126 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



pieces in this collection sold for five thousand dollars. 

 One of the most beautiful of these carvings is that 

 of the God of Wealth, one of the seven gods of luck, 

 which is carved from dark salmon-pink coral. The 

 Japanese produce about sixty thousand pounds of 

 coral and work much of this into beads, cameos, and 

 similar jewelry. Some of the finished product is 

 exported to China and India. 



Precious coral is used principally in the manu- 

 facture of beads and cameos. Coral beads are made 

 in either spherical or oval form and are strung as 

 necklaces, bracelets, or rosaries. The polished ends 

 of coral branches are often used as watch charms. 

 Larger pieces are sometimes polished and set in the 

 handles of brushes, hat-pins, and the like. 



Although coral is highly prized in all civilized 

 countries, the Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Indians, 

 and other dark-skinned peoples value it most highly 

 for personal adornment, as it shows off to better 

 advantage on dark skins than on light ones. In 

 Turkey it is not only used for personal adornment 

 but is also inlaid in the decorated walls of rooms 

 and employed for the ornamentation of many objects, 

 such as pipes, handles, and the like. The peoples of 

 northern Africa, with the exception of the Egyp- 

 tians, esteem it highly. 



The value of coral varies greatly according to its 

 color and the uses to which it is put, the latter de- 

 pending mainly on the size. Just now pure white 

 Japanese coral is in vogue; white beads having a 

 small spot of pink are especially popular in America 



