Apple Coral Sterling Silver Pendant and Earrings.

This pendant is a gorgeous piece of hand crafted southwestern style jewelry. This pendant was made from shimmering Sterling Silver. The center of this sensational pendant is dressed with a hand cut oval cabochon of genuine Apple Coral. This sensational pendant has an elegant and traditional teardrop design. Non Indian made. Suspended from a complimentary chain, this pendant is 1-3/4". The matching French hook earrings are 1-5/8" long. Stamped Sterling. The matrix in the Apple Coral stones may slightly vary. The photo is an excellent representation of the one of a kind hand crafted pendant 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.