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Plate IA Coral: Raw coral branches; the branch in front is sardegna and the one behind is cerasuolo. The coral branches are first cut into manageable sizes and the crusty skin called coensarc is scraped off to view the coral underneath. The branches are then marked with white string or paper to identify where the initial cuts should be made. Selection at this point can be quite laborious and the waste can be enormous, depending on the type of coral (photo by author). Plate IB Coral: Cerasuolo coral branch fragments (rear) and the blanks cut from them (front). Three stages of production can be seen here. The coral branches have been cut into bead blanks and sorted into more refined groups by color and shape. These first steps of examination, and branch and blank cutting, are considered the most important in the entire production process (photo by author). Plate IC Coral: Branch sections are formed into bead blanks by cutting progressively smaller pieces on an electric saw. The cutter's skill and expertise determine the final disposition and preparation of the piece of coral (photo by author). Plate ID Coral: Shaping beads using an electric carborundum grinding wheel with the coral piece held tight in a wooden pliers (pliersor) or attached to a stick with resin. This rounds the rough edges and removes the rest of the soft crust. The final form is achieved in subsequent grinding stages (photo by author). Plate IIA Coral: Pallini in the rociatrice machine. The holes in the lower disc secure the coral pieces while the grindstone reduces them to the proper size (photo by author). Plate IIB Coral: Drilling holes in the beads, a step that requires a great deal of expertise, precision, and skill (photo by author). Plate IIC Coral: The infilatrice stringing round beads onto a matching colored thread with a long thin needle. The beads in the foreground are frange (photo by author). Plate IID Coral: Torsade or torchon necklaces of tiny pallini beads of Mediterranean and Pacific coral for the fashion market (photo by author). Plate IIIA Coral: Top: Ethnic-market fabbrica beads. Left to right: graduated barilotti beads for a Mexican market; graduated frange beads and coral chips (spezzati); barocchetti beads; cylindrical beads called cannette (large) and cannettine (small) for the Nigerian market (photo by author). Bottom: Barilotti and cannette beads of Pacific Corallium elatius worn by the Kalahari Ijo of Nigeria (1984) (photo by permission of Joanne B. Eicher). Plate IIIB Coral: Top: Strings of
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