Red coral or something else?

[Beautiful-disaster]

Hello lovely forum people,

Wondering if someone with some red coral knowledge might be able to offer some advice. My mother loved this and told me it was expensive red coral.
I always thought it felt weird... the only way I can describe it is it feels like a snake - really soft and smooth. It glitters red under the right light. Has some random pearls tangled in there.
it broke many moons ago and my mum just put it in a pouch to find out about it being restrung which never happened. It is now as you can see - a tangled disaster.
So I have been looking for info on red coral but can’t find a lot.
How can I tell if this is coral - something else - or just glass?
It can’t be glass... it doesn’t feel like it and I would expect it to be much heavier if it was.
The pearls look real (Pass through tooth test - lol) and so does the silver they are strung to. There is no clasp or anything to be able to date it - although it wouldn’t surprise me if it was only from the 80’s (which I can’t believe is 40yrs ago now!)

I have had a look through the loop but I don’t know what I’m looking at - lol
I have included pictures below.
please forgive how dirty it is - it’s been in a pouch for around 35yrs.
I’m trying to work out if it’s worth keeping and restringing or just chucking out at this point.
One of the beads was broken to I attempted to take photos of it under the loop - yes I still suck at this - I’m working on it. Plus I only ever have time to sit down and do this at night which makes for notoriously bad photography.
Any advice you can offer or any links to information that could help me would be super appreciated.

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

Ok after more investigation - it can’t be red coral because it’s translucent.
‍♀*sigh* - back to glass again.

 

[Arcadian]

Def looks like glass to me. too many bubbles in there. they're pretty though!

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

Yeah I think this one is destined for the rubbish. I will ask my daughter if she wants to keep the beads for making earrings but I don’t think she will have the patience for the restringing either.

 

[dk168]

Yup, they look like glass beads to me too, sorry!

DK

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Oh how beautiful though. Please don’t bin it!

 

[Tarquin]

Just a crazy thought - red amber? Maybe reconstituted red amber? That would explain the beads being too light for glass.

Don't throw it away just yet. See if you get more responses here.

 

[collier]

Amber is definitely lighter and comes in red, usually referred to as cherry amber. Are the bead warm to the touch or cool? Amber will feel warm, glass cool.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Yeah I think this one is destined for the rubbish. I will ask my daughter if she wants to keep the beads for making earrings but I don’t think she will have the patience for the restringing either.

Don't biff them
Someone in you or your daughter's circle of friends will have a use for them
they look so pretty
custume jewlery is not always valueless and your mum did enjoy these
Its also usually not overly exspensive to get a necklase restrung

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Just a crazy thought - red amber? Maybe reconstituted red amber? That would explain the beads being too light for glass.

Don't throw it away just yet. See if you get more responses here.

My cheery amber came individuality knotted

 

[pammbw]

Looks like very pretty hand blown glass beads to me. Possibly venetian? It's very pretty!

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I spent yesterday untangling and collecting the beads.
i would of expected them to be more uniform if they were glass. They are all different hues, some have more orange and yellow and some are really really dark red. Its a pity the thread is in such a bad state.
My partner seems to think I would be able to learn to restring these off YouTube! Lmao!! I like his confidence but I have early onset arthritis in my hands so that won’t be happening.

I will have a look into the things you have suggested here - thanks so much!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I spent yesterday untangling and collecting the beads.
i would of expected them to be more uniform if they were glass. They are all different hues, some have more orange and yellow and some are really really dark red. Its a pity the thread is in such a bad state.
My partner seems to think I would be able to learn to restring these off YouTube! Lmao!! I like his confidence but I have early onset arthritis in my hands so that won’t be happening.

I will have a look into the things you have suggested here - thanks so much!

Perhaps your dear husband could learn to string them for you
A few of the ladies around these parts knot their own pearls
This would be an excellent first project
In saying that i don't think i could do it - i think for a few years now my fingers are getting arthritic
But there are plenty of places to be found through the internet that string/knot beads
There is probably someone in every town who does it for the local family jewler
I really hope your beads get to be worn again, they are such a lovelly colour

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

Perhaps your dear husband could learn to string them for you
A few of the ladies around these parts knot their own pearls
This would be an excellent first project
In saying that i don't think i could do it - i think for a few years now my fingers are getting arthritic
But there are plenty of places to be found through the internet that string/knot beads
There is probably someone in every town who does it for the local family jewler
I really hope your beads get to be worn again, they are such a lovelly colour

After spending the morning looking through site with vintage glass beads - I am still at a loss. Can’t find anything that looks like them.
I took a few pictures with some sun to try and catch what your eyes see and got close.They all need a really good bath that’s for sure.
Each bead seems like an individual (?)
I will most likely email an antique bead dealer to see if they can identify them as the google searching is doing my head in. I do wish I could keep them in their snake formation as it feels so wonderful but the thread is just hanging in there at this point.
They have me intrigued at this point just because I’m finding it so hard to find something similar. It may be that they photograph differently so online what I’m seeing doesn’t look at the same as in real life so comparisons might be off(?) The Gold in that one sneaky overblown one might be a clue! Lol
Still trying to talk my partner into paying for my sapphire to go to the gem lab for valuation.... so I’m entertaining myself with this stuff. Found a little malachite pendant yesterday so now I’m learning about that too!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

What ever they are they are a lovelly colour on my phone and im not usually a fan of anything red

A few years back when black was all in down at the fashion accessorie stores down the mall i brought some cheap black beads threaded in a similar thick style - i thought they would make cool straps on a dress

I think your beads have endless potential no matter what you do with them

 

[pammbw]

Could possibly be garnet beads- I have a garnet necklace that is woven the same way as yours.

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

So while I was still searching for matching beads I came across what I would really like to do with them! I’m going to contact a vintage bead seller to see if they can match them and then get some in black and make (or have it made) into a smaller version of one of these necklaces!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

So while I was still searching for matching beads I came across what I would really like to do with them! I’m going to contact a vintage bead seller to see if they can match them and then get some in black and make (or have it made) into a smaller version of one of these necklaces!

That is sooooooo awsome !