coral Aka Momo Middle Coral Cylinder Drum Red Coral

gem treasure natural coral red coral superb coral pink coral loose bead loose strand
dyed sea bamboo coral neckace coral bangle coral pendant coral bracelet coral beads
carved coral stick coral pebble sponge coral jumbo coral deep sea coral bamboo chunk
jewelery coral 红珊瑚

Precious coral or red coral is the common name given to Corallium rubrum and
several related species of marine coral.
The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and
intensely colored red or pink skeleton, which is used for making jewelry - Organic Gems.

Natural Coral
　

Red corals grow on rocky seabottom with low sedimentation,
typically in dark environments--either in the depths or in dark caverns or crevices.
The original species, Corallium rubrum, is found mainly in the Mediterranean Sea.
It grows at depths from 100 to 300 M,
although the shallower of these habitats have been largely depleted by harvesting.
In the underwater caves of Alghero, Sardinia (the "Coral Riviera") it grows at depth from 4 to 35 M
The same species is also found at Atlantict sites near the Strait of Gibraltar and at the Cape Verde Islands.
Other Corallium species are native to the western Pacific, notably around Japan (Corallium japonicum) and
Taiwan. these occur at depths of 350 to 2000 M in areas with strong currents.

Coral:
Coral is not a mineral but a hard calcareous substance consisting of the continuous skeleton secreted by many tribes of marine coelenterate polyps for their support and habitation. It is found growing plant-like on the sea-bottom. With pollution on the rise everywhere it is becoming increasingly rare, to the extent that even the most prized, the Mediterranean coral, is threatened with extinction.

Dyed Sea Bamboo Coral:
The raw material is sea bamboo coral, a kind of seawater plant fossil which is similar with the natural coral. The natural color is white and dyed in red & pink. Sizes of 4-50mm including beads, chips, nuggets, donuts, can be processed as full drilled or half-drilled, carved flowers or cabochons.
Bamboo coral is in the taxonomic subclass Octocorallia, order Alcyonacea and family Isididae, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The corals can live for centuries, and their strong structures form habitats for crabs and larval.
Bamboo coral is also known as "sea bamboo" because of its banding pattern. The coral is naturally gray, green, white or reddish brown. Bamboo coral is commonly dyed to red to enhance its color, and sometimes it is dyed pink.
The skeletons of bamboo coral consist of finger- or branchlike calcium carbonate material interspersed with jointlike regions, which give the coral the appearance of a woody plant. Bamboo coral is considered soft by the standards of gemologists.

Sponge Coral:
Raw material of sponge coral is mangrove, also a seawater plant fossil. With natural red color and produced with a special kind of glue, finished products are charming and elegant.