Coral Beads
Coral beads are made from the skeletons of marine animals, and the coral sold for beads today is mostly sponge coral, the porous branching skeleton of a soft coral that grows on shallow reefs in the western Pacific. This collection holds sponge coral in red and blue in a range of finishes and shapes for bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
Appearance
Red sponge coral is a brick to red-orange color with a fine network of pores and darker lines running through it, like a close-up of a sea sponge. Blue sponge coral has the same texture in soft denim to slate blue tones with cream and grey veins.
A polished finish seals the surface and brings up the pore pattern; a rough or raw cut leaves the branching structure open. At about 3.5 on the Mohs scale, coral is soft and should be kept away from harder beads, water, perfume and lotion. It is best used in necklaces and earrings.
Formation and origin
Coral is not a mineral but the calcium carbonate skeleton built by colonies of small marine animals. Sponge coral comes from Melithaea, a fan-shaped soft coral of the South China Sea and Indonesia whose jointed skeleton is porous rather than solid. Precious red coral of the Mediterranean belongs to a different genus with a dense skeleton and is now subject to harvest quotas and trade restrictions, so sponge coral and bamboo coral have replaced it in most bead work. Fossil corals such as Indonesian fossil coral and Petoskey stone are ancient reefs replaced by quartz or limestone and are listed with our fossil beads.
Pairings
Lepidolite beads: lilac and pink next to coral red or blue, and both are soft stones that suit necklaces.
Hematite beads: a dark metallic spacer that sharpens the warm red of coral in a classic combination.
Lapis lazuli beads: red coral and deep blue lapis have been strung together in Tibetan and Himalayan jewelry for centuries.
Meaning and Metaphysical Beliefs
Coral has long been worn as a protective charm, especially for children, in Mediterranean, Tibetan and Native American cultures, and red coral was once believed to guard sailors and ward off misfortune. In modern crystal traditions it is associated with vitality, emotional balance and the root chakra. These are traditional beliefs, not claims of physical effect.
