How to identify the actual coral?

Corals are calcium shells secreted by organisms called "coral" or "coral otters" living in the ocean. These shells are often dendritic. Most of the corals are white, and a few can appear red, blue, black, gold and yellow brown. Coral-inlaid jewellery or handicrafts made from beautiful, bright and pure corals have a high collection value.

The method of identifying corals is very simple, mainly by observation:
Longitudinal view: There are parallel growth lines in the longitudinal direction of the coral, with parallel coral pillars. If it is a ring, the growth pattern is generally on the back; if it is a sculpture, it can be seen on the surface.
Cross-viewing: There are growth rings like rings in the cross section of the coral. They are small and large, concentric, and can be seen on coral ornaments.
Look at the color: The color of the coral is from the inside out. The deeper the color of the coral column near the surface, the lighter the color in the inner layer. In other words, the color of the coral is not uniform. If the color is the same inside and outside, it is suspected that it is an imitation.

There are also many ways to copy corals. There are mainly the following:
The first is the use of coral ornaments made from sea willow and sea bamboo. This imitation has a pronounced longitudinal texture on the surface, uniform in color, and has no unique pore characteristics.
The second is filled with coral staining. Shallow-textured dendritic reefs with loose texture are filled and stained with plastic injections to impersonate corals. This imitation is smooth, rough and fragile, and its color is easily faded. It is easy to identify.
The third is synthetic coral dyeing, which involves grinding various shellfish or reef-building corals into powder and re-injecting into the shape of various corals. Such fake corals do not have a natural texture. Almost every coral is the same and its color is easily discolored.
Fourth, all kinds of jade imitation coral products, such as dyeing with dolomite or calcite. It looks very uniform in color but fades and has no gloss.
Fifth, plastic products dyed fake corals. Its light texture, fading, no natural texture and luster, no coral charm.