Featured Is this real or dyed red coral?

I got a piece of coral as a gift but am unsure if it is real or dyed red coral.
It’s literally a piece of rough coral branch on a necklace, and I think it looks cool, but I’m unsure if I can tell people exactly what type of coral it is when they see me wearing it.

 

That looks genuine, to me.
Corallius rubrum, probably; known as Precious Red Coral.
My experience isn't deep, but the color is good, and so is the grain & texture.
A very nice piece, indeed!

 

This is old...but may have been dyed. It belonged to an Aunt who got it in Europe (Italy or Spain) in the early 1960's.

As a test, soak a Q-Tip in Acetone & rub the coral on a spot for a moment or so. If any color shows on the swab, it is dyed.

Mine shows no color but I sense, from the vivid nature of the color, it may be 'enhanced'.

Good luck...an' Thanks!

 

Both beautiful coral branches, you lucky people.

That orangey colour could be Momo coral, rather than Mediterranean red coral. Both are precious coral species.
Momo is called Corallium Elatius, it is found from Japan to Indonesia.
Mediterranean red is called Corallium Rubrum, it is mainly found in the Mediterranean.
@TheArtOfTheFart where are you? Your approx. location could be an indication of the likelihood of one v. the other.

Agree, but it works even better if you press the Q-Tip on the coral for 20-30 seconds, no rubbing. Don't worry about loss of colour, there won't be any.

 

nice gift !!!!

 

"Agree, but it works even better if you press the Q-Tip on the coral for 20-30 seconds, no rubbing. Don't worry about loss of colour, there won't be any."

That's a fine and valid point...thanks!

 

Holy crap I never knew a piece of unworked coral could be so valuable. I just did an eBay search. Wowzas