Floral Coral Power!

Precious coral or red coral is the common name given to Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.

The hard skeleton of red coral branches is naturally matte, but can be polished to a glassy shine. It exhibits a range of warm reddish pink colors from pale pink to deep red; the word coral is also used to name such colors. Owing to its intense and permanent coloration and glossiness, precious coral skeletons have been harvested since antiquity for decorative use. Coral jewelry has been found in ancient Egyptian and prehistoric European burials, and continues to be made to the present day.

Red corals grow on rocky seabottom with low sedimentation, typically in dark environments--either in the depths or in dark caverns or crevices. The original species, rubrum, is found mainly in the Mediterranean Sea. It grows at depths from 10 to 300 m, although the shallower of these habitats have been largely depleted by harvesting. In the underwater caves of Alghero, Sardinia (the "Coral Riviera") it grows at the depth of 4 m. The same species is also found at Atlantic sites near the Strait of Gibraltar and at the Cape Verde Islands. Other Corallium species are native to the western Pacific, notably around Japan and Taiwan; these occur at depths of 350 to 1500 m in areas with strong currents.

Coral, if you are a Jul B. Dizon Jewellery fan, is a favorite material that we work with. Here are some of the pieces that my sisters and I have recently designed and brothers created. A lot of the items here are sold or are orders but please feel free to drop by our branches in Peninsula and EDSA Shangri-la to have your own oceanic wonder.





















Thanks to Wikipedia for the information about Coral.