What is the difference of coral colours

Red, pink or white coral. Which difference?

In this post we will focus on the many varieties of coral existing in nature and their differences. The best known is, with no doubt, the red coral, but also the white coral and the pink one are known. What differences exist between these three types of coral?

There are as many as 1.200 different coral species in the world. In a next article we will discuss the difference between coral and coral reefs. Here we will try to understand the various types of coral used in jewelry.

Red coral, the most famous

Coral is the one that can give rise to greater ambiguity, as it is present both in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean. Depending on the harvesting area, the red coral has main qualities.

The red coral of the Mediterranean differs from the Asian corals. Its scientific name is Corallium Rubrum and grow along all the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, in countries like Italy, Spain, France, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, Croatia.

Each State applies strict rules in order to regulate fishing and the momentary gathering blocks are not rare, during the so-called "rotation coral harvesting strategy". The geographic location of coral origin changes its appearance, color and conformation. Unlike the red coral of the Mediterranean, Asian corals can essentially be divided into two species, the Corallium Elatius and the Corallium Japonicum.

The red coral that is present along the Mediterranean Sea is distinguished above all by the absence of white veins within the branch, typical of the coral of the Asian seas. This is one of the fundamental aspects for an initial distinction of coral, especially for inexperienced people. When the coral also has only a white speck, it can be excluded with particular certainty that it may be authentic red coral of the Mediterranean.

Usually this white stain is present in the underside of the spooling cuts or, in the case of necklaces, in the inner part of the dot, where the hole is present.

Among the 3 types of red coral mentioned, the type with the most varied color range is the Corallium Elatius, commonly known as Corallo Cerasuolo, from the cerasa, Neapolitan dialect for "cherry". This type of coral is present in different colors, from white to dark red, through pink and orange tones.

For the Mediterranean coral there are about 8 color nuances, from light red to dark.

Finally, Corallium Japonicum presents a very intense red color, but it is also present in other shades.

Pink coral and white coral

The pink coral and the white coral are both corals of Asian origin. The scientific names are respectively: corallium secundum and corallium konjoi.

The white and pink coral are not native into the Mediterranean Sea and are available in nature in many different varieties, ranging from milk white to ivory white for white coral and from salmon pink to a pale pink to pink coral.

The different colors depend once again on the area where the coral is fished. White and pink coral are found in China, Japan and Taiwan.

A false myth: the “Angel Skin”

It is not rare for some customers to ask for the evaluation of coral jewelry rose received as an inheritance. Often in this case we talk about the so-called "angel skin", in fact not all the pink corals fall into this category. The Angel Skin belongs to the family of corallium elatius and is very rare to find. Its color is an intense pink and very compact. For these reasons, the Angel Skin pink coral it is really really expensive.