Hawaii’s State Gem – Black Coral

Black Coral was chosen as the state gem of Hawaii in November 1987. It is the only state gem that is not a mineral, but a living organism.

Hawaiian Black Coral - Image courtesy of IFE, URI-JAO, Lost City science party, and NOAA.

This is an antipatharian or black coral. Antipatharian corals are solitary, their six-tentacled polyps being located in a skin-like coenenchyme that surrounds the spiny, horny skeleton of this coral. These corals can often be home to many invertebrate animals. Crawling and attached to this particular specimen were tiny galatheid crabs, polychaete worms, small highly-branched hydroids, and spider crabs. Perhaps these corals are more like an apartment building rather than a single family home.

Source: NOAA

 

 

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Precious corals have been used byhumans for the fabrication ofcoral jew elry since antiquity (Grigg, 1989).Along with amber, precious coral mayhave also been used as a source ofcurrency for trade by paleolithic man(Tescione, 1968). As a renewable re source in the sea, precious corals arethought to be the slowest growing or ganisms of any known fishery past or present.

Black Coral Paradise Ring with Diamonds by MauiDivers

The discovery of black coral in Hawaii in 1958 led to the establishmentof a small cottage industry that pro duced curios and black coral jewelryin Lahaina, Maui (Stewart, 1962b). In 1960, John Stewart and Jack Ackermanstarted a company known as MauiDivers. Over the next ten years, MauiDivers grew steadily under the direc tion of Clifford Slater, and was joinedby about a dozen other small companies. By 1969 the industry collectively was producing about $2 million gross retail sales; part of these sales included imports of pink coral jewelry from Taiwan and Japan.

Production by Maui Divers of Hawaii accounts for more than 50% of alllocally produced black coral jewelryin the State of Hawaii. Today, consid erably less black coral is used for fabrication than during the 60′s and 70′s, because the jewelry items produced are smaller and of higher quality and because modem cutting procedures aremuch more efficient than in the past. In November of 1987, black coral was named the State “Gem” and this has in creased consumer interest considerably.

Source: Excerpted from Precious Coral Fisheries of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands, Richard W. Grigg, NOAA

Learning Links for Black Coral

Hawaii State Gem - (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Though black coral is not technically a gem stone, but rather a living creature, it has become popular for it to be used in jewelry, and was in 1987 designated Hawaii’s state gem. Learn all about it in this article.
Source:Waikiki Aquarium

 

 

Hawaii Legislature

[§5-15] State gem. The black coral is established and designated as the official gem of the State. [L 1987, c 9, §1]