What is synthetic coral?

Corals (Greek, original meaning unknown) form reefs, atolls and coral shoals in tropical seas with intricately branching bushes – colonies of polyps. Only the calcareous frames (external skeletons) of these colonies are used as material for jewelry stones – corals. Such a framework (polypnyak) is built by many small polyps, which are located in tiny cells – recesses of the exoskeleton – and secrete lime with their lower ends to form plantar plates. The height of the colonies is 20–40 cm, the thickness of their branches reaches 6 cm.

Colours

In jewelry, the red Corallicum rubrum, or Corallicum nobile, is most valued among all types of corals. The entire colony has a skeleton of one, usually uniform, color, but from colony to colony its shades vary from soft pink to dark red, the color of ox’s blood. Only sometimes corals have white or pale pink spots. Along with red and pink corals, white, black and blue corals are processed. White corals, like red ones, are composed of carbonated lime, but black and blue ones are made of the organic horny substance conchiolin with a density of 1,34–1,46 g/cm³. Colonies of black corals reach a height of 3 m. Carmine-red corals are considered especially valuable, giving the color “coral” its name. Bright red specimens of good quality are quite rare. More often it can be warm red shades or salmon color. Pink corals stand somewhat apart. Their delicate color is valued by true connoisseurs on a par with scarlet. The French call these light, almost creamy shades peau d’ange, that is, “angel skin.” Corals are sensitive to heat, acids and hot baths! When worn, they may fade and become pale.

Deposits and production

Corals are distributed along the coast of the Western Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay, the Canary Islands, the Malay Archipelago, and Japan. Black corals are mined in the Malay Archipelago, Northern Australia, and the Red Sea. Colonies of coral polyps are located at a depth of 3 to 300 m from the sea surface. They are caught using weighted, large-mesh nets that are dragged along the seabed, tearing off the polypnyaks attached to it with a wide base from the rocky soil. At the same time, a lot of valuable material deteriorates and perishes. The caught corals are cleaned of soft tissue and sorted.

Quality and processing

Coral is processed in cabochons or in irregular (natural) shapes. It is sometimes cut into a round shape for use in beads. High-quality coral beads should be free of chips, cracks and holes. But since coral is a rather soft and porous material, it is often strengthened when making jewelry. The beads are impregnated with colored wax and tinted. When black corals are bleached, they produce sprigs of a beautiful golden color.

Jewelry with coral: where to buy

Coral jewelry is periodically available on the website and in MIUZ Diamonds branded stores. For example, you can order a necklace with this interesting material. Follow the updates on our website so as not to miss new jewelry items.

Coral analogues

Synthetic Gilson coral and colored bambu coraloid can be classified as coral analogues. And various materials are counterfeited – from plastic to ceramics.

How to distinguish real coral from fake

Coral is synthesized in various ways. The main thing is that the synthesized material is as similar as possible to the original. Most often, only a specialist can distinguish synthetic coral from real coral. Upgrading coral usually comes down to impregnation (filling cracks), including with dyes. The simplest fakes and imitations: plastic, glass, porcelain, bone, polymer clay, synthetic Gilson coral, pressed chips. For example, a glass imitation will give itself away immediately: if you see small bubbles, this is a fake. Real coral can be easily distinguished from plastic using a heated needle: the plastic will begin to melt and a black dot will appear at the heating site; nothing will happen to the natural sample. How else can you determine authenticity? Natural coral, unlike fake coral, has an amazing pattern reminiscent of growth rings on trees. The color of synthetic Gilson coral, created from calcite powder with silica, will be very even and evenly distributed over the entire surface. In addition, synthetics are denser and do not have a pattern. Whereas real coral always has color transitions and a characteristic mesh pattern, similar to the texture of a wood cut. It’s easy to see under a magnifying glass. You can identify fake polymer clay and porcelain at home by dropping one drop of a weak vinegar solution onto the sample. A real coral, consisting of calcite with impurities, will begin to react to alkali; a fake of inorganic origin will not react with vinegar. To determine whether a sample has been colored, you need to immerse it in plain water for 2 hours and see if its color changes. Common and inexpensive white corals are most often used for tinting. Natural coral will never stain water, and painted imitations may even leave marks on the skin in the heat. If we talk about coral beads and necklaces, then you should pay attention to the holes in the beads: when drilling, microcracks remain in natural coral.

Coral in astrology and its magical properties

Coral is considered a talisman for travelers. This stone is suitable for passionate and emotional natures. They believe that jewelry with coral makes its owner more attractive to the opposite sex and fills it with confidence. He is able to revive cooled feelings and rekindle love. Earrings or beads with red corals awaken energy in a person, relieve lethargy and apathy. Pink coral brings happiness, helps to build a new life, makes the owner softer and more feminine, while white coral harmonizes. It is recommended to wear such jewelry for zodiac signs such as Pisces, Capricorn and Scorpio. But coral is not contraindicated for other signs either. https://miuz.ru/guide/stones/jewelrystones/korall/ Coral in jewelry Color: red, pink, white (black, blue). Hardness: 3–4 points. Density: 2,6–2,7 g/cm³. Corals (Greek, original meaning unknown) form reefs, atolls and coral shoals in tropical seas with a bizarre appearance. Regular readers of our blog are already aware of how coral is mined, what jewelry is made from it, and how best to care for it. In this article we offer more detailed information about options for imitation of natural material and methods that allow you to identify fake coral in everyday conditions. The demand for jewelry made from this mineral is high, and so is the price—one bead, depending on the quality, can cost up to $50. Hence the desire of unscrupulous manufacturers and sellers to falsify goods. Our tips will help you avoid unnecessary expenses, even if the label does not reflect the artificial origin of the jewelry.

Possible options

Imitation coral is the chemical production of a material from artificial or natural raw materials that looks natural. The official technology for producing synthetic coral was developed in the 70s of the last century. It received its name from the surname of its author, the Swiss Pierre Gilson. The imitation is made from calcite powder mixed with silica and artificial additives. The color range of the material is similar to that of natural coral: hundreds of shades are possible from white to bright red. Synthetic coral is less dense and more porous than natural coral. It costs an order of magnitude cheaper. There is an imitation method using waste from jewelry production. The coral shavings obtained during the manufacture of jewelry are mixed with polymer resin and dye, and then pressed. The result is what is called restored coral. In addition, real white coral is often used for counterfeiting. Because it is valued lower than pink and red, manufacturers tint the material to increase its value. A fairly common way to falsify coral is by pressing the powder obtained by grinding the corozo nut (the fruit of a palm tree native to South America). The powder with an organic liquid in the composition hardens when mixed with the dye. The resulting beads are practically indistinguishable from those carved from coral. Sometimes tinted porcelain or bone is passed off as a sea mineral. The crudest imitations are cheap plastic beads, colored glass based on barium phosphate, colored plaster, polymer clay. If the manufacturer indicates on the label that the material is synthetic or reconstituted, then he sets a relatively low price. But often jewelry manufacturers and sellers hide the truth and sell imitations at the cost of jewelry with natural stones.

How to distinguish coral from a fake

• the texture of a natural mineral looks like a pattern on a piece of wood, while an artificial one does not have a mesh pattern;
• the counterfeit is revealed by tiny air bubbles – these are only possible in glass imitations;
• The color of natural coral is heterogeneous, while that of artificial coral is even;
• natural material is lighter than an imitation of similar size and warmer to the touch.

To ensure that the visual test gives the most accurate result, use a magnifying glass when examining the jewelry.

For complete reliability, you can combine the study of the appearance of the product with control procedures.

1. Heat the sewing needle and touch the tip to the coral. Natural will not suffer from this. A black dot will appear on the plastic. At the same time, the characteristic unpleasant smell of burning plastic will tell you about the counterfeit.
2. You can examine the material using acetic acid. There are two options: drop it from a pipette onto the product or place it in a container with a weak vinegar solution. If bubbles appear, the material is of natural origin. But there will be no certainty that this is coral, because a similar reaction will be given by any type of mineral raw material that contains calcite – shell, bone, etc.
3. Clean, hot water will help reveal white coral that has been stained. After 10–15 minutes of “bathing,” he will turn pale and the water will turn pink. If the coloring is weak, then the fake leaves reddish marks even on the skin, especially in the heat.

1. Warm the decoration slightly. Natural material will temporarily (until it cools) lose its gloss, while artificial material will remain shiny.
2. Water helps to distinguish real coral even from a masterly fake. If the jewelry is made of natural coral and placed in it for 20–30 minutes, it will absorb moisture and become brighter. True, the previous shade will return after drying.

How to choose coral beads and distinguish natural material from fake

When choosing coral beads, in addition to the methods described above, carefully inspect the holes into which the thread is threaded:

• microcracks near the hole are a sign of a natural mineral;
• if the color inside the bead differs from the color outside, the material is counterfeit;
• the thread turned pink – tinted.

Counterfeiting coral jewelry is a profitable business, and with the development of jewelry production technologies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to detect, especially at home. Therefore, do not forget that only a professional – a jeweler or gemologist – can give a 100% accurate conclusion about the authenticity of a product.

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