The Coral Earrings that we make are made in both sterling silver and 14kt gold.
The natural red coral that is in our jewelry comes from the Mediterranean Sea and is considered very valuable. The most valuable of this type of coral is called "ox blood" which displays a darker red color.
The natural pink coral that we also use in our jewelry comes from Japan known as "angel skin" due to its feminine color. It is very hard to find matching hues in the color to make for earrings or any other types of jewelry that require matching corals.
Studs, dangles and post dangles
Start with the shape, because it decides more than the coral does. A stud sits flat against the ear and stays out of the way, which suits short hair, a second piercing, or a day spent with a phone to your ear. A dangle moves when you do and reads from across a room. A post dangle sits between the two: it hangs from a post rather than a hook, so the earring stays put while the coral swings underneath. All three shapes are here. The studs and post earrings come in sterling silver and in 14kt gold; the dangles are sterling silver.
Red coral, pink coral, and coral with turquois
The red coral is Mediterranean and the pink is Japanese angel skin, as described above. Coral also gets set next to turquoise in this collection, red against clear blue in the same earring. That pairing is the oldest in southwestern jewelry and still the one that turns heads. If you want the blue to do the talking, the turquoise earrings are the place to look.
Size, weight and how they sit
Earring measurements matter more than ring or pendant measurements, because your earlobe carries the difference. Numbers are listed on every pair. For scale, one of the smaller dangles here is 7/8 of an inch long and 5/8 of an inch wide. The coral stones are cut to 5mm by 7mm, and each earring weighs 3.2 grams. That is light enough to forget you are wearing them. When you compare two designs, compare the weight first.
Caring for coral earrings
Coral is soft, roughly 3.5 on the Mohs scale, and earrings sit closer to perfume, hairspray and styling product than anything else you own, so they take the worst of it. Put them on last and take them off first. Wipe the coral with a soft dry cloth, keep it out of pools, showers and ultrasonic cleaners, and store the pair in a soft pouch rather than loose in a box. A scratched coral ring is easy to overlook. A scratched coral earring is not.
Matching a pair, and matching a set
Each pair is cut from coral that matches in color and in pattern. That is the slow part of the work, and it is why the grades described above matter more here than anywhere else on the site. If you are building a set, the coral rings and the coral pendants are cut from the same material. No two pieces of coral match exactly, so a pair is always matched to itself first.
