Coral is the remaining skeletal of marine animals. It is mainly composed of calcium carbonate which can break easily. Therefore for the jewelry made by coral, you need to take special care for each piece. The original word for coral is actually come from “korallion” which is Greek’s word. It was reported for the use of coral since prehistoric time. There was the evidence of using both white and red coral in that period of time. Later now, the archaeologists have found the use of some coral crimped in the Celtic tombs and other places.
The precious corals can be found in the area of Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Corals from these areas can match perfectly with jewelry body design from platinum, silver or gold. The coral jewelry becomes popular items for today. You can look for the right one that matches to your style, to complete your look for the day.
However, the situation for ocean coral today is now in danger according to the increase of water temperature which results in dwindling amounts of new coral. Therefore, it is important to know whether the piece you are going for is the authentic coral or the imitation pieces. Here are some tips to check for the authentic coral.
1. Remember that coral is natural made material. The color is deep by its nature. Check for the color of coral, if you can smell any synthetic color agent, that is not the real one. You can also check with acetone for the dye of imitated coral. Dip the piece in acetone to check for the dye.
2. Use cow’s milk. Put your coral in and let it sink in cow’s milk for couple hours. If the milk gets a red tinge, the coral is real. If the milk has not change in color, it is not the real one.
3. Test with vinegar. You can easily see the bubble on the surface of the real coral whenever you apply the drop of vinegar on. This reaction is result from calcium carbonate inside the coral and acid inside vinegar.
With these tips, you can check for the authentic coral one. The other thing is about price, the real coral is normally come with high price.
