The facts
What mediterranean Red Coral actually is
Mediterranean Red Coral is classified as calcareous axial skeleton of the gorgonian octocoral Corallium rubrum, with the composition Approx. 87% Mg-calcite CaCO3, with conchiolin and carotenoid pigment. It crystallises in the aggregate (trigonal calcite) system.
Colour comes from polyenic carotenoid pigments bound in the organic fraction, which is also what a laboratory looks at when it is asked whether a colour is natural.
Refractive index 1.486-1.658 (calcite birefringence; spot reading around 1.49-1.65). Specific gravity around 2.60-2.70. Cleavage: none; splintery to uneven fracture, longitudinal striations. Those three numbers separate it from most of what imitates it.
Where mediterranean Red Coral comes from
Mediterranean Red Coral is produced at Alghero and the Costa del Corallo, Sardinia, Italy, Sciacca, Sicily, Italy (subfossil banks), Costa Brava, Spain, and the Alboran Sea, Tabarka, Tunisia, and the Moroccan Mediterranean coast and Torre del Greco, Italy (the historic cutting and trading centre, not a source).
The locality is part of the description, not a footnote — two stones of the same weight from two of these places are not the same stone.
How mediterranean Red Coral is treated
Frequently waxed or oiled; dyeing and colour enhancement of pale material is common and often undisclosed. Legally: Corallium rubrum is NOT on CITES Appendix I or II - proposals to list it were defeated at CoP14 and CoP15 - but harvesting is tightly regulated under GFCM and EU rules (minimum basal diameter, licensed divers, depth limits, national quotas). Four Pacific species - Corallium japonicum, C. elatius, C. konojoi and C. secundum - ARE on CITES Appendix III (listed by China, 2008), so those need Appendix III paperwork. Several US states and the EU apply further import controls.
Treatment changes value, sometimes by a multiple, so it belongs in the description before the price and not after the sale.
What mediterranean Red Coral is confused with
In the trade mediterranean Red Coral is most often mistaken for, or substituted by, Dyed bamboo coral (the single most common substitute), Dyed sponge coral, Gilson and other reconstituted 'coral', Dyed howlite and magnesite, Plastic and glass or Dyed calcite.
The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.486-1.658 (calcite birefringence; spot reading around 1.49-1.65) and specific gravity 2.60-2.70 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.
What mediterranean Red Coral is used for
Demand for mediterranean Red Coral comes from jewellery, carving and sculpture, decorative objects and mineral collecting, which is why one price per carat never covers it.
We quote each application in the unit that trade actually buys in, by the carat, by the block or by the piece.
Durability and care
Mediterranean Red Coral is 3-4 on the Mohs scale, with none; splintery to uneven fracture, longitudinal striations cleavage.
Below about 5.5 a stone will be scratched by ordinary household dust, which is largely quartz. That does not make it unusable — it makes it a pendant, an earring or an object rather than a ring worn every day.
Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners on anything fracture-filled, stabilised, dyed or visibly included.
What mediterranean Red Coral costs
As a guide, mediterranean Red Coral trades around $100-1,500 per gram finished for fine untreated Mediterranean red; branches and rough $50-400 per gram.
That is a range, not a quote. Colour, size, clarity, cut and origin move the figure a long way inside it, and the only honest price is one given against a specific stone. Send us what you need and we will price it.
Questions
Is mediterranean Red Coral treated, and how?
Frequently waxed or oiled; dyeing and colour enhancement of pale material is common and often undisclosed. Legally: Corallium rubrum is NOT on CITES Appendix I or II - proposals to list it were defeated at CoP14 and CoP15 - but harvesting is tightly regulated under GFCM and EU rules (minimum basal diameter, licensed divers, depth limits, national quotas). Four Pacific species - Corallium japonicum, C. elatius, C. konojoi and C. secundum - ARE on CITES Appendix III (listed by China, 2008), so those need Appendix III paperwork. Several US states and the EU apply further import controls.
Where does mediterranean Red Coral come from?
Alghero and the Costa del Corallo, Sardinia, Italy, Sciacca, Sicily, Italy (subfossil banks), Costa Brava, Spain, and the Alboran Sea, Tabarka, Tunisia, and the Moroccan Mediterranean coast and Torre del Greco, Italy (the historic cutting and trading centre, not a source). Origin affects price, so we name the locality rather than the country on every quote.
Is mediterranean Red Coral hard enough to wear every day?
Not really. At 3-4 on the Mohs scale it is softer than the quartz dust in ordinary household dirt, so it scratches with wear. It suits pendants, earrings and objects better than a daily ring.
How much does mediterranean Red Coral cost?
Indicatively $100-1,500 per gram finished for fine untreated Mediterranean red; branches and rough $50-400 per gram. Colour, size, clarity and origin move the price a long way within that, so treat it as a range and ask for a quote against a specific stone.
What is mediterranean Red Coral confused with?
Most often Dyed bamboo coral (the single most common substitute), Dyed sponge coral, Gilson and other reconstituted 'coral', Dyed howlite and magnesite, Plastic and glass and Dyed calcite. A refractive index of 1.486-1.658 (calcite birefringence; spot reading around 1.49-1.65) and a specific gravity near 2.60-2.70 separate it quickly.
What is mediterranean Red Coral used for besides jewellery?
carving and sculpture, decorative objects and mineral collecting. Each of those trades buys it in a different form and a different unit.
Related stones
Looking for mediterranean red coral?
Tell us the size, the quality and what it is for. We source it, photograph it and quote it — with the locality named.
Ask about mediterranean red coral