Quality
Corallo Mediterranean
Scientific Name: Corallium Rubrum
Colour:Orange to deep red Harvesting area: the whole Mediterranean basin especially Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Jugoslavia and then Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Depth:From 30/40 metri up to 150/200
Characteristic:Uniform colour, dense pulp. It is generally found in tree-shaped bushes 15/20 cm high and lO/15cm wide. The basis diameter varies from 1 to 1,5 cm. The weight of each bush is about 100/150 gr
Use:The compactness of its colour is ideal for plain working, that is: necklaces, cabochons, ear-drops, pendents etc.
Sciacca
Scientific Name: Corallium Rubrum
Colour: Orange
Depth: From 30/40 metri up to 150/200
Characteristic: Uniform colour, dense pulp. It is generally found in tree-shaped bushes 15/20 cm high and lO/15cm wide. The basis diameter varies from 1 to 1,5 cm. The weight of each bush is about 100/150 gr
Use: The compactness of its colour is ideal for plain working, that is: necklaces, cabochons, ear-drops, pendents etc.
Boke’ (or Angel skin)
Scientific Name:Corallium Elatius
Colour:Homogeneous deep pink
Areas: Japan
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is just one of the many colour varieties of the japanese corals.It has the same. It has the same paste, the same consistency of the Satsuma coral. This too contains a heart of white limestone. Obviously in manufactured coral, the less this white heart is visible, the higher the price is. When the pink is compact, stainless, we find ourselves before a rare piece.
Use:Since it is very rare, the use is as nationalized as possible. It is mainly destined to cabochons for rings and eaarings. Necklaces are really something special.It is definitely the most valuable type of coral.
Miss (or Misu)
Scientific Name: Corallium Elatius
Colour: White, pinkish white, pale pink
Areas: From Japan to Philippines
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is often mistaken and sold as “angel skin”. We don’t know if in good or bad faith. It is ideal for a plain, “smooth” manufacturing.
Use: It gives beautiful litlle pale pink pearls and cabochons
Satsuma (or Cerasuolo)
Scientific Name:Corallium Elatius
Colour: According to the various qualities we can have tones from heavy pink to lively red.
Areas: From Japan to Philippines
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:The colour of japanese corals is not compact, therefore it is not rare to find some branches beginning with red to end with white. A further peculiarity, found in all japanese corals, is the white vein running in every single branch of the bush from the basis to the smallest end (we call it “heart”) . This is not a flaw, as it could seem: in fact it helps telling true coral from false it is from.
Use: Due to its colour and morphology it is perfect for cutting.
All statues, flowers etc. are mainly made of this coral. It also gives beautiful cabochons, buttons, almonds, ear-drops, which can be quite big thanks to the remarkable size of the branches. They will often be recognizable by the white vein in the back part
Deep Sea
Scientific Name:Not classified
Colour: All tones, from pale pink to light red; very shiny, glassy.
Areas: Hawaii
Depth: 1000/2000 metres. Beautiful are the little pearls, of 2 to 4 millimetres, of an homogeneous pink. Being harvested between 1000 and 2ooo metres depth, it changes some old beliefs that retained it was impossible to find coral at such depths. The huge quantities harvested proved the contrary.
Use: The minimum size of bushes is 20 cm. Like in all the coral types of the Pacific, the bigger the branches are, the less homogeneous the colours.Therefore it is impossible to have a uniform cabochon or little pearl bigger than 10mm. As it is very glassy, it often shows crevices.
Another characteristic is that the polyps are on just one side of the bush; this means that due to the depth, and the strength od the streams, the little polyps search protection hiding behind the branches of the coral colony.
Aka (or Oxblood)
Scientific Name: Corallium laponicum
Colour: Lively red to very dark red
Areas: Japan
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is very glassy, rich of flaws; it is a coral type though in which when you finally obtain a flawless piece, this is of a unique beauty. It is one of the most red (and expensive) coral types.
Use:Since it is very rich of flaws, especially that presently harvested, you can hardly obtain cabochons.It is very difficult to realize a necklace with pearls of the same colour. The case of a homogeneous necklace is a masterpiece!
Scientific Name: Corallium Rubrum
Colour:Orange to deep red Harvesting area: the whole Mediterranean basin especially Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Jugoslavia and then Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Depth:From 30/40 metri up to 150/200
Characteristic:Uniform colour, dense pulp. It is generally found in tree-shaped bushes 15/20 cm high and lO/15cm wide. The basis diameter varies from 1 to 1,5 cm. The weight of each bush is about 100/150 gr
Use:The compactness of its colour is ideal for plain working, that is: necklaces, cabochons, ear-drops, pendents etc.
Sciacca
Scientific Name: Corallium Rubrum
Colour: Orange
Depth: From 30/40 metri up to 150/200
Characteristic: Uniform colour, dense pulp. It is generally found in tree-shaped bushes 15/20 cm high and lO/15cm wide. The basis diameter varies from 1 to 1,5 cm. The weight of each bush is about 100/150 gr
Use: The compactness of its colour is ideal for plain working, that is: necklaces, cabochons, ear-drops, pendents etc.
Boke’ (or Angel skin)
Scientific Name:Corallium Elatius
Colour:Homogeneous deep pink
Areas: Japan
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is just one of the many colour varieties of the japanese corals.It has the same. It has the same paste, the same consistency of the Satsuma coral. This too contains a heart of white limestone. Obviously in manufactured coral, the less this white heart is visible, the higher the price is. When the pink is compact, stainless, we find ourselves before a rare piece.
Use:Since it is very rare, the use is as nationalized as possible. It is mainly destined to cabochons for rings and eaarings. Necklaces are really something special.It is definitely the most valuable type of coral.
Miss (or Misu)
Scientific Name: Corallium Elatius
Colour: White, pinkish white, pale pink
Areas: From Japan to Philippines
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is often mistaken and sold as “angel skin”. We don’t know if in good or bad faith. It is ideal for a plain, “smooth” manufacturing.
Use: It gives beautiful litlle pale pink pearls and cabochons
Satsuma (or Cerasuolo)
Scientific Name:Corallium Elatius
Colour: According to the various qualities we can have tones from heavy pink to lively red.
Areas: From Japan to Philippines
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:The colour of japanese corals is not compact, therefore it is not rare to find some branches beginning with red to end with white. A further peculiarity, found in all japanese corals, is the white vein running in every single branch of the bush from the basis to the smallest end (we call it “heart”) . This is not a flaw, as it could seem: in fact it helps telling true coral from false it is from.
Use: Due to its colour and morphology it is perfect for cutting.
All statues, flowers etc. are mainly made of this coral. It also gives beautiful cabochons, buttons, almonds, ear-drops, which can be quite big thanks to the remarkable size of the branches. They will often be recognizable by the white vein in the back part
Deep Sea
Scientific Name:Not classified
Colour: All tones, from pale pink to light red; very shiny, glassy.
Areas: Hawaii
Depth: 1000/2000 metres. Beautiful are the little pearls, of 2 to 4 millimetres, of an homogeneous pink. Being harvested between 1000 and 2ooo metres depth, it changes some old beliefs that retained it was impossible to find coral at such depths. The huge quantities harvested proved the contrary.
Use: The minimum size of bushes is 20 cm. Like in all the coral types of the Pacific, the bigger the branches are, the less homogeneous the colours.Therefore it is impossible to have a uniform cabochon or little pearl bigger than 10mm. As it is very glassy, it often shows crevices.
Another characteristic is that the polyps are on just one side of the bush; this means that due to the depth, and the strength od the streams, the little polyps search protection hiding behind the branches of the coral colony.
Aka (or Oxblood)
Scientific Name: Corallium laponicum
Colour: Lively red to very dark red
Areas: Japan
Depth: From 200/300 metres
Characteristic:It is very glassy, rich of flaws; it is a coral type though in which when you finally obtain a flawless piece, this is of a unique beauty. It is one of the most red (and expensive) coral types.
Use:Since it is very rich of flaws, especially that presently harvested, you can hardly obtain cabochons.It is very difficult to realize a necklace with pearls of the same colour. The case of a homogeneous necklace is a masterpiece!
