Coral products: description, quality of material, types and beauty of jewelry, approximate cost and owner reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Even in ancient times, coral was used for jewelry and religious objects. Products from coral are found during excavations. Ancient people loved to decorate themselves and now the situation has not changed. The craving for beauty has been inherent in man since the time of Adam and Eve.

Mythology

In every country there were legends about corals. Some believed that red was the most common plant, which is why it was called the "garden by the sea." In Egypt, ancient people believed that a drop of the blood of a deity was contained in particles of red coral.

In Greece, they thought that where Perseus beheaded Medusa Gorgon and shed her blood, a blood-colored stone appeared. Dragonite - that's what they called it in Russia, people believed that it was stored in the head of a dragon.

But is it right to think that coral is a rock? No, it has nothing to do with minerals born from the earth's crust.

General information about coral

Coral, like pearls, is born in the abyss of water with the help of living creatures and is a vital necessity for the smallest creatures, more precisely, a shelter. smallinvertebrates, in order to ensure their safety, build dense calcium cells, it turns out a kind of external skeleton. Only a colony of creatures called "polyps" can do this.

They can form gigantic coral reefs. After their short life, calcium capsules remain and corals are born.

Raw materials are made from ordinary types of minerals and lime is obtained, and wonderful coral products are made from rare and beautiful ones.

What are the colors

There are several hundred types of coral all over the face of the earth, all of different colors and beautiful hues. Unfortunately, the main part of this charm is not used in the jewelry industry due to unsuitability. Only a few species have good durability for use in jewelry.

There are several factors that affect the color of the material:

1. The depth at which the coral grew.
2. The amount of light entering the body of water.
3. The organic matter in it.

The palette is not very rich in colors, most often there are shades of pink and red. But there are other coral colors that have their own names:

Bianco - mother-of-pearl and white.

• Angel skin - coral with a delicate pink-silver hue, is more valuable.
• Akori is a blue coral with a high value.
• Fiery - scarlet and very bright.



• Bull blood - dark red andrich.
• Akabar - black coral, the rarest and most valuable.

Corals are so beautiful and eye-catching that they seem to have no price.

Coral varieties

Coal mining is very dangerous and difficult. Truly worthwhile specimens are rare.

During mining, the material is divided into the following grades:

1. Root - used to make cheap jewelry and figurines.
2. Foamy - small souvenirs are made from it.
3. Noble – after carefully sorted by color, used by skilled jewelers to create beautiful jewelry.

Then these coral products go on sale. They look elegant on the neck, wrist or show off the brooch on the clothes of fashionistas.

How much do corals cost

Like any other material for making masterpieces, coral is evaluated by knowledgeable people according to certain criteria:

• strength;
• color uniformity;
• presence of natural pattern.

The higher the quality and clearer the image on the material, the higher the cost. For example, the price of a 10 carat cut coral can easily exceed $250.

Getting a truly rare piece is not easy, so most of the jewelry is not that expensive. You can purchase a piece of silver with corals for $100 (6200 rubles).

Where to buy corals

In exhibition centers and museums, expositions of ornamental stones and gems are often arranged. On thesuch events acquire noteworthy products made of coral. Usually, there jewelry does not have a high price, but you should pay attention to the quality.

A trip to the ocean or sea, next to coral reefs, will help you move towards your dream of acquiring coral masterpieces. There will be plenty of them in any souvenir shop. Good specimens are found in Australia, Egypt, Japan and the Canary Islands.

Products from coral are bought in jewelry and antique shops, at flea markets. But there is a risk of getting a fake at the price of a real coral.

Fake corals

The “treasures” of the abyss of water crumble during processing, so creating a masterpiece from them is a lot of trouble. Yes, and coral mining is not an easy job. Therefore, many craftsmen began to fake them. Most common methods:

• Pressing. Harmless and cheap way. Uneven thin coral branches are ground into small fractions, and the desired product is made from the raw materials obtained, if a reaction starts on them with hydrochloric acid and the product begins to hiss, as if boiling, which cannot be said about natural material.
• Artificial production. At the right temperature and a certain pressure, a mineral identical to coral is grown artificially from a dye and calcium. Real material is recognized by a cut or chip - it is glossy, while for fakes, the cut is matte and grayish.
• Plastics. A crude method for using fake coral. Calcite is not subject to temperature, and fakes are easymelt and emit an unpleasant odor.

Often, craftsmen bring the mineral to perfection by impregnation with binders. Such products made of coral in the photo look great, but they cost much less than natural ones.

Black Coral Products

Akabar is a rare species of coral listed in the Red Book. Its extraction is prohibited in many regions, as it grows very slowly - 100 maximum 300 mm per year. With brisk prey, polyp colonies are unable to recover.

When the mineral reaches 50 years of age, it is allowed to be used. The dark branches of polyps do not contain calcite, so they are quite officially impregnated with plastic. Since otherwise it is impossible to make an ornament out of it. That's why akabar has such a high cost. A black coral item cannot cost less than $200 (12,500 RUB).

Some pieces at auctions are valued at a fortune. Some examples are:

• A diamond owl brooch on a sprig of black coral, valued at $34,600 (2.1 million rubles).
• A necklace of 20 black coral and white gold beads sold for $11,000 (692,000 rubles).

Dark polyps are usually adorned with opals and diamonds, but never in a base of ordinary metal material, even silver. A product with coral in gold or platinum looks better. This emphasizes the nobility of the black polyp.

Dignity of redcoral

Products made from red minerals have not gone out of fashion since ancient Greece and Egypt. They have become especially popular at the present time. The bulk of the corals are processed in Torre del Greco, Italy.

Jewelers make red coral items without adding metal. The polyp is strung one by one on a rubber thread, in this way necklaces, beads, bracelets and rosaries are made. Jewelers enclose more expensive jewelry in silver and gold. The beauty of jewelry pleases the eye and captivates the mind.

The cost of red coral products has always been high, but it can fluctuate. Any owner of this jewelry will be proud of their purchase and speak of it with admiration.

Finished products from coral are located in a fairly wide range of prices. It all depends on:

• coral density;
• shade;
• coral branch size;
• covers;
• assemblies.

Gold and platinum handcrafted typefaces with coral inlays have always been highly valued.

The main qualities of coral are:

• flat surface and smooth edges;
• rich red color;
• streamlined oval or round shape;
• no holes, perforations or visible dents.

Genuine coral or not, checked by a gem quality lab.

Reviews

Judging by the reviews of the owners, to have decorationfrom natural material is always pleasant and much more reliable. However, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase expensive beads. In this case, it is better to buy a product from chips of natural material, which is less valuable. Skillful craftsmen are able to transform these elements and create real masterpieces from them. Under no circumstances should you buy dyed coral. On such jewelry, the paint peels off over time and they lose their aesthetic appearance.