The Coral

Red coral is the best known of all coral varieties. However, the properties of all corals are diverse and sometimes magical. Wearing coral jewelry always brings good luck and we want to tell you why. Read on to find out what coral is.

 

Characteristics of corals

 

 

1. What is coral

Corals are invertebrate animals that belong to the family of cnidarians and within these, to the class Anthozoa. They live at the bottom of the oceans forming atolls, banks and reefs. Their name comes from the Greek "koura halos" meaning "woman of the sea". Coral is considered a precious stone of organic origin, of animal and marine origin. Like amber, ivory, jet and pearl, it is one of the most used materials in jewelry. Although they have an impressive natural luster and translucent properties, they do not belong to the group of precious or semi-precious stones. If coral mineral fossils are found, they are treated in the form of gems and sold on the market to gemstone collectors.

 

Shapes and colors of coral

The forms that we can find of corals are:

- Round: round coral is symmetrical and will roll in a straight line.

- Baroque: showing an irregular shape.

- Semi-round: with rounded shapes, but without being completely spherical.

- Semi-baroque: button type, pear, drop, oval, etc.

Speaking of colors, the most common are red, pink, blue and black. Red corals are only found in the Mediterranean and, together with black corals, are the most valued. There is also a variety of pastel pink coral that has the name "angel skin coral" and a golden shade from Hawaii that is very rare and desired. Corals that are not worked to be polished to a shine are matte in color. And those that are uniformly colored throughout have a high value. About ¾ of the world's production of these gems is worked in Italy and the rest in Japan.

 

3. Properties of coral

Since ancient times, corals have been used to protect people, defend enemies and defend against bad influences.

For example, the Romans believed that red corals gave healing properties and warded off evil, so they were put on children's necks. This remained so until the Middle Ages, when corals began to be considered as a symbol of great beauty and protection against the evil eye. That is why even today we talk about the benefits of red coral.

For shamans, it symbolizes the blood, the tree, the cosmos and the sea as a source of life and is attributed with fertility.

Many peoples and tribes use coral to remedy ailments, especially headaches, hemorrhages and ulcers. In India it is still used to prepare aphrodisiac products.

On the other hand, in gemmotherapy, light colors such as pink or white attract wisdom and prevent madness, insanity, anger and obsession.

 

4. Types of corals in jewelry

Red coral and pink coral are the most sought after for jewelry. There is also gold coral, which grows in a few places such as Alaska or Haiti. In the same way, black coral, also called "anthiparian" grows in very deep waters and has been quite exploited over time. Many countries have banned its export and that is why it is a very expensive variety.

On the other hand, we have bamboo coral, which is more porous than others and is used in the orthopedic field. In addition, they say that a good amount of red coral on the market is actually bamboo coral, which is then dyed.

The only variety of coral found in shallow waters is blue coral. It is widely used in jewelry making and its colors range from gray to blue. Because they are also very porous, their skeletons must be filled.

Among the sponge corals, which are also used in jewelry and must be dyed, is the apple-colored coral found in Indonesia and Taiwan.

To make jewelry, the hard, limestone trunk of the coral skeleton is used, which is polished or carved to make pieces such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and bracelets with luminous designs.

 

5. Care and maintenance of corals

If you have coral jewelry, you should know that they are very delicate and you should take good care of them. To do this, use a damp cotton cloth. Pass it carefully and without pressure over the surface of the jewelry, as coral is porous, fragile and hollow. Also keep in mind to keep the coral away from any chemical products such as soaps, sprays, creams, colognes, etc. as it is very susceptible to react.

If you want to perfume and wear this jewelry, do so before putting it on and keep it in a separate jewelry box to avoid rubbing against other pieces of jewelry.

 

What color coral would you wear?