Published: 02 Oct 2024

In every civilization there has been a fear of evil and supernatural forces and various and mixed understanding of the means to combat them. It has long been a belief that Coral has powerful protective properties to counter-act malevolent forces, witchcraft and the 'evil eye'. This understanding and fear was so strong that in the English Georgian period (1714 to 1837), presumably just following 'hard on the heels' of the East Anglian Witch hunts, Coral was often incorporated into baby's rattles and infants are often portrayed in 18th century paintings, wearing Coral bracelets or necklaces. Interestingly, earlier in the 15th century (1474) in a painting by Piero Della Francesca, even the infant Jesus is shown wearing a Coral necklace, which may suggest contemporary thinking that evil forces could be so strong that faith alone was inefficient to defeat them. Cameos and Brooches often featured Coral incorporated into them, a practice which was perpetuated throughout the 19th and well into the 20th century. It is a fact that the late Queen Elizabeth II was given a Coral necklace by her parents when she was born.