Japanese deep sea coral and silk Kumihimo bracelet.
A blood red Aka coral branch is used as a toggle bar.
Natural color, not dyed.
This bracelet is made with large coral beads about 9.5-11mm, and the size is 16-17cm. It can be used as a men’s bracelet.
Made only with coral and silk, so it is totally metal free. It will be perfect for someone who is allergic to metal.
Size of the bracelet: adjustable : about 16-17cm (6.3-6.7 in)
Size of coral beads (deep sea coral) : 9.5-11mm
Coral branch(Japanese red Aka coral): 24x4.5mm
Total weight: 27g
Natural color, untreated not dyed.
Corals were much loved by Japanese women in the past.
They were often worn at happy ceremonial events.
Please keep in mind that Japanese precious coral almost always has a few cracks and dimples that usually don’t stand out.
The cracks mostly come from the change in water pressure when the deep sea coral is harvested and pulled to the surface.
However it does not break easily, and it’s no problem for wearing it.
About my coral products
In my column series “Beads Around the World,” published in the Japanese magazine Bead Art, I wrote a few articles about Japanese precious coral and Japanese pearls.
Japanese precious coral has been famous around the world and has been exported, similarly to Japanese cultured pearls. But its history started only about two hundred years ago, when a fisherman found coral in his net. Until then we did not know there was jewel coral around us.
Jewel coral has been highly admired throughout history. It was carried by merchants through the Silk Road from the Mediterranean sea for thousands of years.
Now Japanese precious corals are endangered species and need protection from illegal fishing and over-harvesting.
All my coral products are recycled from old jewelry made around 1960-1990’s, when coral was not endangered. I always intend to deal with coral only in ways that are environment-friendly and sustainable.
