Featured Am I Angelskin coral?

Well, this is a mystery. The clasp, which I thought was brass, is goldwashed 800 silver. The beads look like Angelskin coral to me (they are coral), but they are strung on plastic thread. I have a feeling the old thread broke, and they were redone on plastic. Does it look like Angelskin coral to you? TIA.

 

The colour looks darker than usual, but the marbling looks consistent with angel skin coral. Is the surface very smooth under a loupe?

 

I have beads this dark, and have found that they are generally called pink coral. Angel skin is very pale, with a little pink 'blush' here and there.

 

The surface is smooth, some of the beads have a bit of a flat side, imperfections, most beads are polished, looks like three are not.

I am seeing mottled pink coral when I Google, and I am liking the prices!

 

Can you get a close up of the beads?.

 

Coral is another of those areas with messy naming. Angel skin coral is Corallium secundum, and this species is also called pink coral and Midway coral. It can be spotted pink, white and light pink - the light pink form being most commonly called angel skin.

Corallium regale and Corallium elatius are also commonly known as pink coral (but not angel skin). The former comes in light red, salmon, orange, and pink colours with a core of white. The latter is pink and may be streaked with white.

If you google search the Latin names and compare to yours in close up this might help you determine the species.

 

Thank you! This is the best close up I can get. From your information, it looks like pink coral. I am trying to determine if it is older, undyed. I think it is, just restrung on plastic wire (which I detest.)

 

I agree, much too dark for angel skin coral.

 

I learned something today! I would like to restring this on silk thread....I hate the way plastic wire makes necklaces not fluid....

 

Can you get some good close-up photos of just a bead or two or three?
Right now, they're looking like glass to me.

 

I tried...the photos are too large to upload. You can see some beads are flat near the clasp, and there are natural imperfections and hairline cracks.

 

I email the photos to myself, select size medium during the process, open the received email, and save the the photos

 

To confuse matters, Corallium rubrum, Mediterranean (red) coral, can also be pink.

 

Wondering what @Bronwen ’s opinion is?

 

Bronwen thinks that color-wise & degree of glossiness the beads could easily be carnelian. Not sure how it was determined they are definitely coral, but, if they are, the shade is too sunburned to qualify as angel skin.

I use the tooth test on coral. If it's highly polished I may have to compare the feel to my teeth with something I know to be glass or stone, but I find there is some grittiness to coral, although sometimes very faint.

A side note on 'angel skin': a lot of what is sold on eBay, etc., as angel skin or angel skin coral is actually conch shell. I've posted this link before, maybe useful here:

https://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/materials-guide?start=1

 

Carnelian they may well be. They'll feel heavier and colder.

 

A drop of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid will result in foaming on coral but will not foam on carnelian. But, using this test may prove devastating to the specimen being tested...........

 

A less invasive way is a drop of lemon juice. The coral will also get bubbles on the surface. As long as it isn't coated.

 

It's coral. Very lightweight, crazing, imperfection, not perfectly-shaped beads, coarse on the teeth. I have tons of coral, I just have trouble identifying the types. I have a few carnelian bead necklaces, too.
I do think it is older and not dyed, just restrung on that icky plastic wire. I think the identification of pink coral is correct. When I Google pink coral, the description on some necklaces that looked like this stated "mottled pink coral." Thank you all! I learned a lot on this thread.