is covered by a
fleshy skin and secretes a calcareous substance, from which there are
built the branchlike structures of the of the Coral stems. They can grow
up to 40 cm in height, the thickness of the branches, however, hardly
ever amounts to more than four cm. Only at the forks the structures are a little thicker. And from these parts the valuable raw material is
gained which will then be turned into pieces of jewelry, large Coral
balls or carved objects. |
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Colorful and
Sensitive world of Coral : |
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Corals need not
necessarily be red, although the name Coral denotes a pinkish-red color.
Nature creates Coral in a wide range of shades and hues from red and
white and blue to brown and black. Most coveted are the red shades,
ranging from palest petal pink via salmon to deep velvety red.
Corals are not too sensitive, but with their hardness of only 3.5 they
are considerably softer than any other gemstone material. Their beauty
will suffer from inappropriate treatment. Cosmetic products, hot water
and bright daylight are detrimental to their beauty. Coral jewelry
should be carefully stored and be cleaned from time to time with a soft,
wet cloth. Should the surface be scratched in spite of all care, a
jeweler will be able to polish it up. |
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Coral on the
bare skin irresistible : |
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For ages now Coral has
been used as jewelry and worshipped as a protective charm. Nowadays
Coral is still used as a talisman in many cultures in order to ward off
evil spirits. The modern teachings of healing with gemstones appreciate
Coral for its positive effects. Coral is reported to soothe fears and
tensions, and to encourage positive ways of living together.
 The ancient belief in the protective and invigorating powers of Coral
lives on in the traditional present of red Coral necklaces for small
children. For young girls, Coral is also a popular choice as first piece
of jewelry. But Coral is more than this: In a miraculous way it reflects
the complexion of its wearer, and best displays its irresistible beauty
when worn on the bare skin. Coral belongs to the most attractive of
jewelry materials that can be imagined, and keeps on inspiring
international jewelry designers to develop charming and unique designs. |
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