The collection and value of red corals in the Qing Dynasty
lt; The English name of coral is Coral, which comes from the Latin Corrallium. Coral is one of the important organic gemstones, and it is also a favorite gemstone variety at all times and in all countries. The ancient Romans believed that coral had the functions of preventing disasters, giving wisdom, stopping bleeding and dispelling heat. Coral can also be seen in Tibetan medicine in Tibet, China. Coral is closely related to Buddhism. Buddhists in India and Tibet, China regard red coral as the incarnation of Tathagata Buddha. They use coral as a mascot for worshiping Buddha. They are often used to make Buddhist beads or decorate statues of gods. They are highly valued jewelry. Gemstone varieties.
Coral is the only living spiritual creature in jewelry that has existed for thousands of years. It is charming, lustrous, crystal clear, warm and pleasant. The three major organic gemstones of the West: coral, pearls and amber; the Seven Treasures of Eastern Buddhism: gold, silver, amber, coral, clam, colored glaze and agate. In ancient times, coral was regarded as an auspicious and happy thing, representing nobility and power. It is also called "Ruibao" and is a symbol of happiness and eternity.
Coral grows at a depth of 200 meters to 2,000 meters in the sea, and it is extremely difficult to mine. Coral grows one inch in twenty years and one kilogram in three hundred years. For thousands of years, it has remained standing despite being blown by the wind and waves. It is precisely for this reason that coral has become a unique thousand-year-old treasure in people's minds.
Coral is a calcium skeleton secreted by coral polyps, so it is generally loose in texture. Corals that can reach gem-level processing density are very rare and extremely precious. So far, precious corals cannot be produced by artificial breeding methods. Their survival and growth conditions are affected and restricted by many factors of the natural environment, such as: sunlight, seawater temperature and pressure, seawater salt concentration, ocean current speed, food abundance. The degree and health status are closely related; due to the increasing seriousness of ocean pollution and the difficulty of deep-sea collection, the harvest of precious corals has become less and less, which further demonstrates its rarity and preciousness.
There are many types of corals, which can be divided into white corals, light pink or dark corals, pink corals, and black corals (i.e. sea trees) can be seen in Hawaii. Among them, red coral, blue coral and black coral are the most precious. Taking red coral as an example, there is a saying that "a thousand years of coral will be red for ten thousand years." Red coral is valuable because of its slow growth, long lifespan, hard texture, bright color, and rare production. In the mid-16th century, the red coral trade along the Mediterranean coast was very prosperous, resulting in the creation of many highly valuable red coral art masterpieces. The harvest of red coral in the world today ranges from 100 tons to 400 tons per year, and its price is several times or even dozens of times that of gold. In many auctions, the prices for red coral works are also astonishingly high. When coral is made into exquisite jewelry or carved into famous works of art, its value is doubled. A good red coral necklace is worth several thousand yuan, and the highest one can be worth more than tens of thousands of yuan. In particular, some fine and precious corals produced in the Taiwan Strait are unique national treasures possessed by our country.
From an artistic and cultural perspective, the difficulty of creating a coral sculpture is no less challenging than any other work of art. The shape of each piece of coral is different, and it must be carefully designed, cleverly conceived, and carefully crafted by craftsmen before it can become a handicraft. Therefore, each piece of coral work is unique and unique. For this reason, people are keen on collecting precious coral artworks, and it is reasonable for them to be expensive. The Louvre Museum in France has many fine coral collections, and many museums in my country also have rich coral collections.
Tips: Imitation corals and identification
(1) Dyeing marble: uniform red, with a granular structure, no concentric structures or uneven stripes in the cross section, use Wipe the cotton swab with acetone, and the cotton swab will appear red. (2) Pink glass: glass luster, contains bubbles, shell-shaped fracture, does not bubble when exposed to hydrochloric acid. (3) Pink plastic: It does not have the unique strip structure of coral, has traces of mold use, and does not foam when exposed to hydrochloric acid. (4) "Gilson" synthetic coral: fine granular structure, strip-like structure with slight differences in color or transparency from natural coral, density 2.45g/cm3, smaller than natural coral.
Coral quality grading and evaluation "Continued"
HELP Return
Creator: Jewelry Box Station Service
Taiwan was the world's red coral in the 1970s and 1980s In the areas with the largest production, red corals are mainly distributed in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands, the Batu waters between Taiwan and the Philippines, the waters between Penghu and Hong Kong, and the waters related to Pacific islands such as Guam and Midway. However, according to recent data, the production of red coral and pink coral in Taiwan and the South China Sea has dropped sharply, which has seriously affected Taiwan's previously prosperous coral fishing and processing industry. However, the industry that uses white coral for dyeing has developed. It is said that there are also a small amount of red and pink corals produced in the waters near Xiamen and the Paracel Islands in my country, but the production is extremely limited.
The most important thing in coral processing is tailor-made. Corals of different sizes and colors often have different uses and processing methods.
First of all, large corals with certain shapes are often preserved in pruning branches and used to design large handicrafts or furnishings, while smaller coral branches are processed into jewelry or ornaments. Some bright red red corals may be cut and polished into rings, pendants, or carved to make brooches, necklaces and other jewelry. Some red and pink corals with a slightly inferior color or texture are used to process them into various handicrafts, such as bead chains, cufflinks or other accessories that match clothing.
Among all types of coral, those used for sculpture are the most valuable. Before designing the carving, the designer selects the theme and shape of the carving based on the size of the coral trunk, tree shape, distribution of branches, color and texture, and then applies the technique according to the material. A good coral work is both jewelry and art crystal. The design must not only reflect the artistic skills of the creator, but also must be consistent with the characteristics of the coral itself. Only designs that complement each other can fully reveal the texture and value of the coral. Therefore, for carved coral, craftsmanship is a very important part of its value.
Naples, Italy has always been the most important processing center for red coral. Japan and Taiwan are important distribution centers and processing centers for general gem-quality corals. my country's gem and coral raw materials are mainly imported from Taiwan and Japan.
The current global coral market is mainly in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Some internationally influential jewelry companies such as Canier and T"anny sometimes use high-quality red coral, blue coral, gold, and black coral to design and produce high-priced jewelry. In the international market, Arabs and Indians prefer bright red coral. , while pink coral is popular in the European, American and Japanese markets. Coral jewelry in the mass jewelry market is mainly pink coral. At the Hong Kong International Jewelry Fair every year, more than a dozen jewelry companies from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan sell coral. Among them, coral bead strings are the largest, followed by small handicrafts and women's jewelry made of coral.
Although red coral is also a very famous jewelry in our country's history, it is actually a very famous jewelry. There are very few high-quality red coral products, and they are often limited to the hands of the royal family and nobles. Many large pieces of coral are used as bonsais or decorations to show off wealth. Most of the coral ornaments spread among the people are of medium to low quality or have been dyed. At present, in the Chinese market, except for several large political, cultural and commercial center cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and some provincial capital cities, natural gem-grade coral ornaments or products can be seen in some high-end commercial buildings. The more concentrated market may It is in Tibet and Ningxia. Because Tibetans and Hui people regard corals and turquoise as treasures given by heaven and believe that corals can ward off evil spirits, many Tibetan lamas and ordinary nomadic women use corals and turquoise to make Buddhist beads or beads. Therefore, the domestic coral consumption market is relatively established. Most of the coral ornaments seen in tourist markets or some handicraft distribution centers are of low quality or have been dyed. In recent years, there have been companies that specialize in or sell corals. As far as the current situation is concerned, there are few jewelry companies of this type in China, and there are only individual dealer companies in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
3. Valuation of Coral
"Gegu Essentials". It says: "Coral grows at the bottom of the Yangtze River in the middle of the sea, and sea people use iron nets to get it. Its color is bright red, the tree is tall and has large branches, and those with many branches are called Teng. Those with pith eyes and light red ones are cheap.
This thing is as valuable as pearls. In addition to talking about the ancients' views on the quality of corals, this passage also talks about the price of corals. However, in fact, it is still very difficult to value corals in the Chinese market. Due to the complex factors that affect the price, it is impossible to make a one-to-one correspondence between quality and price based on quality grading. Therefore, the accuracy of the valuation depends to a large extent on the appraiser’s assessment of the price. Coral's price control in the international market and its market experience.
Generally speaking, in the international market, coral raw materials are priced in kilograms or pounds, and some large and high-quality red corals are priced per plant. As the production of high-quality corals decreases year by year, the price of high-quality red corals in the international market increases year by year.
In 1998, the price of high-quality red corals at the Hong Kong International Jewelry Fair could reach tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars each. Generally, the unified price of second- and third-grade red corals ranges from several hundred to several thousand Hong Kong dollars per pound.
Coral is one of the important treasures in Chinese history and one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. The pagoda in the Buddha Sakyamuni Buddha Temple is decorated with seven kinds of treasures, including coral. Indians believe that coral is the father of mountains and rivers. At least in the Jin Dynasty, the Chinese court had begun to use coral as a gemstone. The story of the famous Western Jin Dynasty tycoon Wang Kai and Shi Chongbifu was based on coral. In the Qing Dynasty, red coral was still worn by second-grade officials, and it was also used as a traditional Chinese medicine to relieve shock and improve eyesight. Coral has always been a precious material for our country's skilled craftsmen to display their talents. For pruned red corals, Chinese artists often cherish every branch on them, even branches the size of rice grains. In modern times, as Taiwan has become the most important coral production and processing place in the world jewelry market, some people believe that coral is still one of the most representative precious gem varieties in China.
The price of craft crystals carved from special or first-grade red coral is the most elastic. It mainly depends on the carving technology and the production company. Its price ranges from a few thousand to tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. In China, some high-quality red coral craft crystals carved by craft masters can even become priceless treasures, so the valuation of this type of coral should be cautious. In the international market, some jewelry made of special and first-grade red coral, such as rings or bead necklaces, are priced mainly based on their size and matching. The denier-shaped ring face of 5mm×7mm-8mm×10mm generally varies per gram. The price of a 16-inch long necklace with beads with a diameter of 8-10mm is around several thousand Hong Kong dollars, and the quantity is small. The price of a necklace with beads with a diameter of 5-8mm ranges from hundreds to thousands of Hong Kong dollars.
The price of ornaments processed from second- and third-grade raw materials is 80-400 Hong Kong dollars/g for ring surface 5mm×7mm-8mm×10mm, and 16-inch-long round bead diameter 8mm-12mm. The price of a bead chain ranges from HK$300 to HK$2,000, and the price of a 16-inch long ball bead chain with a bead diameter less than 8 mm ranges from HK$30 to HK$600.
The price of some extra-grade coral ornaments ranges from a few Hong Kong dollars to several hundred Hong Kong dollars per piece.
The price of dyed coral is generally 1/5-1/8 of the price of natural coral of the same color. The general rule is that the higher the price of natural coral, the greater the difference between the price of dyed coral and the price of dyed coral.