Coral

Egyptians have used underwater corals as jewelry items way back thousands of years ago. This is mainly because corals have been highly regarded natural underwater wonders and fashioned as a talisman to effectively ward off evil spells and witchcraft. Ancient folklore has it that if the wearer of the coral will become seriously ill, the stone will somehow lose its color. Perhaps, this superstitious association has largely contributed to the fact that coral necklaces and bracelets are often given as christening presents for years now. Nowadays, more than anything else, corals are prevalently used as a wonderful fashion accessory item that adds a striking adornment and a stylish fashion statement, especially among women.


Contrary to what many people might think, coral jewelry is not from the organic conchiolin class, which means it is does not form in the reefs but are actually the branch-like structures found underwater mostly from skeletal remains of some marine animals, and is mainly made of calcium carbonate. Among the highly valued variety is the noble red coral known as corallicum rubrum. Interestingly enough, this particular jewelry item is available in a myriad of wonderful hues from pink to black and even orange that is mostly found in Japan, Australia, the Canary Islands, Malaysian archipelago and the western Mediterranean.

But how did coral jewelry found its way into the world of fashion for the elite? The introduction of corals as a stylish accessory can be largely credited to the King of Naples, Italy who commissioned a jeweler by the name of Robert Phillips to make jewelries out of corals. Hence, the Victorian era got the glimpse of corals carved in flowers, leaves and even fruits and prevalently worn as brooches or as charm bracelets. Soon after, these charming pieces were incorporated with diamonds and some emeralds to complement its stark beauty. However, like any other fashion trend, once it’s reached its pinnacle of success, it slowly dwindled down until it was eventually gone from the fashion scene.

However, people today are more than eager to incorporate something unique and exciting in their wardrobe ensemble and corals, it seems are fast becoming another trendy accessory. The high quality corals that are fashioned as jewelries today are often filled with colored wax to further improve its appearance. The ones that fetch significantly higher prices are those that are generally free of any blotches, cracks and holes in it. It is quite tricky to gauge the true quality of corals nowadays since in this case, appearances are often quite deceiving. The best thing to do is purchase your jewelry only from a reputable merchant.

If you want a more affordable alternative, then go for foam or root corals since they have been known to be more reasonable priced. This is yet another type of coral specie that is largely found in the Japanese Momo coral and expertly extracted from the sand or mud. Foam corals are slightly more expensive than root coral but the two are reportedly among the cheapest choices among the coral jewelry items in the market today and are widely available in a few number of colors interesting shades. While this is basically used as a decorative piece, many therapists claim that the red corals have healing properties particularly in relieving body tension and said to promote a more positive social life. This explains why most of the coral jewelries today are fashioned as necklaces than any other form of jewelry item. The necklaces are best worn against the bare skin this the surfaces beautifully reflects the complexion of the user and produces a more stunning effect on one’s bare skin. Suffice it today, corals are among the widely used accessory by many famous fashion designers all over the world and once again seen as a fashionable piece of jewelry just like it did a few decades back.