Red coral

[Cave Keeper]

The Tibetans distinguish between sea red coral and mountain red coral. I thought red coral comes from the red sea fan. Am I wrong? Is it really true red coral beads are actually made of some kind of bamboo material?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Date: 9/9/2005 9:43:00 PM
Author:Cave Keeper
The Tibetans distinguish between sea red coral and mountain red coral. I thought red coral comes from the red sea fan. Am I wrong? Is it really true red coral beads are actually made of some kind of bamboo material?

Coral is an organic gem formed from the external skeletal remains (calcium carbonate) of the "coral polyp", a tiny tube shaped sea creature.

Red & pink coral is predominantly found in the Mediterranean Sea, with the Sea of Japan also yielding red & pink coral, and the South Pacific yielding pink coral.

Tibet is a landlocked nation, and Tibetan coral is fossilized coral formed from eons past. Originally white in color, it has been dyed by the Tibetans for hundreds of years.

I'm not familar with any "red coral" made from bamboo. With red coral being by definition of marine origin, any "coral" originating from bamboo would properly be considered an imitator.

 

[gemnut]

I''m not an expert by any means, but I do know that Tibet is a landlocked country and has no sea to speak of, therefore, any coral they may have naturally available is probably fossilized coral. I have heard of dealers trying to pass off something called calcyte marble as red coral. Perhaps this is what you are referring to?

 

[valeria101]

I don't know much about this... there surely is red fossil 'coral' and died fossil coral used in jewelry. Look HERE.

It is a fossil called 'staghorn corral' when it comes from US sources... some died, some not

All in all, I do not know what sources of this or other material are responsible for the Tibetan jewelry though. In theory, the original red coral would have been imported (=exclusive fare) and definitely less common than the current flow of Tibetal style jewelry in curio shops would let one believe. Never looked much into this really...

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 9/10/2005 11:28:06 AM
Author: valeria101
It is a fossil called ''staghorn corral'' when it comes from US sources...

Good find, Ana. I collected this material in Utah when the site was open and still have a piece or two. I was going to photograph one and post it but you''ve saved me the bother.

It really doesn''t look like the coral used in Tibetan or even American Indian jewelry. Staghorn is a different type of coral(see image) and grows in shallow water instead of at depth like the fan corals. Its internal radiating cellular structure is nicely preserved in the fossils, as in the image you posted. The red color in the Utah specimens is probably from iron or some other mineral that was deposited during fossilization. Other horn corals I''ve seen were not red.

Richard M.

 

[Cave Keeper]

Date: 9/10/2005 11:05:22 AM
Author: gemnut
I''m not an expert by any means, but I do know that Tibet is a landlocked country and has no sea to speak of, therefore, any coral they may have naturally available is probably fossilized coral. I have heard of dealers trying to pass off something called calcyte marble as red coral. Perhaps this is what you are referring to?

Well, this would be yet another substitute material (a.k.a. simulant, a.k.a. ...) which I didn''t know about.

So far, I''ve seen shops in Shanghai selling the following materials which seemed like red coral beads:-

1. Dyed Yak bone;
2. Dyed wood from a certain tree;
3. Suspected (tiny but very precise workmanship and uniform dimensions) ceramic bead; and,
4. What is claimed to be red coral.

They are either reddish, scarlet or orange in color. But none claim they are from bamboo.