The term coral gem mainly refers to gem-grade red coral. Coral is a coelenterate that secretes lime (calcite) during the growth process to construct their bodies. To obtain food and sunlight, corals form dendritic groups. Its chemical composition is CaCO3, and it is composed of microcrystalline calcite aggregates. Coral is generally white and can also be red, pink or orange red. There are also rare black and blue corals. Red coral with a translucent waxy lustre and a fine texture is considered a high-quality gem (Fig. 48).
Red coral
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
(2020). Coral. In: Chen, A., Ng, Y., Zhang, E., Tian, M. (eds) Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_405
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_405
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2537-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2538-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences