Featured Help with coral and what material ID?

I'm slogigng through an estate liquidation and need some assistance on materiasl ID, please. First is what I think is a coral pin, altho it doesn't bubble in vinegar. A hot needle does not affect it. The material shows some striations, varations in color and pitting, slight translucency in light, appears to be hand-carved. The setting looks like high-quality metal, perhaps gold as it has not tarnished. No marks. I have no way to test it at home.
The second is a Middle-Eastern set, brass (?) wires. I thik the blue barrel beads are glass, but the verdi gris beads? They show some slight sheen in spots, have a few chips and a grittiness that suggest a glazed ceramic?
Thanks all you experts!

 

The coral brooch looks like coral, although similar ones were made of other materials. Maybe @Bronwen can see it better than I can.

The set is from Egypt, with coloured ceramic beads. If you think there is glass, they could be glazed. To me the red ones look glassier. Many of these sets were made in the 1930s.

 

I am sure the coral floral brooch is genuine coral & it may very well be good quality gold. The way it has been pieced together is a major clue. Celluloid can be molded as a single piece. I can't imagine seller will get anything close to asking price for this one, but it is the same sort of thing.

 

That's a pretty sweet brooch. From the front it's so intricate you'd almost think it's one of those post-war molded Japanese plastic bits. From the back... holy cow. I'd bet money the orange beads on the bracelet and earrings are coral; they don't look like ceramic. The blue ones might well be faience. If they're coral, check the metal for silver content; old gold-washed silver often ends up looking like brass.

 

That brooch - Talk about eye appeal!

 

Thanks. I have the coral lot listed at a bargain start-up bid of $19. Is it Ok to post ebay listings on here? I don't want to break any rules or etiquette.

 

Holy! Maybe my $19 opening bid is a bit low! I've just had dismal luck getting any bids on my ebay listings for the past year, I'm beginning to think everything I put up is junk that nobody wants.

 

It is pretty amazing in detail. I counted over 100 of those hand-carved sepal beads in the center.

 

Yes, don't just give it away. Could be well worth having the gold tested. I'd pull it for being not as described & do some research on what other similar pieces have sold for.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr..._sop=16&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&LH_Complete=1&_fosrp=1

 

Thank you Bronwen. Good advice. It just fell apart as we speak, so I'm going to have to pull the listing anyway. The center disc came off, then the 1st layer of sepals popped off also. Each tiny carved sepal bead is individually attached to a metal disc with spokes coming out like a wagon wheel, in five graduated layers. It looks like all these stacked layers are glued with a coral-colored epoxy. That is what is failing. Oh well, at least we got to perform an autopsy!

 

Now that's what I call a valid excuse to pull an auction. Unfortunate, but valid.

 

I would seek advice from @kyratango

 

Those Egyptian sets were never made in genuine coral. They were cheap at the time, but make nice money now.
I had a necklace with that turquoise coral combo years ago, and the red beads felt somewhere between glassy and plasticky to me. I now only have a bracelet with the turquoise ceramic ones, so I can't check the material of the red ones.

 

AJ........the mask is intriguing. I like it!

 

Thanks Judy. I can't take credit for it, it is @mmarco102 's creation, but I like it. This is the thread he posted it in:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cloisonne-egg-box.32180/#post-425854

 

Just read the thread.......and that is a beautiful egg!

 

Don't go further in autopsy...Gather all the fallen pieces and pack together with the brooch!
No doubt it is coral, the construction is the clue.
These pieces are really fragile, and often reglued...

Thanks Bronwen
My advice is.... set a reasonable price and sell it to me (I'm serious)

 

Hope the two of you can come to an agreement. Can't think of a better resolution. Brooch can be sold 'as is' & kyratango will restore it to new life.

 

And hopefully show us the result.