Coral is an interesting material, it is not a mineral or gemstone, in fact it doesn’t come from the earth’s crust, it is created from living organisms. Coral is created by polyps that secrete Coral only a few millimeters in thickness, usually it can take a few years for Coral to grow into large enough pieces for jewelry. Coral is a wonderful material that comes in many beautiful colors, most notably white, orange, black, pink or salmon which may be called angelskin and red. Red Coral is extremely beautiful and very rare.
Coral has been known to man since ancient times and the word Coral comes from Greek, however the exact meaning is not known. Some say that it comes from the Greek 'korallion', which denotes the hard, calcareous skeleton of the coral animals, or from 'kura-halos', for 'mermaid', as the fine branches of the coral sometimes look like small figures. Others think it more likely that the word is derived from the Hebrew 'goral', (a small stone used in the drawing of lots), for coral branches used to be used in oracles in Palestine, Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean.
Coral can be found all over the world; however, the finest qualities are usually located in the warmer waters. Corals live at depths of between three and 300 meters in the waters around Japan, Taiwan and in the Malaysian Archipelago, in the Red Sea, in the Bay of Biscay and around the Canary Islands, as well as in north-east Australia and the Midway Islands. In the Mediterranean, there are coral banks in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Sardinia, off Tunisia and Algeria, former Yugoslavia and Turkey.
Like the Greeks, the ancient Egyptians also applied coral beads to decoration, and are known to have employed it in royal burial ceremonies. A coral and coral bead even have a long history of use by senior monks in Tibet, and has been labeled one of the seven jewels of Buddhism as described by ancient Sanskrit texts. Coral has been used reverently, by many cultures and since time immemorial, for its intriguing visual characteristics and metaphysical properties.
Modern believers lend its reputation to calm and improve life. It is stated that Coral will give strength and willingness to meet challenges and critical situations. Coral is believed to be beneficial in taming tempers, rages, compulsive disorders, and depression. Consequently, coral is good for achieving spiritual balance.
