This is a lariat necklace featuring vintage Japanese precious coral.
Natural color, untreated not dyed.
The necklace consists of coral beads, fresh-water pearls and multiple gemstones (ruby, sunstone, apatite, turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian,moon stone etc.)
This lariat necklace is quite long. It’s about 59 inches (150cm) long, and so it doesn’t need a clasp.
This lariat necklace can be worn in a variety of ways because of the long length.
You can loop it around your neck once or twice, tie a knot, or thread one end through a loop, creating a Y-shape.
Necklace
Size of beads of the necklace: about 3-12mm
Necklace length:158cm(59 inch)
Weight:80g
I took pictures in sunlight and indoor light. It looks somewhat different depending on the light and the background.
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.
