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Coral
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105
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sizes.
The beads are spherical or egg-shaped— the latter are called " olives."
The handicraft of the Italian coral-workers includes carving of a high
artistic order—the forms representing many natural objects—and the
cutting of beautiful cameos. The coral-gatherers employ fine
distinction in denominating coral tints. Pure white is bianco, fresh pale flesh-red is pelle de angelo; pale rose, rosa pallido; bright rose, rosa vivo; these choicest tints are followed by " second colour," secondo coloro; red, rosso; dark red, rosso scuro; and, darkest of all reds carbonetto or ariscuro.
The
specific gravity of precious coral is 2.6 to 2.7; hardness in Mohs's
scale about 3-4. Coral is soft enough to be easily worked with a file,
edged tools, and on a lathe; it is too soft to take a high polish, but
despite that dissimilarity from the precious stones of whose company
it is a popular member, its fine colour sustains its claim to beauty,
and it highly deserves inclusion in a book of gems.
But
little coral, comparatively, is mounted in Italy, the setting being
done in the fashion in demand in the country where it appears in the
jewelry trade.
In the Orient coral is always in demand, with
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