Large CORAL Bead NecklaceSought after as a gem material for more than 2,000 years, today coral is one of the most popular organic gems in the marketplace, next to pearls ("Coral: More than seasonal," The Guide, May/June 2003, pp.7-8, 13).Coral's enduring appeal may be due to its broad range of color saturation, from vivid "ox-blood" red, through the softer pinkish orange of "salmon," further to the pale pink of "angel skin," and beyond even that to white.Combined with a Moh's hardness of 3.5, it is not surprising that coral is a favorite carving material for use as objets d'art and in jewelry, as well as fashioned into cabochons and beads.