Rare Hawaiian Gold Coral

Hawaiian Gold Coral
(Gerardia Species)

Hawaiian Gold Coral was discovered in small amounts in 1971 by Dr. Richard Grigg using Star II submarine in the same general area as the pink coral discovery area off Makapuu Point in 1,200 feet of water. In the year 2000, two new beds of Hawaiian Gold Coral were discovered; one atop an ancient underwater volcano called Cross Seamount, 100 miles south of Oahu, the other off Keahole Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. Both beds are at a depth of 400 meters (about 1,300 feet). The beds off Makapuu were the only commercially harvested beds in the world, and Maui Divers is the only company in the world that makes jewelry from Hawaiian Gold Coral.

Hawaiian Gold Coral grows at a rate of approximately 3 inches per year, and only about 3% of the bed can be harvested annually. Both State and Federal laws strictly regulate the harvest. Of all gem corals, Hawaiian Gold Coral is by far the rarest.

The color of Hawaiian Gold Coral may vary widely and display many interesting patterns, something that is not so of Pink and Black Corals. The color tone of Hawaiian Gold Coral ranges from a sandy beige color to almost a black. Hawaiian Gold Coral has a special characteristic called “Chatoyance”. This term comes from the French word for “cats eye” and it describes a mysterious moving inner light that can be seen in Hawaiian Gold Coral.