Black Coral Jewelry Native American Beaded Silver Necklace by Begay.

This Black Coral Jewelry Native American Beaded Silver Necklace is a an elegant and beautiful necklace. This necklace was hand strung in our shop by Navajo Indian jewelry artist Berlinda Begay. Berlinda strung this necklace with gorgeous round beads of genuine Black Coral. This is some of the same Black Coral that used to be on exclusive at Tiffany's. These Black Coral beads have been strung back-to-back for the pure and gorgeous pure black look. Each end of this necklace is dressed with a plated Silver cone. This Native American necklace is 18-3/4" long. The extra extension chain is 4-1/8" long.

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.

We understand the true value and nature of hand crafted Indian art. And, we recognize it's important to know that the artist is truly a member of a Native American tribe. So, to ensure you that this is the real deal, a Certificate of Authenticity has been included with this item.

CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC