This book is all about Oh My God gemstones and the simple people who love gemstones. Our compassionate boss and his team whose inspiration is Jesus is going to share with you the precious details of appreciating God’s splendid gift to mankind without any need of gemological expertise.
Written by P.J.Joseph
The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
- Bible, Luke 16:8
Chapter 4
Coral
One late evening a schoolgirl telephoned the compassionate boss for an appointment. The compassionate boss came forward, welcomed the schoolgirl politely and offered her a chair; the precious assistants glanced at her knowingly.
She looked at the plaque and paused.
“Sir, I got this red bead from my brother,” the schoolgirl said happily. “I want to know more about it because it looks different but beautiful.”
The compassionate boss paused.
“You should thank your brother for the gift,” he said. “It looks like coral, but we will do proper tests to identify it so that we can explain it you.”
The compassionate boss summoned Ann to conduct proper gemological tests.
“Oh sure,” the schoolgirl said. “I can’t wait, but please tell me more about coral. I want to learn new things. Is coral natural?”
“Coral is an organic sea gem,” the compassionate boss said. “The worldwide pollution in the seas and other environmental concerns are affecting the availability of this beautiful gem, but it’s still around.”
“What is the best color in coral?” the schoolgirl asked eagerly.
“The people in the trade have unique ways of describing color,” the compassionate boss said. “The best is red, but it’s a different red when you compare red coral with other red colored gems. You may find various shades of red; from pale to dark red, and also white, black, blue and golden brown. Coral has a special kind of organic but spiritual tranquility. It displays a living attitude, creative subjectivity and unique otherness. You need to open your third eye to perceive it. Most people don’t, but practice it. You will see a whole new world of colors and spiritual descriptions.”
“I didn’t know it,” the schoolgirl said.
The telephone rang.
As he was about to leave the office for commercial errand, he turned toward the schoolgirl, lowered his eyes and said, “My precious assistants will be working with you for a while.”
The schoolgirl bowed and said, “Certainly, sir.”
“May be your brother isn’t aware of facts. Where is he how?” Ann asked.
“I think so,” the school girl said. “He has friends in Italy and visits them during the summer.”
“Most of what you see in coral in many parts of the world is lower grade,” Margaret said.
“Why?” the schoolgirl asked.
“In a way it’s due to environmental issues,” Mary said. “As a living organism, coral is exposed to predators, pollution and the way some gatherers collect them in different part of the world.”
“How do they collect them?” the schoolgirl asked.
“At times coral gatherers dynamite coral reefs,” Mary said.
“That’s terrible,” the schoolgirl said. “They are destroying the environment.”
“It’s the coral skeletons that collectors make into beads and other ornamental materials,” Margaret said.
“That’s interesting,” the schoolgirl said.
“Coral is a special gem material,” Ann reminded. “You need to handle with care.”
“Why?” the schoolgirl asked.
“Coral is sensitive to chemical, detergents, perfumes and body acids because of its organic origin,” Mary said.
“What should I do?” the schoolgirl asked.
“Coral should be cleaned in mild soap solution to remove dirt, while softer corals from the Mediterranean may require repolishing to preserve the surface luster, while the toughest from the Sea of Japan are perceived to be resistant to chemicals and acids, which is also the source the so-called ox blood coral,” Ann said.
“I didn’t know it,” the schoolgirl said. “How would you describe my coral?”
“It’s spiritual like you. Its bright pink and some in the trade describe it as angel skin coral,” Margaret said.
The schoolgirl tried to reason, to understand.
“I like the description,” the schoolgirl said. “I feel closer to angles and god.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, “Peter said, after identification. “By the way, your coral bead is natural and not treated. We examined it.” She thanked Ann.
“Do they treat coral?” the schoolgirl asked.
“Usually coral is dyed or bleached to produce the popular natural colors to make it available at an affordable price,” Mary said. “Porous materials may be impregnated with plastics to fill the holes and improve color and surface luster.”
“Are there any imitation?” the schoolgirl asked.
“How did you know that?” Mary asked curiously.
“I heard it at school,” the schoolgirl said. “My brother told me that there is an imitation for nearly every gem material in the world.”
“That’s an interesting comment,” Margaret said. “The most popular imitation for coral are plastic, glass, reconstructed coral, stained marble, shell, and the so-called synthetic coral, which is an imitation made from crushed calcite produced in a number of colors. With proper magnification, you should be able to recognize the tell-tale signs.”
“What is the proper magnification for viewing gems?” the schoolgirl asked.
“The standard magnification for viewing gem is ten times,” Peter said. “Under magnification, you should be able to notice the textural differences between natural, which is concentric similar to growth rings of a tree, while in imitation you don’t see the natural pattern.”
“I must thank you for taking care of me,” the schoolgirl said.
When the compassionate boss returned he displayed several fine qualities of coral from his collection for comparison.
“Appreciating the beauty of coral is a gradual but enlightening process,” the compassionate continued. “Once you understand the inner meaning of color in coral try personally to experience it. Jesus said let the children come to me for such is the beauty and simplicity of heaven because we are God’s creation. Coral is precious. You are precious too.”
She was convinced.
Precious insights
- Learn the basics of the qualities and varieties of coral.
- Set a personal budget.
- The standard magnification for viewing gems is ten times.
- Use transmitted, reflected and fiber optic light sources to view the color contrast between natural, treated and imitation.
- Judge the overall appearance of coral in natural skylight and artificial light source (s).
- Always judge coral by their overall quality not locality.
- Always do your research.
- All treatments should be disclosed at all levels of distribution chain.
- If doubtful have it checked by a reputable gem testing laboratory.
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