Exotic Red Coral and Abalone Floral Necklace & buying Earrings Set: Handcrafted in Philippines

Slip into a tropical state of mind — and fashion — with bold-hued floral set, handcrafted in the Philippines.

Our necklace and earrings demi showcases red coral (or apple coral) and iridescent abalone shell, meticulously crafted to depict large flowers and leaves, and paired with black wooden beads.

The flower depicted is the hibiscus which, according to an online history, was in the Southeast Asian country long before humans settled there! Known as "gumamelas", they bloom everywhere, in a wide variety of colors, all year round. The main materials used, abalone shell and coral, are also abundant in the islands.

The necklace has the hibiscus as the centerpiece. It has two layers of petals made of apple coral, with reddish-orange and peach hues. At its center is an iridescent abalone round, with cream color undertones. The flower is flanked by large leaves, also made of abalone.

Apart from its bold design, our necklace displays the excellent craftsmanship of the Philippine artisan who created it. Each petal, each leaf, is hand-cut to fit perfectly the shapes of adjacent elements, like a fine mosaic or puzzle. The form-fitted coral and abalone tiles are in turn inlaid onto a black enameled wooden base.

The necklace centerpiece measures a huge 6 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" tall. It hangs from a double strand of black wooden disc beads, with large red coral bead accents. Total length of the necklace is about 23" long; it has an old-fashioned silvertone fishhook clasp.

The artisan's meticulous attention carries over to the earrings as well. Each is a smaller coral gumamela bud, with smaller abalone leaves. All the pieces fit perfectly, like in the necklace.

The earrings measure 1 3/4" x 1 3/4", they are clipbacks.

The set is out of an estate, and judging from the other jewelry in the collection, is most probably from the 1970s-1980s. But it doesn't seem to have been used at all. The earrings are still in their original card, marked "Handcrafted in the Philippines". Under this, the owner also hand-wrote "Abalone Shell with Apple Coral". The necklace has a gold sticker in the buying base marked "Made in the Philippines".

In excellent, A+ condition, with no visible wear at all. The age shows up only in the earrings' paper card, which has yellowed.