The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-02
CORAL ANTIQUES ARE ALL THE RACE JeweIry Lately DeSpiSed Is
 Now Away Up RED CINGALESE VALUABLE Is Almost Worth Its Weight In Gold. Pale Pink Italian Coral Is Less FaVored-oId Garnet Sets
 In Diamond.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
 If we had barrels of garnet and coral dewelry we would have no difficulty in disposing of it." said the proprietor of m antique shop. "A couple of months ago we had two or three barrels of old coral pieces, some broken and others in perfect conditions. stored away because NC couldn't sell them Now this is all we have left"
 He pointed to four small pasteboard boxes in a showcase in which was jum- hie Of pink and red buttons, brooches and broken pendants.
 When this style of ornament went out Of fashion the majority of people disposed of what coral they had for al- most a song. Now they are paying sev- cral times the original cost to get back holriooms that belong to someone else
 When the Maiden lane and Fifth ave nuo jewellers get orders for antique coral O. garnet sets they immediately send word 10 us to let them have an assortment, and when we reply that we haven't piece in the house and could sell hun drcds ourselves if we had them they are surprised
 They think that our shop must be filled with just this sort of ornament. It doesn't seem to strike them that women come to us first when they are seized with the fever of the antique fad
 "Cingalese coral is worth almost it's weight in gold at present. Now here is a small brooch, worth S50 and it couldn't be duplicated anywhere here or in Europe at that price, unless from some one who was ignorant of it's true value'
 He picked up a large oval ornament made of pinxish red coral leaves and flowers fashioned in a spray, each branch mounted on stem of fine gold wire.
 Notice the color and lustre of this. It's characteristic of Cingalese coral. No other coral will take such polish and look delicate. If you put a piece of Japanese coral beside it the Japanese will remain clear and pink in here.
 Got Brooch Cheap.
 "A woman came in here the other day 10 find out the value of a brooch like this that she had picked mp in the West Indies for $5. Her husband told her that she had been badly cheated and the brooch wasn't coral at all.
 When l offered 10 pay her s35 for it and told her that she might easily value 1t at $50 she was the happiest person 1 have seen in a long time Of course noth- ing would induce her to part with it, and now she wants to make another trip to the tropics for more bargains in icwelry
 "If you can get the real pink Cingalese coral you can ask almost any price for t now Here is neelSlace, for instance. valued at $75. Each bead you will see is cut like a gem, and the long pear Shaped pendant is eXquisitely carved.
 "There are very few pieces of this kind of coral to be bought since the fad started and besides there is special value attached to ornaments that are genuinely old This set of coral is worth S15O,00 he went on, bringing out large flat jewel case con taining an enormous necklace made of coral kowers and pendants. a iaonstrous brooch and q pair of earrings fully two inches long.
 But women are not going to wear these fearful looking things are they. even if they are antique and curious?"
 "lndeed they are. Wait until the opera season opens and you viii see them on women who can afford 10 own dozen or more sets of jewelry.
 ''rhe earrings, of course, will be passed by. They will be left out entirely or else made into something more modern. A pair of them can be used very nicely in tho construction of small tiara or two smaller brooches
 ''F'reuucntly when the necklace or brooch is imperfect we use the earrings 10 supply missing parts Sometimes we leave them out altogether. and keep them ourselves to use in repairing other pieces of coral iewelry we have on hand.
 Day of Pale Pink Coral Past.
 "The coral which comes from Italy is generally a very pale pink, sometimes almost white, andt although it has been popular foi some time. 1t is initiate so extensively thal those who have tne gen. lline article dc not get the credit for it. pf nj ipls iS past we believe, and the deep rich shade bordering on a red has arrived
 ''Cut garnet sets are in great demand loo. In fact our stock, of which we had quantities early in the season. is entire 1N depleted, and from all appearances the consignment that is now in the custom house will be gone within a few days after it's delivery here.
 Despite the fact that garnets are be- coming to a very few women, all women seem to want them. and there are dozens of calls every day for old fashioned neck 1aces. These garnet sets look mighty handsome on women who are rather dark and possess brilliant coloring.
 There are two kinds of this garnet iewelry. One is called Bohemian and Is made generally of flat stones, larger as rule. than the other kind, which we call Indian. The latter is truly Oriental both in it's richness of color and in de- sgn.
 Tt is in the Indian that you oftenest see those clusters of star shaped pieces strung together into necklace or brace let which, when worn on fair white throat or arm, resemble river of crim- son fire.
 Strings of cut garnet beads about the size of peas cost $20, and small neck 1aces, those in which discs about the size of a dime and few pendants are used will bring from S25 to S35 Only last week we put together genuine old set which was out of order and had some of the parts missing and got $500 for it.
 Tt was beautiful, though. The design was cluster of three petal shaped pieces each one having in the centre large pear shaped garnet cut pave We had to re- place two or three of these smoothly fin- ished stones and 1t took several days to match the garnets exactly
 "The woman who bought the set, which consisted of a necklace. brooch. tiara earrings and bracelets, wore 1t one night to a dinner. She had gown which her dressmaker told her needed garnets 10 set it off properly, so she came to us and had us get this up for her.
 Some garnet pieces of jewelry are set in sixteen karat gold some in less pure metal. while many come 10 us from Europe set in dull silver. The silver looks very well, especially if it Is old enough to have become oxidized. Then the setting which shows very little in any case. is scarcely seen.
 .'Garnet bracelets are being bought I'D