The facts
What white Precious Coral actually is
White Precious Coral is classified as calcareous skeleton of the white precious coral Pleurocorallium (Corallium) konojoi, with the composition Mg-calcite CaCO3 with conchiolin. It crystallises in the aggregate (trigonal calcite) system.
Colour comes from essentially unpigmented carbonate, which is also what a laboratory looks at when it is asked whether a colour is natural.
Refractive index 1.486-1.658. Specific gravity around 2.60-2.70. Cleavage: none. Those three numbers separate it from most of what imitates it.
Where white Precious Coral comes from
White Precious Coral is produced at Tosa Bay and Ryukyu grounds, Japan, Taiwan Strait grounds and South China Sea.
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 white Precious Coral is treated
The principal feedstock for dyed 'red' and 'angel skin' coral, and the main reason undisclosed dye is endemic in the coral trade. CITES Appendix III (China). Undyed white coral is inexpensive, which is precisely why it is dyed.
Treatment changes value, sometimes by a multiple, so it belongs in the description before the price and not after the sale.
What white Precious Coral is confused with
In the trade white Precious Coral is most often mistaken for, or substituted by, Bleached bamboo coral, Shell or Dyed products made from it.
The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.486-1.658 and specific gravity 2.60-2.70 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.
What white Precious Coral is used for
Demand for white Precious Coral comes from jewellery, carving and sculpture and decorative objects, 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
Hardness 3-4; cleavage none. That combination decides what it can safely be set into.
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 white Precious Coral costs
As a guide, white Precious Coral trades around $3-40 per gram undyed.
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 white Precious Coral treated, and how?
The principal feedstock for dyed 'red' and 'angel skin' coral, and the main reason undisclosed dye is endemic in the coral trade. CITES Appendix III (China). Undyed white coral is inexpensive, which is precisely why it is dyed.
Where does white Precious Coral come from?
Tosa Bay and Ryukyu grounds, Japan, Taiwan Strait grounds and South China Sea. Origin affects price, so we name the locality rather than the country on every quote.
Is white Precious 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 white Precious Coral cost?
Indicatively $3-40 per gram undyed. 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 white Precious Coral confused with?
Most often Bleached bamboo coral, Shell and Dyed products made from it. A refractive index of 1.486-1.658 and a specific gravity near 2.60-2.70 separate it quickly.
What is white Precious Coral used for besides jewellery?
carving and sculpture and decorative objects. Each of those trades buys it in a different form and a different unit.
Related stones
Looking for white precious 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 white precious coral