CHAPTER 9 

 The Precious Coral Industry 



History 



The use of coral for personal adornment goes back at least as far as the third 

 century B.C. for it was described by the Greek pliilosopher and naturalist, Theo- 

 phrastus. In Roman times the finest coral was taken in the Mediterranean near the 

 present Hyeres and Lipari Islands and off the coast of Trapani in Sicily. Coral 

 and amber were highly prized by the ancient Gauls and extensively used in 

 jewelry. In ancient and medieval times coral was considered to be one of the 

 precious stones. The Romans had many superstitions about coral, believing that 

 it had such beneficial medicinal effects as cooling the human blood, reducing 

 inflammation, etc. 



Importance of Industry 



Prior to 1900 most commercial coral came from the Mediterranean Sea, being 

 brought into Naples, Messina, Genoa, and Leghorn by Italian boats. Since it can 

 be obtained more cheaply in Japan than in the Mediterranean, coral fishing in 

 Itahan waters has slowly died out and is of minor importance today. 



According to the U. S, Department of Commerce Italy's imports of crude coral 

 in 1948 totaled 1,827 kg, compared with 11,369 kg in 1938, 7,831 of which came 

 from Japan. Italy's exports of coral manufactures (unmounted) in 1948 were 

 valued at 22,847,000 Ure (575 lire to the U. S. dollar); 4,393,000 went to India 

 and Pakistan, 4,784,000 to British West Africa, and 2,143,000 to the United 

 States. Exports of coral manufactures (mounted) totaled 5,537,000 lire (635,000 

 to the U. S.). Total exports of crude coral amounted to 16,997 kilos, of which 

 4,497 went to India and Pakistan. The destination of the remainder was not 

 specified in the statistics. 



In 1940 approximately 27,600 pounds of raw coral, valued at approximately 

 $300,000, were obtained from Japanese waters. The production of Formosa and 

 the Pescadores Islands came to about 4,000,000 pounds, valued at about $350,000. 

 Since these waters are outside the fishing areas authorized by the occupational 

 authorities, no considerable quantity of precious coral has been fished in Japan 

 since World War II. 



Nature of Coral 



Living Coral. It was formerly believed that coral belonged to the plant kingdom 

 and was a peculiar kind of seaweed. Modern biologists have found, however, 

 that it resembles plants in form only, and that a single, complete branch bears 

 a great number of organisms, the polyps, which form a sort of colony. During the 

 life of these animals the red calcareous material of the branch is covered with a 



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