[Jewelry making - Article 00337] - Re: [Orchid] Coral Beads

[coralnut]

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    Joyce, Thanks for the thanks!  I doubt you were just lucky. I say
    again....true red coral (not the 'angle skin' or orange stuff but
    true red) is now so rare as to be prohibitively expensive.  Now and
    then you can find a piece of it on E-bay or even on the market but it
    is probably old stock and will cost a lot.  Certainly, if it is true
    red coral, you would not want to cut into it unless youn have
    something specific in mind....a carving, a certain stone, etc.  I cut
    a piece of what they call ox blood red coral a couple of years ago
    into a 20x30 mm cab and it went for $400! 

    Look at the 'red coral' very carefully.  It should be an even
    red....even with swirls of color it will be even.  If you see
    blotches of darker color around any cracks or pits...that is
    indicative of dye.  Also, true coral will be a bit heavier than
    bamboo coral or sea bamboo....actually they are different.  Sea
    bamboo is a heavy grass like plant that grows off Madagascar while
    bamboo coral is found along many reefs around the world.  Bamboo
    coral can become pretty large whilst sea bamboo stays pretty small in
    diameter. 

    Read my LJ article of August 2000 to learn more about black coral. 

    You may occassionally come across a piece of true blue coral which
    is actually a member of the Gorgonian soft coral family even though
    it is more stony in nature then most Gorgonian corals.  So too are
    the red Organ-pipe coral and the red or pink Precious Coral. 
    Otherwise, most of the blue coral on the market made into beads etc
    is actually stony (hard) coral that has been dyed. 

    For lots more information on coral, check Barnes and Noble or other
    good bood stores for Peterson Field Guides, Coral Reefs by Eugene H.
    Kaplan, 1982 (a bit out of date actually), Houghton Mifflin Company,
    Boston and New York. 

    Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
    elegance IS fine jewelry. dcdietz AT comcast.net


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