Do you know? Corals are not plants but animals!
The history and formation of corals
Corals are the oldest marine life on Earth, emerging nearly half a billion years ago. Many people think that corals are plants, but in fact, from a biological point of view, corals are animals, formed by the aggregation of countless tiny corals. Coral is a coelenterate animal, it is very small, often only a few millimeters, exquisite posture, beautiful color, very delicate, can only live in the water temperature maintained at 22-28 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and the water quality must be clean, high transparency, sufficient sunlight, at low tide can not be exposed to the water surface for a long time, only to meet these harsh conditions, corals can flourish and build coral reefs.
Taiwan and China's South China Sea islands are rich in coral, but the Indian coast and the South China Sea islands are close to the latitude, but there is no coral reef distribution, this is because the Ganges River, the Indus River brings a large amount of sediment into the ocean, making the sea turbid, "picky" polyps do not like such an environment. Therefore, the sea areas where large rivers flow are not suitable for corals.
The polyps take the shape of a flower, with a circle of tentacles at the top, like petals, and a cylindrical column that resembles the ovary of a flower. Polyps absorb calcium carbonate from dissolved seawater and use it to make their own bones. The white corals we generally see are actually the bones left behind after the death of each coral insect, and the real living corals are the tender "small flowers" that bloom on them.
Red as ox blood, smooth wax is a good coral
How to choose a good coral, the most important thing is to look at the following three aspects:
1. The "ox blood red" color is the most precious
The bright red coral commonly known as "cow's blood red" is the most precious, and it has an insurmountable grace and luxury. The lighter the red color of the coral, the lower its value. However, pink and white corals are also beautiful after making necklaces, so they are more and more popular with young girls, and the price is also rising.
2. The smoother the surface, the higher the coral price
The smoother the surface of the coral, the better, but real natural corals are more or less always a little blemish. If you look closely at the polished surface of the beads, you can also see dark and shallow lines, more or less white spots. Undisturbed coral surfaces are visible under a magnifying glass with corrugated streaks. These are the growth trajectories of natural corals and are an important feature to distinguish them from imitations.
3. Waxy luster is the real thing
Natural corals have a waxy luster, very soft, and if they are imitations, they will show a porcelain or glass luster.
Coral rating
Top Red: AKA Red, or "Aka" in Chinese translation, is typical of the grade standard of Taiwanese crimson Aka or Big Red Aka, commonly known as "cow's blood" coral.
Secondary red: Sardine red, named after the Italian sardine island, is the Great Red Order, commonly known as "pepper red" coral.
Three grades: MOMO red, second in color to Aka red, is a fleshy pink or orange red color.
Grade 4: ANGEL SKIN Red, usually referred to as Baby Face or Angel Face, etc. Also known as "deep water" red.
Grade 5: Pink White, also Deep Water Grade.
Grade 6: Pure white, i.e. common coral fossils.
Coral value judgments are territorial
There are many varieties of coral, such as red coral, black coral, blue coral, Japanese coral, Mediterranean coral, etc., different varieties of coral in the quality of the difference is not large, so its color and block size has become the price of the approval standard, but also become the basis for customers to buy. Due to the different countries, their history, civilization, customs, and cultures will cause differences in their judgments on coral values. As a natural jewelry, corals have great ornamental value and collection value.
Introduction and maintenance of red corals
One: the historical background and cultural significance of red coral
Coral, the treasure of the seabed. A symbol of wealth throughout the ages, cultivated in the deep sea 100 to 2000 meters away from us, coral is a special gemstone, because of its many gemstones, the only living millennium spiritual object, has always been highly recommended as a gemstone. Corals are one of the few gemstones where both Eastern and Western cultures agree. It is also listed as one of the Seven Treasures in the Oriental Buddhist Scriptures, and has been regarded as a rich and auspicious thing since ancient times. Natural red corals are formed by the accumulation of polyps, grow extremely slowly, are non-renewable, and are one inch long in 20 years and one kilogram in 300 years. Red corals only grow in the Taiwan Strait, the Japanese Strait, and the Baltic Strait, which are limited by the sea, so corals are extremely precious. At present, there are many jewelry made of red coral, which is very popular with collectors, and the value of fine red coral is very rapid and is valued by collectors.
The ancient Romans believed that corals had the functions of preventing disasters, giving people wisdom, stopping bleeding and driving heat. Corals are closely related to Buddhism, and Buddhists in India and Tibet in China regard red corals as the embodiment of the Buddha, and they use corals as mascots for Buddha worship, mostly to make Buddha beads or to decorate idols. In Tantric Buddhism, it is also the first choice for offerings to the mandha.
In ancient China, red coral was regarded as a thing of auspicious happiness, representing noble power, so it was also called "Ruibao", which was a symbol of happiness and eternity. Famous coral connoisseurs say over the weekend: "Coral, the spirit of the sea." The Indians believed, "Precious corals are mother earth." The Emperor of Japan also regarded red coral as its national essence. From the perspective of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign history, red coral has a lofty status. The crowns and beads worn by the Qing Dynasty's Erpinguan Shangchao were made of precious red coral; Tibetan lamas and monks often held rosaries made of red coral. Precious red corals are now scarce and hard-won, especially coral trees that are more than two feet tall. At present, the importance of corals is also gradually recognized. Due to the rarity and non-reproducibility of corals, it is extremely collectible. Natural red coral jewelry is more loved by people. In addition, red coral not only has collection value, ornamental value, but also has a strong health care function. It is said that wearing red coral jewelry can regulate the human endocrine, promote blood circulation, and also be able to remove blood, break bones, nourish the face and beauty, fight cancer, drive away evil and avoid evil, and make people auspicious and rich. Therefore, wearing and collecting red coral jewelry has become a fashion today.
Two: coral maintenance
Sometimes everyone will wonder why corals are red and bright when they are bought, but after wearing sweat, the color becomes lighter and loses luster, which is closely related to the maintenance of corals.
The chemical composition of coral is calcium carbonate, the nature is unstable, there are acidic components in the sweat of the human body, calcium carbonate will produce a chemical reaction when it touches acidic substances, generating white calcium oxide, which is the white substance we see attached to red corals. Summer is the season of sweating the most, try to rinse the red coral jewelry with water every night, wash off the sweat on it, and there will be no white calcium oxide without chemical reaction. After washing, dry with a soft cloth, apply baby oil, and every once in a while, put the red coral in a plastic bag containing baby oil, soak it overnight, and dry it with a soft cloth to restore its red color and luster. Also pay attention to when wearing:
1. Please avoid heavy hits, collisions, so as to avoid gems falling off and being damaged;
2. Please avoid contact with chemicals, acids, alkaline liquids and perfumes;
Three: appreciation potential
High-quality red corals produced in the coastal and Mediterranean coastal areas from Taiwan to Japan are rare and expensive because they are rare, and with the passage of time, they are more precious and have an increasing appreciation potential. The jewelry such as Buddha beads, bracelets, necklaces, bracelets, pendants and other ornaments processed by red coral are elegant, warm and pleasant, natural and charming, graceful and luxurious, and have become popular jewelry for fashionable women to show their personality charm in recent years.
Four: Identification of corals
This year, due to the continuous popularity of red coral jewelry in the collection market, there have been some phenomenon of passing off coral jewelry with other materials in the market at night. Such as low-grade sponge coral, sea bamboo coral, shoal stained marble, pink glass, artificial materials and other synthetic corals. For buyers, first, choose to buy from a reputable merchant. Second, because corals are rare, the price will not be very cheap, and if the gap with the market price is too large for the product, it needs to be skeptical.
Corals are more common colors are red, pink, uniform color, translucent and natural, on the longitudinal surface there will be different shades of color wavy fine longitudinal texture, it is difficult to see with the naked eye, but the texture of sea bamboo coral is very obvious, some filled and dyed corals, the surface is smooth, rough and fragile, the color can not show a natural uniform red, and easy to fade.
Coral species and evaluation criteria
Coral is a precious organic gemstone, with its unique beauty has won the love of people around the world, Tibetan Buddhism listed coral as one of the "Seven Treasures", believe that it is the embodiment of the Buddha, Buddhists often use it to embellish Buddha statues, make rosary beads, believe that it can ward off disasters and promote practice. The ancient Romans believed that corals had the effect of repelling heat and stopping bleeding, as well as opening wisdom and preventing disasters.
The main component of coral is calcium carbonate, which is formed by the accumulation of polyp bones, and generation after generation of coral insects grow and die in fixed places, and eventually form corals. Due to the phototropism of corals and the need to predation, it "grows" upwards and outwards, and eventually forms a dendritic structure. Interestingly, for a long time its plant-like features confused humans into thinking it was a plant.
Of course, not all corals are gemstones, and only a very few of them can be called gem-quality corals, which makes corals especially precious. Its color is red, orange-red, pink, etc., and the color of coral is colored by absorbing iron, manganese, magnesium and other elements of seawater during the formation process. These metallic elements are mostly found in areas where submarine volcanoes are more active in earthquakes, because gem-grade corals are also produced in these areas.
The varieties of coral include red coral, blue coral, Mediterranean coral, black coral, Japanese coral, Chinese Hainan coral, etc., of which blue coral and black coral have almost disappeared. Coral evaluation criteria are mainly color and block weight, the more red and intense the color, the higher the coral value. In addition, because corals grow slowly, large and heavy corals are rare, which makes them particularly precious.
How to identify true and false red corals?
First, look at the texture. Red corals have longitudinal stripes parallel to the growth direction of the corals, and the arrangement is relatively tight. The outer red coral has a ring like the ring of the tree on the cross-section, and the naked eye should pay attention to these two textures when identifying.
Second, look at the color. The color of red coral is a vivid red, whether it is light or dark, it is alive, undead, not depressed! And red corals have a bright waxy luster, while dyed red corals have no luster and are depressed in color.
Third, listen to the sound. Real corals look delicate but have a crisp, hard sound when they collide with each other. General plastic or other imitation corals do not appear this hard and crisp sound. This sound is especially pronounced on the twigded corals.
Fourth, weigh the weight. Corals have a good sense of weight, generally placed in the palm of the hand will give people a sense of heaviness that does not match their delicate feeling, and this weight is also one of the bases for identifying red corals from some inferior counterfeits.
Fifth, the identification of natural corals and dyed corals: dyed corals are usually dyed with organic dyes to white corals into red and other colors, the identification feature is that the dye is enriched in cracks, and the external color is dark and the interior color is light, the surface is different, and the cotton will be dyed with a cotton stick dipped in acetone.
Sixth, the identification of natural corals and imitations: coral imitations commonly have dyed Dali rock, red glass, red plastic, and "Gilson coral" made of calcite powder and dye. These imitations do not have the internal structure of natural red coral, which can be distinguished by looking closely at the grain; Stained Dali rock granular structure, dye enriched in mineral particles, with acetone test can be used to obtain the answer; The red glass type can be made very similarly, occasionally bubbles will be seen, and from the hardness point of view, the glass is larger than the coral, and it does not react with hydrochloric acid; The density of red plastic is generally small below 1.55, heated and flavorful, and does not react with hydrochloric acid; The density of Gilson corals is 2.45.
A few misconceptions about identifying red corals
First, genuine red corals do not have a white core.
Wrong: Aka red corals are all white cores, so Aka red corals will only be made into egg noodles, and spherical surfaces, used to set rings and make pendants, or set the original branches, generally will not be made into beads.
Second, corals with growth patterns are red corals, and corals without stripes are not red corals.
Wrong: sea bamboo dyed red coral also has growth patterns, and red coral is different, the sea bamboo pattern is very thick, very sparse, easy to see, is the radial pattern, this will be used by the profiteer, saying "red coral is striated, you see how obvious ah" and on the contrary, the red coral texture of the sardine is invisible to the naked eye.
Third, red corals are all red.
Wrong: red coral is a species, red coral in the growth process, absorbed iron is red, if just nothing absorbed, is white, white red coral is very rare, rare on the market.
Fourth, the surface of the coral stained with alcohol will fade
Wrong: I don't know how many people to mislead, I soaked the dyed red coral with alcohol for a day and a night without fading, and I used 84, and also soaked, and did not fade. Smash the fake one open to see the inside, it is also red, which shows how good the dyeing technology is now.
In addition, red corals will only be made because of their slender branches:
1. Beads,
2. Egg noodles, spherical noodles
3. Pendants, pendants, corsages
4. Carved ornaments, original branch ornaments
Red coral pendants are hand-carved, finely carved, and fake red coral, please carve the master is not cost-effective, so the dyed fake red coral pendant is relatively small, generally fake are beads.
Optimal treatment of corals in inventory
In recent years, red coral value-added rapidly, increasingly valued by collectors, with the popularity of collection, the phenomenon of counterfeiting has become more and more intense, and even many can be fake and real, so it is necessary for people who are interested in coral to understand the optimization of coral treatment and identification.
Optimal treatment and identification of corals
1, bleaching: corals are usually bleached with hydrogen peroxide to remove variegated color, but also the dark bleaching into light color.
2. Dyeing: White corals are soaked in red or other colors of organic dyes to dye the corresponding colors. Early dyed products can be detected by organic reagents to detect their fading phenomenon or to zoom in to observe the enrichment imagination of dyes in defects, and modern dyeing products need to further identify the composition of their organic dyes.
3, filling treatment: with polymer filling porous inferior coral. Filled corals with lower density than normal corals. The hot needle experiment had glue precipitation.
Several common imitations of red corals:
1, white coral dyeing: there is a longitudinal texture, the color is uniform.
2. Filled coral dyeing: The shallow reef-building corals with loose texture are filled and dyed by glue injection. The surface is smooth, rough and brittle, the color is easily faded, and the color of the filling is different from the overall coral.
3. Synthetic coral dyeing: various shellfish or reef-building corals are ground into powder, and then molded into the shape of various corals. There is no natural texture, the color is easy to fade, and the "coral" created in this way is almost always the same.
4, stone imitation coral: made of dolomite, calcite and other stone dyeing. The color is uniform, easy to fade, no coral luster.
5, plastic dyeing: plastic products dyed into red coral. Lightweight, fades easily, and has no natural texture or shine.
6, beauty coral: the most easy to fake the real. It is based on inferior coral or white coral as the core, using special paint and coral powder layer by layer, and the natural imperfections of red coral (such as small white dots, small black dots) are also imitated, sometimes to the extent of fake real, the general consumer is difficult to distinguish.
Usually we can't test its composition with instruments or chemical reactions (destructive methods), but we can judge it according to external characteristics such as color, gloss, texture, etc., and it is usually possible to distinguish between authenticity and falsity. According to the principle of different densities of different substances, the weight of the weight is also a basic method.
All kinds of red coral imitations can be used for jewelry production, the market to fake the real, shoddy phenomenon is there, want to buy coral or collect coral friends should take the physical object more observation, comparison, look at the photo can only be the obvious difference in color to judge, imitation of the like can not see it, not to mention that most of the display map on the Internet is not clear enough, some of the color difference is still very large. Corals with higher prices should find reliable sellers or trade in person.
Is there a big chance of appreciation for red coral collections?
It is neither dazzling nor ostentatious, it comes from the depths of the ocean, it is the only living spirit among gemstones, it is the most beautiful flower dedicated by the ocean to mankind - red coral. As the old saying goes: "thousand years of coral red", red coral is valuable because of its slow growth, long lifespan, hard texture for carving, and rare yield. Since ancient times, red coral has been regarded as a thing of auspicious happiness, representing noble power, also known as "Ruibao", which is a symbol of happiness and eternity. In recent years, with the diversified development of the jewelry collection industry, the value of red coral has also skyrocketed, and at auction, the price of coral is more than several times or even dozens of times that of gold, and the value of some coral exquisite jewelry or carved works of art is doubled. Industry insiders said that red corals, which are sought after due to the high volume and low price, still have certain appreciation potential in the future.
Volume dilute price is highly sought after
Red coral has always been dubbed the adjective "delicate, lustrous, crystal clear, warm and lovely". In the West, coral is listed alongside pearls and amber as the three major organic gemstones, and in eastern Buddhist texts, corals are listed as one of the Seven Treasures. The main component of coral is carbonate, the main mineral is calcite or aragonite, and the hardness is 3-3.9 degrees. Corals grow in depths of the sea at 200-2000 meters and are extremely difficult to mine. Corals are formed by the accumulation of polyps, which are only one inch long in 20 years and only one kilogram in 300 years. Due to the calcium bones secreted by the polyps, the texture is generally loose, and corals that can reach gem-level processing density are extremely rare. The treasure of coral, red coral, only grows in a very small number of seas, because of the limitations of the sea, so red coral is more precious, especially coral trees over two feet high are rare. Due to the rarity and non-renewable nature of coral, it has a high collection and investment value, and because of this, red coral has become a collection that is highly sought after and favored by people.
Red coral is valuable for its slow growth, long life, hard quality, bright color, and rare production, and it is suitable for processing into gorgeous jewelry or high-end works of art, and has always been loved by people around the world. From the perspective of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign history, red coral has a high status. As early as the mid-16th century, the red coral trade along the Mediterranean coast was already flourishing, resulting in the creation of many highly valuable masterpieces of red coral art. In China, corals are a symbol of good fortune and have always been used to make precious crafts, the hat and beads worn by the Qing Dynasty Erpinguan Shangchao are made of precious red corals; Tibetan lamas and monks often hold rosaries made of red coral. In fact, the rarity of red coral is completely comparable to that of giant pandas, as early as 1988, China listed red coral as a national key protected animal, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora also included red coral in an appendix in 2008, prohibiting illegal picking and restricting its international trade, and limiting mining every year. The harvest of red coral in the world today is 100-400 tons per year, and its price is mostly several times or even dozens of times that of gold.
At present, the value of fine red coral is very rapid, and the high-quality red coral produced in the coastal and Mediterranean coastal areas from Taiwan to Japan in China is rare and expensive, and with the passage of time, it is more precious and the appreciation potential is getting bigger and bigger. The average price of red coral has now reached a few hundred to a few thousand yuan per gram. In addition to the non-renewable nature of red corals as the reason for their increasing invaluability, the scarcity of production areas, the difficulty of mining, and the government's ban on coral fishing operations have also become important reasons for their price to rise year by year.
The Red Coral Collection has doorways
In recent years, the market price of collectibles has soared, and the value of red coral has also doubled. In just a few years, the price of red corals has risen dramatically. At present, the price of the top AKA pigeon blood red coral has been sold to 18,000-20,000 yuan per gram; the ordinary AKA level has risen to nearly 6,000 yuan per gram; the MOMO level is also above 1,000 yuan per gram, and the top red coral is sold for more after making jewelry.
Many laypeople believe that the redder the red coral, the more valuable it is, in fact, there are many factors that affect the value of red coral in addition to color, and the size of the volume is one of the most important bases for determining the price of coral in addition to color. As the volume of coral grows, its price shows a geometric progression trend. A red coral tree that is more than ten centimeters tall and weighs more than 500 grams is priced at about tens of thousands of yuan, while a red coral tree that is 30 centimeters high and weighs more than 1,000 grams can be sold for 100,000 yuan. Precious red corals are now scarce in number, and the size of coral ornaments is often the most important factor in determining their price.
In addition to the size of the volume, the carving of coral ornaments has a greater impact on their value. At the spring auction in Shanghai in 2006, the coral carved peacock flowers and birds ornaments of the late Qing Dynasty were launched, carved from red corals of high color, and the carving process was more exquisite, and the transaction price reached nearly 40,000 yuan. The coral figure statue is undoubtedly the top of the coral jewelry, held at an auction held last year, a large Qing Dynasty coral sculpture figure ornament, actually sold at a high price of 572,000 yuan, setting a record for the highest price of coral jewelry in the art market in recent years.
To judge the carving process of a work, the general figure statue looks at whether the face is correct, whether the expression is kind, and whether the facial features are reasonable; the animal statue looks at whether the proportion of the torso and limbs is appropriate, and whether the form is natural; the flower statue looks at whether the lines are smooth and the layout is reasonable. Carver is another important factor affecting the price of coral, one depends on whether the carver is good or not, the character, to see whether it is correct, whether the expression is vivid, and the animals and landscapes to see whether it is lifelike; the second is to see whether the carver is famous, if it is a carving master, then the price of red coral can obviously not be the same as the price of the general carver. From an artistic and cultural point of view, a coral carved artwork faces no less difficulty and challenges when it comes to creation than any other work of art. Each coral work must be carefully designed, cleverly conceived, and carefully carved before it can become a craft, so each coral work is unique.
Finally, in the red coral investment, the old is not as good as the new is also a point that collectors need to pay attention to. At present, the coral jewelry and ornaments auctioned by auction companies are all old coral pieces, and most of the coral new workers sold in the first-class jewelry market are coral new workers. From the perspective of collecting, new and old pieces each have their own collection groups. However, from the perspective of investment, because the newly made corals are more advanced than ancient times in many aspects such as mining and salvage, carving technology, etc., the subject matter will be broader than that of ancient times. In terms of craftsmanship, in addition to the exquisite craftsmanship of ancient corals, the folk production process is not as good as the present.
Beware of making investments false
As coral jewelry continues to become popular, there are also some phenomena in the market that use other materials to pass off coral jewelry. Such as the use of sea willow, sea bamboo imitation, with poor dyeing Dali rock, pink glass, pink plastic impersonation, and the use of artificial materials to synthesize coral, etc., which should undoubtedly cause the vigilance of collectors and investors. For buyers, it is relatively easy to identify raw materials or rough corals. The dendritic morphology and banded texture characteristic of red corals are not found in other gemstones. After processing into finished products such as necklaces and rings, it is more difficult to identify. When identifying, pay attention to first identify with the naked eye, and then test with an instrument. The red corals are uniform in color and wormholes are visible on coral objects. The cross-sections of black coral and golden coral show concentric ring-like structures around the primary branch axis, similar to tree rings, and the longitudinal surface layer has a unique small papule-like appearance.
At present, the coral market is mixed, and in terms of distinguishing between true and false, experts support the six major counterfeiting tricks of coral. The first is to imitate coral jewelry with sea willow and sea bamboo. There is a pronounced longitudinal texture, the color is dull, dead, astringent. There are no pore remnants unique to coral stone. The second is to fill the coral staining. Shallow, loosely textured dendritic reef-building corals are filled and dyed with glue. The surface is smooth, the interior is rough and fragile, and the color is changeable. The third is synthetic coral staining. Various shellfish or reef-building corals are ground into powder and molded into coral shapes. There is no natural texture and almost every piece of coral is the same. The fourth is all kinds of jade imitation coral products. Dyed with dolomite or calcite, it is uniform in color, but fades and is dull. The fifth is plastic-dyed corals. Dyed coral with plastic products, the texture is light, easy to fade, no natural texture and luster. Six are the most prone to fake real beauty corals. With inferior coral or white coral as the core, using special paint and coral powder layer by layer, and imitating red coral imperfections to become the most valuable deep red coral, pink coral, sometimes can reach the degree of fake and real, consumers need to pay special attention.
Finally, experts remind everyone that when investing in red coral, you must choose to buy in a reputable store and do your homework before buying, so as to ensure that you can buy red coral with good value for money. A carefully designed and carefully carved coral artwork has considerable artistic value, and is also a fine product that integrates humanities, history and investment value, although the investment value may not be obvious in the short term, but in the long run, coral is undoubtedly the first choice for investment collection. It is foreseeable that fine red corals will become a dark horse in the collection world with their scarcity and non-renewable characteristics, and their appreciation potential is unlimited.