Featured Pink Bead Necklace

Hello

I bought this necklace from a second hand shop. It was labelled 9ct gold & pink jade, but its marked 750 on the clasp and i dont see a whole lot of actual pink 'Jade' so im assuming its something else. Dyed agate maybe? The beads are polished and smooth so its not coral.

 

750 is the mark for 18 ct

I see concentric circular lines, that makes me think shell beads, JMHO.

 

They look like coral to me. Surprised they were not knotted, but fine gold, high gloss, orangey color with patchy distribution, are all consistent. Coral can have swirly areas. That's what I think I'm seeing, not the layering of shell. More than anything, they're just too shiny for shell. See an assortment of coral & shell jewellery here, including some beads:

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

 

My thought is pink coral as well.

Coral can be polished glossy and smooth, as long as someone polishes it to a high gloss. To polish or not to polish depends on fashion and demand.

 

Love the colors. Looks like candy. Yum.

 

Could they also be cold? I am certain they are a hard stone/glass. All coral i have held is much softer and warmer than these.

 

Precious coral is cold. Maybe you were thinking of amber? Amber is warm.

 

How cold something feels to the fingertips is partly a function of how smooth it is. These have been polished to a high gloss, so will not feel much different than glass. Coral that is merely smooth, but with more of a matte finish, will not feel as cold, even though it is sitting right next to the highly polished piece. While good coral is dense, because it is made of tiny individual polyp shells, a coral bead will still be lighter than a glass bead of the same size.

 

My guess is coral. It can be polished and shiny. I think you got a heck of a buy there.

 

Okay okay i concede, coral it is. The only coral i've personally handled is those chunky misshapen beads, and individual pieces in Navajo jewellery. They always seemed to have very different characteristics.

Thanks everyone

 

Best for feeling a piece being cold or warm is to put it to your lip, much more sensitive to the feeling than finger tip.

 

Some of these, particularly coral used in NA work, is a different species of coral.

In my experience, it is only finding that something is not very cool to the touch that is any help in determining the material. For example, telling black lava from gutta percha/Vulcanite.

 

Methinks @Ratsy Brown scored.

 

Coral! I have a similar necklace but with a 14k fishhook. Try looking up "salmon coral" or "angel skin coral." Definitely a score!

 

Welcome @pomrose . I agree, it is coral.
Names for this particular colour vary, I would call it pink coral.

 

Absolutely not angel skin coral, much too dark

 

Agree. Not salmon either, too pink and too much shading of the pink.