I have handled some very nice coral beads over the past few years, and when offered for sale, there was almost no interest, because the color was not red-enough. But still, very nice old beads, and good sized.

(Anyone who knows me, knows coral is my favorite bead material, and one of my specialties.)

JDA.

Odan just sold 260grm of coral for $10.oo/grm..
Who says coral is too expensive ?

You just have to know where to buy and not sit around and whishing It was yours.

I wish your photos were somewhat larger, so details could be seen more clearly.

In recent years, a LOT of coral has been characterized as "angelskin," where I would disagree with that designation. Usually this is white coral with pink spots or streaks. Actual angelskin coral is pink—sometimes with darker pink spots or streaks. Another closely-related coral comes from around the Hawaiian Islands, that is usually a more-vibrant pink with considerable variegation. Whether this is "angelskin" is a matter of opinion, I guess.

Added to the above, there are imitations that are made to resemble coral—such as dyed bone and other materials. It may take a close detailed photo to differentiate.

Think of coral (essentially gem quality coral from the Mediterranean or South China Sea) as being the "skeleton" of a marine animal. Its composition is very close to mollusk shell—being calcium carbonate. So, although it is organic, it is also essentially an organically-formed mineral. Coral will resist many normal treatments that survive whatever is harmless to calcium carbonates. However, it is attacked by some acids, such as hydrochloric acid.

It is safe to get coral wet—since it is an ocean product. It is also safe to wash coral beads in warm soapy water, and use an old toothbrush to gently release old dirt.

Nevertheless, since you are dealing with an old intact necklace, be aware that it is possible the cords (that you say may be silk) may be compromised—and would possibly break during washing. Old necklaces, strung on silk or organic fibers, should be restrung every five to ten years, if they are worn often.

This is what keeps we bead-stringers in business (!).

Good luck. Jamey

The small branch pieces in the center were sold to me very recently as angel skin coral. I'm not an expert so I don't know if this is accurate.

The cross is probably at least 50-60 years old and I purchased it about 5 years ago. It was sold to me as angel skin coral as well. It is a signed Native American piece. The pink color does not match the pink on the Hawaii necklace at all. The color rendition did not come out well - this coral is much more of a peach color than it shows (on my monitor at least).

As I said I'm not an expert, but recently I was looking high and low for some angel skin coral beads, and I did not find any of the size and shape of your graduated rounds necklace. I found only small beads & pieces and cabs. Note added: I was looking for inexpensive beads - there are a lot offered in the thousand-dollar range.

You are fortunate to have acquired Hawaiian pink coral at such a low price. In recent years it has become very pricy. Because the Pacific coral that is pink is a different animal than the Mediterranean coral that provides angelskin, it is difficult to compare one to the other—except to say both are pink. I will show my angelskin coral, that I bought in the 1970s when I can either find an image or shoot my necklace. (I'm reasonably sure I showed this in the Coral Lecture I presented some two years ago for YoneSF.)

Your central coral group appears to be the white-coral-with-pink-spots that is routinely passed-off as "angelskin" coral in recent years.

The cross (a very nice piece by the way), seems to have what I would call "salmon" coral. This has a flushed pink color, that is somewhat saturated, but not bright. You say it's peachy. OK, I know that color in corals too. But if the photo is not accurate for color, it's hard to identify specifically.

Jamey

I would guess these may be from the Philippines, where black coral and shell hishi beads were commercially produced since the mid-1970s.

It is a very beautiful strand! Jamey

Floor also rented a nice apartment that she has stayed in previously. I think she already reported that in the interwar period, the occupants of the house worked in the bead industry, stringing beads. They worked outside in the garden, which is strewn with rejects. Floor has already picked over this garden, but I had to have my go at it, with the result that I found a baggie-load of old pressed glass beads.

Nothing of interest there for me, except for a glass nail file. Wish I had bought a pile of them for gifts since they were really inexpensive. Here's Floor mugging for the camera outside the shop. Floor loaded up on various items related to glass lampworking.

As a final picture about my visit to Jablonec - once I was home I sorted out enough "garden beads" to make a coral-colored necklace. It will be a favorite memento of Jablonec! Note - half of the beads I picked up were rejects, having only partial holes or no holes. If anyone is interested in having these, I'm happy to send them off to you if you pay for shipping. Please contact me by email or through BCN if you don't have my email.

Shortly after acquiring the coral I got a strand of ancient agates from an African trader. The agate strand had a smattering of coral beads mixed in, which gave me the idea for merging the two strands. For a while they were combined into the two necklaces shown. Since then they have been remodeled a number of times and I no longer own all the agates.

In 2009 our bead society visited the Picard Museum and that got me infatuated with Venetian trade beads. But the coral and agates were my "first loves".

They'd been knotted on black rattail with an inexpensive filigree box clasp with a character mark stamp that I recollect as being from the 1990s.

I had fun today re-arranging them into a necklace I like better, soon to go back up on eBay. However, because it's strung on leather lacing (all the beads have big holes), I figure it is now unsalable for anything near what I paid for the beads, even despite the nice patina that the 25-years-old silver clasp has acquired.

Thus have mentally added it to the pile of things I'm permanently stuck with that will have to wait until I'm dead and not around to care, then my heir can give the necklace away to St. Vincent's.

We know that eventually all our beads will go to new owners. Joyce had the best philosophical attitude about losing beads - that perhaps a new owner will eventually get them by some circuitous route, know what they are, and really appreciate and love them.

But the ceramic bead is unusual and I don't recall seeing one quite like it. And I have specialized in Chinese and Japanese beads for nearly forty five years.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/An-Edo-Meiji-Era-Japanese-Antique-Pottery-Bead/253000617576?hash=item3ae8030e68:g:-5UAAOSwcj5ZSDFN

Anyone recognize them? Know where they were made, when?