Of all the traditional jewelry coral necklace was considered the most valuable. It was also often called “good necklace”, “wise necklace”, “true corals”.
Don’t buy a house, but buy corals! A set of women’s jewelry was a status indicator not only of its owner, but the whole family, it could cost more than a house or a couple of oxen.
There was a belief, that when a woman is healthy, the corals on her are red and shiny, and the dullness of the necklace`s color warns of illness.
Corals, as a symbol of fertility, were inherited through the female line.
“Barbed”, “chopped”, “sanded”, “barrels” – these are all names of coral beads shape.
Photo by Olena Karpuk
