Thursday, February 25, 2016

Inspiration - Black Coral

Coral Bracelet from Chile
It began over 11 years ago on our honey moon to Chile when my husband gifted me a black coral bangle from the local artisan market. Its organic shape, curved and  wavy, along with its smooth dark color and most importantly its incredible durability inspired my current collection -  by The Sea.

11 years later I still wear it, along with the silver cuff iteration.

Sterling Coral Branch Cuff and Midi Ring

About Black Coral

Black corals are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones. There are about 230 known species.

Living, black coral's living tissue is brilliantly colored but its name comes from the black or dark brown color of its skeleton.

Did you know it's the official state gem of Hawaii?

Antipatharian coral is usually a deep water coral and highly controlled and expensive... probably the gem Hawaii is referring to ;)
My loot of black coral from Miami
Gorgonian is always shallow water coral is commonly found on Florida’s beaches.  I collected some on a recent trip to Miami and found that polished it is gorgeous.

I'm looking forward to playing around with these branches and hopefully inspired to design more to add to my by The Sea collection.

Below are some inspirational pieces made from black coral. Enjoy!