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Organic Jewelry @ Jewel Info 4 U
By: Ms Nandita Ray
Jewelry in any form is always
delightful. A pretty trinket of bone
or a pendant of wood or a coral
earring or a pearl stud; always
fetches a smile or even a gasp of
pleasure. These pieces are all made
of organic material. What is
organic? Anything that is derived
from living organisms and containing
carbon compounds is organic in
nature. Jewelry made from organisms
that were once living creatures or
their product is considered organic
jewelry. Amber, bamboo, Bone, Horn,
Stone, Hardwood, Pearls, Ivory, Hair
and Coral are some of the organic
elements used in jewelry.
Jewelry has been used from the
beginning of civilization to
decorate and beautify body and has
always been an important part of
human growth and development.
Enhancing physical beauty has and
will always take a huge slice of
human grooming.
Amber JewelryAmber
Facts
The now extinct ever green Pinites Succinifer, very similar to
the Spruce tree in looks, with
needle like leaves, produced a resin
that was steeped with oil. This
liquid hardened over the years, as
it came in contact with air. This
process took million of years. This
hardened product is called Amber.
This tough resin was used by trees
as a protection against fungal or
parasitical attack.
 The thick and syrupy liquid that
oozes out of the barks, contain
volatile oils called terpene. This
is unsaturated hydrocarbons and is
found in essential oils and
oleoresins of plants. This hardened
form of resin is called Copal or sub
fossil Amber. This is semi
fossilized or recently hardened.
With Polymerization, the molecular
structure of the Copal changes
further hardening it. This takes
place in the absence of air or free
oxygen or it has to be in sea water
for a long period. It takes million
of years for Copal to turn into
Amber.
Copal is sometimes sold as Amber. It
is a lustrous resin, generic name
for all tree resins, and is used
chiefly for making varnishes. It is
brittle, aromatic, yellow or red in
color and used for polishing wood
work. Madagascar and Kenya have
large deposits of Copal.
Amber is deeply colored, translucent
even transparent, which is rare and
is highly prized. The largest
deposits are found in the Baltic
Coast Deposits. To be called Amber,
the resin has to be several million
years old. In fact some refer to
Succinite, the mineralogical fossil
resin from the Baltic region as true
Amber. What makes the Amber a truly
prized possession are the
inclusions. Leaves, flowers,
insects, even tiny animals get
trapped and eventually fossilized
within the Amber. Older fossils of
such trapped living things are
sometimes the only remnant of the
species. Due to its preservative
power, the DNA of these flora and
fauna are well preserved and help in
scientific studies. Amber from New
Jersey has revealed many previously
unknown, extinct Cretaceous species,
hundred million years old.
Colors range from white, called Bone
Amber to shades of brown and yellow
and red. Sometimes blue or green
Amber can be found. This is rare.
Color is the result of minerals
present in the soil or water and its
reaction with the raw resin.
Transparent Amber is most expensive.
Amber gets highly polished. When
rubbed it gets charged with static
electricity. Heating Amber will melt
it. Over heating will burn it,
decompose it, releasing Amber oil.
Amber pitch is the black residue.
Dissolving it in linseed oil or
turpentine forms Amber lac or
varnish.
The name Amber is of Arabic descent.
Amber has been used from ancient
times for various purposes, jewelry
one of them. It has been mentioned
by Homer, Aristotle and Plato.Amber Jewelry
 Since its exterior
is hard and inside soft, it is easy
to craft jewelry and objects of art.
Necklaces with beads and blocks of
Amber are threaded. Mix and match
with different tones of Amber are
weaved with chains. Green with warm
brown of Amber set in silver or gold
brown with silver beads or oval
shaped Amber beads with round beads
make a smart combination. Silver
chains with a pendant made of Rose
colored amber looks pretty.
Sometimes Amber is carved in shape
of a rose or bud. Some pendants
sport a Victorian look. Heart
shaped, crosses, bunch of grapes,
single amber drop, modern setting or
set in the traditional way. Hand
faceted, carved engraved all types
of necklaces and pendants, earrings,
bracelets, bangles, brooches and
cameos are made of Amber. Some of
these are hand polished.
Tips to buy Amber
In order to
make sure that the Amber is genuine
and not fake, keep in mind-
-Buy from a reputed store
-True Amber comes in limited shades
of Brown, cream/ivory, yellow, blue
and green.
-Amber can be translucent or
transparent.
-Real Amber will feel warm and when
rubbed it will get charged with
static electricity.
-Use infrared or spectroscopy to test
Amber.
-Use of Solvents will also reveal its
identity.
-Buoyancy test will help. Amber
should float.
-Burnt plastic will release carbolic
acid smell.
Coral Jewelry
Jewelry made out of coral
is not a new concept. It is one of
the nine gems called navratan that
has been an integral part of Indian
Jewelry. Coral is fished out from
the sea. It is actually the skeletal
remains of microscopic sea animals
called polyps. They are
invertebrates. It begins life as a
swimming larva, with a pin sized
head. Secretion of calcium carbonate
from the lower part of the body
forms suction pads which help it to
settle on a firm support for ever.
The body is soft and tubular. It has
a mouth surrounded by eight
tentacles, which help it to trap
food by stinging the prey. Polyps
house zooxanthellae which are brown
algae. They provide nutrients to the
polyp by photosynthesis and this
helps the coral to grow. Corals
usually feed at night.
The skeletal wall around each polyp
is called Theca. Corals have two
body types perforate and
imperforate. Perforate or soft
corals have a porous skeleton with
connections between each polyp. The
imperforates or hard corals have a
solid chalky skeleton that remains
intact even after they die. Hard
coral forms coral reefs. By dividing
or budding a single polyp gives
birth. This way they reproduce, grow
and build colonies that reach
gigantic size called coral reefs.
Reproduction is also be done by
releasing eggs.
 When alive they look like swaying
fragile trees with multiple
branches. The remains however are
sturdy and they are composed of
calcium carbonate with traces of
carotene. They are harvested from
depths of 100 to 1000 ft with wide
meshed nets dragged across the sea
bed. Some corals are hand picked.
Corals come in different colors and
their worth is based on color and
availability.
Black Coral
It is the Hawaii's
state Gemstone. It is related to sea
anemone and jelly fish. The color of
its skeleton is blackish brown. In
1960 the famous marine biologist Jaccques Cousteau, re-discovered
black coral. This was a happy find
since it was considered extinct.
The skeleton is made from tough
protein. Its body is covered with
tiny thorny spines and is called
'little thorn coral'. The tubular
body has a mouth at the top end. The
tentacles are covered with
nematocysts. They reproduce by
spawning annually. The larva swims
and attaches itself to a colony. It
is found in New Zealand and is a
protected species over there.
Black coral was highly regarded by
the Greeks who called it Antipathies
Grandis. It was supposed to ward of
evil.
Red Coral
Also called Corallium
Rubrum or Fire coral or Red Bull
coral. It grows slowly at a depth of
500 to 1000ft. They breed in water
with temperature between 13 to 16
degrees Celsius. The Red is due to
the presence of carotene. They can
live for a very long time. The
skeleton is composed of stick like
calcium carbonate rods, a number of
irregular branches fused together in
a rigid form. The colors range from
deep red to orange to pink.
There are two types of polyps, one
with eight tentacles and the other
just a small tube. The tentacles
feed the coral while the tube keeps
the water flowing, hydrating the
colony. Reproduction is by eggs or
division of polyps. The best Red
corals come from S. Ireland, the Bay
of Biscay, Canary Islands, The Red
Sea, Mauritius and Japan. Today
Tibet and China supply fossilized
Red coral. When cut and polished it
shines brilliantly. The thickness of
each branch is about 4 cm. The point
from where it branches out is the
thickest. This part is used for
making jewelry.
Pink Coral
Is found in the entire
length of Hawaii. It is very hard
and dense. It is sometimes marbled
or shaded. Pink roses and other
carved pieces are made from this
coral. Pendants, earrings in shape
of a rose, tulip or just a figurine
are highly popular. In 1966 it was
discovered off the coast of Omaha.
Hawaii Black/ Gold Coral
Black
and Gold corals are always on the
'wanted' list. It was in 1971 that
two beds were discovered on top of a
volcano underwater in Hawaii. Again
another set was discovered in 2000.
When polished it becomes glossy.
Only 3% of the reef is harvested
each year. Colors range from beige
to black. It is also called Chatoyance, which in French means
cat's eye.
Coral Jewelry
 Jewelry made with
coral is very pretty. It looks
delicate, refined and dignified.
Necklaces, bracelets, bangles,
earrings, rings, pins, brooches,
anklets, buttons and pendants can be
crafted from coral. Set in silver or
gold, filigreed, carved, engraved or
just oval or round shaped coral
looks enchanting. Necklaces can be
made of a single strand in red or
multiple strands with black as a
contrast, a choker with pink and
black coral. Earrings can be a
simple stud or a hoop with dangling
coral beads or a bunch of corals
like hanging grapes. Diamonds
encircling coral or pearls
surrounded by small corals make a
beautiful design. Coral can be
crafted into rose or chrysanthemums,
cherubs, leaves or fruits. Brooches
can be inlayed with coral while
pendants in shape of heart, tulip,
tear drop or even a star can be
made. Coral popularized by Napoleon,
overused by Victorians is slowly
inching its way back into fashion.
Since coral is over harvested it is
getting difficult to get genuine
coral. One has to be careful of
imitations like glass, plastic, bone
or even porcelain which is being
passed off as coral.
Tips to buy Coral
-Real coral is soft. It gets
scratched easily.
-It should take shine easily.
-Heat will discolor it. Plastic when
heated will give off a smell.
-The base of the real coral will
exhibit some evidence of sea life.
-Plastic will show molding lines.
-Shell stimulants will show layered
structure.
-Glass may show air bubbles.
Coral should be kept away from heat
and abrasives.
Pearl Jewelry
Like diamonds 'The Queen of
Gems' wields its magic over jewelry
makers and wearers. Nothing can
detract from its inner glow, glaze
and soft, smooth look. It sets off
gold; silver even brightens the
dullest metal. It is believed that
the Roman general Vitelline financed
his war campaign by selling his
mother's pearls. A real pearl is
very valuable and rare to get today.
Like the coral it is found in the
depths of the sea and is the product
of a living organism, the mollusk or
the clam.
When an irritant get within the
folds of its skin, it is not easily
dislodged by the mollusk. To stop
the irritation it starts covering
the particle with its secretion
called nacre or mother of pearl.
This secretion is used for making
its outer shells and is composed of
the mineral calcium carbonate and a
fibrous protein called conchiolin.
This process leads to the formation
of a natural pearl, which may take
many years.
 Real pearl is the product of a
biological process thus not always
smooth or perfectly round. Each
layer of nacre that covers it has a
layer of conchiolin in between.
These layers do not always cover the
pearl completely. This leads to
imperfections. The shape and size of
a natural pearl varies depending on
the mollusk that formed it, the size
of the particle, where the particle
got embedded, and the health of the
mollusk or clam. The temperature and
the water it bred in. The color of
pearl which ranges from white to
different shades of cream, gold
black and purple depend on the
organic pigments found in the
secretion The presence of nacre
gives the pearl it's lustrous,
opalescent and shimmering look.
Cultured Pearl
Cultured pearl is
the brain child of Japan. Japanese
cultured pearl is the international
standard. China also farms huge
amounts of such pearls. They can be
bred in sea water or in fresh water
like river or lake. A healthy
mollusk or clam is impregnated with
an object and bred. Following are
the types of mollusk used: -
Abalone Pearls:
Pearls got from
this single shelled mollusk is very
rare. The reason is over fishing.
This thirty million old species is a
delicacy and gets fished out before
maturity. It takes about ten years
for it to produce a pearl with a
thick nacreous layer. The colors are
deep blue, green tinted, purple,
pink and gold, the shapes solid or
hollow or horn shaped.
Akoya Pearls:
Pinctada Fucata
Martensii oysters produce pearls
which are round, lustrous and
beautiful. It takes about two years
for the pearl to grow. If left for a
longer period the quality and size
gets better. Colors are varied.
South Sea Pearls:
This white
lipped large mollusk, Oyster
Pinctada Maxima produces silvery
colored large pearls. They are
expensive and cultivated in ocean
lagoons in Tahiti, Australia and
Philippines.
Mabe Pearls:
Oyster Pteria Penguin
produces such pearls in its shell
not body. These pearls are usually
flat at one end and fragile. This is
because they are made by filling in
a cavity and packed with mother of
pearl. They are large and cheaper
than a similar South sea Pearl and
used for pendants, rings and
earrings.
Conch Pearls:
Sea Snails called
Queen Conch produces pearl with deep
rich swirling array of colors and is
very rare. They cannot be
cultivated. Such pearls are measured
in carats.
Keshi Pearls:
Called poppy seeds
or simply seed pearls because of
their size. Poppy is Keshi in
Japanese. They can be farmed in sea
or fresh water. The oyster throws
out the foreign object before it is
fully covered or the nucleus
developed. Sometimes the nucleus
divides into two separate pearls,
which have only a few layers of
nacre.
Fresh Water Pearls:
Grown in
mussels with a single mussel
producing twenty pearls in a year.
The size is small and irregular in
shape. They are cheap.
Pearls are sorted in shape, size and
color. The oldest pearl jewelry
found is from a Persian Princess who
died in 520 B.C. Pearl in Latin
means 'unique'. It makes for an
ideal wedding gift and is often worn
for relieving stress.
Pearl Jewelry
 A versatile gem, it
is used in most jewelry. It has
decorated clothes of the Rich and
Famous. It can be fashioned into
jewelry one can dream of. Necklaces,
bangles, bracelets, rings, earrings,
nose pins, tiepins, pendants
brooches, hair clasps, buttons,
tiaras; it can beautify bags and
belts and slippers too. Strands of
white pearls, pink pearls, dyed
multi colored pearls, chokers
/collars, mixed and matched, single
strand mixed with gold beads, or red
coral or with uncut rubies or
emerald can be worn as necklaces.
Bracelets or bangles with seed
pearls set in gold or silver look
attractive and go with most outfits.
Some earrings are made with single
big pearl, studs, tear drop or round
pearls dangling from a thin chain is
quite fashionable. Hoops with multi
colored pearls, pearls surrounded by
diamonds or seed pearls encircling a
ruby look pretty. Pearl pendants set
in filigree gold often form a center
piece of a chain. Pearl forms an
important part of Navratan set.
There is no end to designs with
pearls.
Tips to buy Pearls
-Prime pearl is
not easily got.
-Decide on the quality you want to
buy, natural or cultured. This will
be dictated by your pocket and
needs.
-Most pearls in the market are
cultured.
-Go to a reputed store and take time
to choose your pearls.
-Sometimes inferior pearls are set in
attractive designs. Question the
pearls used.
-Plastic, glass, synthetic beads or
shell are often substituted. The
coatings peel off when rubbed or
scratched.
-X Rays with 10X will reveal the
layers of a good pearl, its density
and how it was formed.
-Tooth Test also helps in identifying
a pearl. A real pearl will feel
gritty, a fake absolutely smooth.
-If held under strong light, it will
reveal disparity in color, overtones
and exhibit natural defects. A fake
one will look perfect.
-Natural pearls sit heavy on the
palm. Fake ones are generally light.
-The nacre gloss is also a giveaway
since fake pearls feel glassy,
sticky and warm to touch. A natural
pearl radiates from within and feels
cool when touched.
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