Jewelry Blog

>Organic gems are formed by the biological processes of living organisms found on land and underwater. The main organic gems from animals are pearl, ivory, shell (mother-of-pearl) and coral. Those derived from plants are amber and jet. For more information on amber and jet see our gemstone properties page. Other organic gems and collectibles include tagua nuts (vegetable ivory) and fossils like shark teeth and dinosaur eggs.

Mother-of-pearl
Mother-of-pearl is nacre, the smooth calcium carbonate lining of iridescent luster found in various shells. Nacres is the material from which pearls are made.

Coral
Coral consists of the branching skeletons of animals (marine polyps) which live in colonies planted on the seabed at depths varying from tens to hundreds of meters in warmish to very warm seas. Their dense limestone skeletons cluster together and build up over thousands of years into coral reefs and coral islands.

Coral comes in white, red, pink, blue, golden and black colors. All corals have a delicate graining of stripes or spots in their structure. Coral is said to promote general physical and mental well-being and to be of particular assistance to those suffering from anemia, bladder conditions, colic and whooping cough. It has been used as a form of protective magic for children for hundreds of years.

Ivory
Ivory is the hard white dentine from the tusks of elephants and some other animals like walruses and sperm whales. Ivory has a creamy color which yellows with time, excellent texture and is elastic. Because of its great popularity, ivory has led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of African elephants (the major source of ivory because of the size of the tusks).
Today, many substitutes are used like bone, horn, vegetable ivory (tagua nut) and plastic. Genuine ivory can still be found as vintage beads at very high prices. Ivory is said to protect the physical body from injury.

Organic materials
Particularly for komboloi, other organic materials used are wood, bone, horn, nuts, seeds and pits. There is a group of komboloi lovers who claim that komboloi should only be made with organic materials (materials that used to be alive) and not with gemstones or other minerals.

Kukui nut
The Kukui is the state tree of Hawaii. The indigenous kukui, better known as the candlenut tree, is the symbol of the `Aha Kupuna, the council of elders, because the Hawaiian word “Kukui” means enlightened. Hard-shelled kukui nuts take such a brilliant luster that they resemble polished gemstones.

Rudraksha seeds
Rudraksha trees grow throughout Java and the lower altitudes of Tibet. It is believed that after God Siva awoke from one thousand years of meditation and shed tears of worldly compassion, the tears were crystallized into the seeds which gave birth to the Rudraksha tree (Elaeocarpus Ganitrus).

Ebony, teak, olive, sandal- and other wood
Wood is one of the traditional materials used in komboloi and early worry beads. Most wood transfers the properties and symbolism of the tree onto the bead. Sandalwood is known for its natural fragrance. The olive tree represents knowledge and wisdom.

Read more info here