Red Coral - Properties and Healing Qualities

Coral, especially red or pink coral, is one of the most popular gemstones used for jewelry. As a jeweler, red coral jewelry is second only to pearls in amount of sales.

Red coral evokes passion, romance, and strength. It was often worn by children in the Middle Ages to protect them from evil. Ancient civilizations used red coral extensively for medicinal purposes. It was ground to a fine powder and mixed with various substances such as honey, milk, ghee, sugar and other items depending upon the illness. It was supposed to cure sterility, quiet and calm the mind, stimulate intuition, and bring about emotional healing. Some cultures feel that red coral nourishes the blood and strengthens the skeleton.

In Vedic Astrology, red coral is associated with the planet Mars. Vedic Astrology is different from Western Astrology. Vedic Astrology is 23 degrees different from Western Astrology. This means that usually a planet is in the sign previous to your Western Astrology sign, i.e. Aquarius instead of Pisces. For Aries rising signs, a deep red coral is very beneficial. It should be worn for people with Aries rising throughout life and will give health, courage, a good name and fame. It is also suitable for Cancer rising to bring good luck, good name, fame, honor, success and children. I have Cancer rising and I feel very strong and powerful when I wear red coral. It has been highly revered as a substance having magical sacred properties.

The oldest source of precious coral productions has been the Mediterranean Sea. Coral can also be found off the northwest coast of Africa, Australia, Spain, Japan, and the Indian Ocean. It is chemically similar to pearls in that they are both made of mostly calcium carbonate deposited by marine invertebrates. Coral is composed of successive rings of thin, concentric deposits of calcium and the secretions from the body of Isis Nobiles. Coral is found in colonies which can cover a whole rock. The best colored corals are found between depths of 100 and 160 feet.

It takes many years for a coral reef to mature and become usable for jewelry. Temperature of the water plays an important role in the color and growth of coral reefs.

Many coral reefs are in danger today due to climate change. In 1999, the high temperatures reached in The Mediterranean Sea caused massive death of coral reefs. Between 60 to 100% of the existing colonies disappeared in certain areas.

Corals provide food for a variety of fish while protecting them from predators. The bleaching of corals from small but prolonged rises in sea temperature is a severe danger for ocean ecosystems. The burning of fossil fuels has been shown to create more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This creates warmer and more acidic oceans which threaten to destroy coral reef ecosystems, thereby exposing people to flooding, coastal erosion and the loss of food and income from reef-based fisheries and tourism.

Unless we can stop the process of global warming and soon, there is a real possibility that coral reefs, and everything that depends on them, will not survive this century. That would be a shame. I, and many of my jewelry customers, love red coral.

If you are interested in purchasing red coral jewelry, you are welcome to visit my Etsy website here.