A Matter of Time

This was an interesting find for me, and I thought I would show them off today. The photos here are of coral beads I picked up at one of my local bead shops, during a trunk show the shop was hosting. Beautiful, aren't they? The pattern of the beads is reminiscent of paper parasols or perhaps chrysanthemums and reminds me of Japanese obi cloth.



Apart from the general beauty of the beads, though, the thing I find interesting about them is that they are not ordinary coral beads - they are made from fossilized coral.

I have been working with fossils quite a bit in my work this year, so I love finding new types of fossils to incorporate into my necklaces. I have to admit, though, I also like working with coral. The fact that these beads are fossilized - agatized in this case, where the organic material in the prehistoric coral has been replaced over time with agate - and therefore do not have the same potential environmental issues as other coral beads, makes me happy, too. While these beads are a nice caramel color, I've noted that you can also find beautiful fossilized coral in pink/red tones (either natural or enhanced) on the market, as well.

Thanks for visiting!