Pulmonary Tree notes [1]

Other details emphasize this allusion to Christ's sacrifice. Around the Child's neck hangs a circle of beads strung with a tiny ball of crystal and a good sized amulet of uncut coral. These semi-precious stones traditionally have been worn by infants as protection against illness and the "evil-eye." The belief centers on the fact that not only its precarious state of health but its moral innocence makes every newborn particu-larly vulnerable to attack by the devil. Such amulets, worn at neck or wrist, are thus meant to help keep the child from harm's way both physically and spiritually. The qualities of the mate-rials also connected them physically and spiritually to Christ's Passion. Rock crystal, believed to be the congelation of un-sullied mountain snow, symbolized the purity, and red coral from the sea, the blood of Christ's sacrifice. Indeed, in the natural branching of the coral, the very tree of the crucifixion was often recognized and used to represent the cross in larger, more elaborate settings.7 Worn by the Christ Child, who came to earth himself to ward off evil, the necklace reinforces the sepulchral reference in his pose.