coral necklace
The history of corals goes back a few thousand years in time with records suggesting that corals have been used to make decorative art objects for several centuries now. In ancient time, the attraction for coral was based not just on its physical beauty but also on the belief that this stone had special spiritual and metaphysical properties. http://www.hibeads.com
People believed that coral was a good luck charm and protected the wearer from misfortune. They believed that wearing a coral necklace prevented and cured diseases of the skin. Others believed that when a sick person dreamed about coral, it was a sign that he or she had turned the corner and was on the road to recovery. Coral also has ties to historical Greek mythology. Legend has it that Perseus challenged and killed the sea living monster. As the blood of the creature ran into the water, it turned to coral. Ancient Romans believed that coral was a protective stone and was often worn by soldiers into battle. They also believed that coral could save a person from the harm caused by snake and scorpion bites. Others believed that a change in color of the stone suggested a change in the medical condition of the wearer. While many of the ancient myths related to coral are just that – myths – the story of the origin of coral is quite interesting in its own right. Coral and pearls are the only gems that have an "organic" origin in that they are created by living creatures. In contrast, the other gemstones known to man are inorganic nature and were predominant created by geologic forces of pressure, temperature, and in some cases, erosion. Tiny sea creatures called polyps are responsible for the creation of coral reefs. The skeletal remains of these creatures bond together and form calcified formations that we call coral. Corals can grow over a period of several decades and polyps continuing to add to the reef during these years. In some cases, the stems of the reef can reach nearly two inches in diameter. Coral specimens of this size, however is quite rare. There are dozens of species of polyps in the oceans and seas that can form coral.
However, only coral created by the polyp corallicum is used for jewelry production. The bright red coral created by corallicum rubrum polyp is rare and a coveted gem for fine jewelry. Corals are extremely sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature of the water and the sunlight that reaches the coral shoal. In particular shoals of coral thrive in warm waters. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that coral for jewelry making is found in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean Sea and off the Pacific coasts of Japan and Taiwan. Black coral found off the Mexican coast is probably the most valuable form or coral. Those sources have been severely depleted over the years and only small quantities of gem quality black coral can now be found.
Coral that is harvested from the sea bed must be processed before it can be use for silver pendants and other forms of fashion and fine jewelry. Divers manually collect coral jewelry from the sea bed. Once on the surface, the coral specimens are carefully examined and sorted according to quality. Pieces of coral that contain no flaws are the most prized, although specimens of lesser quality are also used in fashion jewelry. The coral is stabilized before being incorporated in jewelry. The processing may include infusion with resin, or bleaching to create white coral, or dying to improve the color of the specimen. The coral is then cut and polished and either drilled for stringing, or mounted in metal settings to create the beautiful sterling pendants and other coral jewelry that we know and love today.
For more information about coral jewelry please visit http://www.hibeads.com, jewelry store…
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