Corallium Bracelet

Designed by Ercument Gorgul — Washington D.C., for Design Museum's Rapid Jewelry Design Competition

From the designer: "Being the symbol of fortune and wealth in China, red coral has been used as jewelry since ancient times. Especially during Qing Dynasty, jewelry items made by red coral gained popularity. Because it takes over 100 years for a red coral to gain a pound of weight, currently it is a top-level protected species in China since 1988 to avoid its extinction. Our design is taking its form inspiration from the branch patterns of Chinese Coral. As the piece wraps around the forearm, a more straight line define the wrist crease area. This enables the wrist to move more comfortably. The bangle grows more freely towards the upper forearm, as it seems to grab it with a life force."