CORAL–"Red Gold of Indian Jewelry

According to the world-renowned expert on coral, Basilio Liverino, of Torre de Greco, Italy, Indians of New Mexico and Arizona considered coral as an ornament of the highest value and esteem. The mysterious gem was attributed with such great power it was thought it could cure anything from blindness to snakebite, and brought the wearer great luck, long life and virility. The reason for the premium value set on coral used in pawn jewelry is the hand drilling and meticulous hand craftsmanship used to work the material. In recent years, much coral has been drilled by machine or ultra sonic methods and shipped to the reservations ready to string. Regardless of the method of working coral, it is as highly valued by the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo tribes today as it was when it was first introduced. The Indians of the Southwest have always treasured the “red gold” coral. Hopis were using necklaces of coral and turquoise at their snake dances in the 1870s - 1880s. At the Zuni dances the deep red coral is a favorite complement to silver and turquoise. The Navajos prefer the red-orange beads. With Navajo women, strands of coral beads are a symbol of success and social prominence. the standard being a minimum of ten strands at the time of the woman's thirtieth birthday. The most prized and cherished necklaces of coral and turquoise bear a coin, fetish or piece of turquoise tied to one of the strands. These “sing-ties” are mementos of the sings and dances which the lady has attended and attest to her popularity and status. In Nigeria where social classes are divided into Clans, some cannot be approached unless one is properly adorned with coral since it is considered a sign of high distinction. Some employ coral for mourning ceremonies while others rely on this unique material when they feel that their religious faith or strength is weakening. Because of tribal tradition among the social classes which exist in Nigeria, there is one to which the Chiefs belong. The initiation ceremony requires that a King hands the tribal head a certain amount of coral; only upon the receipt of this coral can the tribal Head consider himself part of this select class.

Upper inset: The Trading Post at Baby Rocks. Lower Inset: Heishe, wampum and coral from the Dick Mullen old pawn collection. Center: Eighteen strands of old coral beads from three old pawn necklaces adorned with old silver tube beads. From McGee's Indian Den collection. TED HILL PHOTOS Even with the most modern diving equipment, two out of three coral divers are either permanently injured or die as a result of their reckless and relentless quest for the priceless branches. Because of the universal demand for finer quality, each year the divers must risk their lives diving deeper and deeper into the unknown reaches of the sea.

The Southwestern Indians were not the only ones who sought the beauty and magic of coral. Ivan the Terrible, the Russian Tsar; Greek, Hebrew and Moslem doctors; German, English and French seers; all sought to possess the mysterious gem.

The existence of coral for adornment, and its great demand in our world, dates back over ten thousand years. Fragments of coral used as ornaments, amulets or icons have been found in neolithic graves in Europe, and among the personal possessions of those of the Minoan-Mycenean, Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations. There are coral cameos from the Roman Imperial Era, and small sculptures with reproductions of a siren and various animals from the Iron Age. Treasured in the British Museum of London is a mar-velous Sierapis Jupiter from Greco-Roman Art. Liverino's research has brought forth another somewhat strange but interesting use of coral. In an Egyptian tomb dating back to the 18th Dynasty, teeth of light red coral have been found.

For many years the coasts of Italy were lined with what was thought to be inexhaustible coral mines, and though exploited for centuries, still offers good possibilities. However, fishing is now carried on in the Japanese Sea, the China Sea and the South Pacific... with Japan being the major world supplier of high quality gem material.

Massive “horns” of Japanese coral are used for carving priceless icons and sculptures. The more delicate branches of Mediterranean coral are used for beads, and finer fragments for jewelry.

With the exception of the use of the Cousteau-Gagnan valve, allowing divers to obtain greater depth, coral fishing has changed very little over the centuries. An overabundance of courage, recklessness and willpower still occasionally costs coral divers their lives.

For centuries, science classified coral as either vegetable or mineral, but in 1720 the Frenchman, Peyssonel, proved that the delicate, brightly-colored branches were the calcareous skeletal remains of thousands of minute sea animals. With a rock-like hardness of 334, the treefan forms come in a variety of colors ranging from shades of blood-red, to orange, to pink, to white. Color determines the price of coral with Angel Skin, a pale pink, being the most valuable. Moorish, an oxblood red, and Satsuma, a cherry red, are next in demand. Because up to 90% of the fished coral is considered waste, one gram of fine, jewelry-quality coral is as expensive as gold, and has often been referred to, in the trade, as “red-gold!” Biologists have not been able to discover what the “ideal habitat” is for coral, and it is difficult to say at which sea depth coral is found. At Capo Caccia in Sardinia, coral was found in a sea cave practically located on the surface. In contrast, there are famous reefs of Sciacca four hundred fifty to six hundred feet deep. Just as in the search for gold, coral is where you find it. Also as is true for gold, coral is as rare.

The aesthetic craftsmanship displayed by the Indians of the Southwest, in drilling tiny beads of coral, has never been equaled... and insures pawn coral jewelry a permanent position in value and history.