The Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF and the Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Zurich recently discovered a new precious coral species using a refined DNA-centric method.

According to SSEF, the species, previously unknown in science and the gem trade, belonged to the Pleurocorallium norfolkicum species complex. A DNA-based method was used to distinguish visually similar precious corals used in luxury jewellery.

The team analysed an exceptional “angel’s-skin” necklace, known for its delicate light-pink hue that commands top-tier prices in the market. DNA fingerprinting showed the material does not match two known species – Pleurocorallium elatius or Pleurocorallium secundum.

Instead, this newly identified Pleurocorallium norfolkicum species complex can be traced back to potential undiscovered fisheries in Vietnam.

“Several precious coral species present very similar characteristics and colours, and traditional gemmological techniques cannot tell them apart,” said SSEF Head of Special Initiatives Dr. Laurent E. Cartier. “By reading their genetic fingerprints, we can now identify different species unambiguously – providing greater transparency and allowing us to further document the provenance of historic and modern precious coral jewels.”

Researchers described their method of extracting minute traces of mitochondrial DNA from precious coral beads – often just a few milligrams drilled from existing holes – then matching these sequences to “museum-type” specimens and newly built reference libraries.

“Our approach allows us to recover enough DNA from fully calcified coral samples to identify the species of precious corals found in high-value jewels in a quasi-non-destructive manner,” explained Dr. Bertalan Lendvay, research associate at the University of Zurich.