Apple Coral Sterling Silver Necklace and Earrings.

This necklace is a gorgeous piece of hand made Sterling Silver jewelry. An elegant work of art. This necklace features beautiful hand cut oval cabochons of genuine Apple Coral. This Apple Coral looks great as its set up against the brilliance of Sterling Silver. The necklace has a box link chain for complete flexibility. Non Indian made. The total length of this necklace is 20-1/2". The matching French hook earrings are 1-1/2" long. Stamped Sterling. The matrix of the Apple Coral may slightly vary. The photo is an excellent representation of the one of a kind hand made necklace you'll receive.

There are four types of precious coral in Hawaii: black coral (Antipathidae), gold coral (Parazoanthidae), red or pink coral (Corallidae) and bamboo coral. Each of these has a different internal composition. Red and pink corals produce a calcite skeleton similar in hardness to ivory and pearls. Bamboo corals, on the other hand, produce a skeleton composed partially of calcite and partially of protein that is similar to the keratin in your fingernails. These alternating bands of material resemble a bamboo stalk; thus the corals' name. In Hawaii, black corals are found in 100-300 ft. of water, shallow enough to harvest using scuba equipment. Many harvesters, however, have died in pursuit of coral trees at the deep end of this range. Red, gold and bamboo coral are found between 1,000 and 1,500 ft; so harvesting is conducted with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or submarines.