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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 911699, member: 5833&quot;]I have a good sized chunk I found among my mothers things.&nbsp; While I don&#039;t think it falls apart spontaneously, it doesn&#039;t take much of a knock for bits to separate.&nbsp; You wouldn&#039;t want to drop it.&nbsp; Crumbly might be the word for it.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what I found on its conservation status:</p><p><br /></p><p>This unusual bright red skeleton has made <i>Tubipora</i> sought after as both live specimens for the aquarium trade as well as being harvested for its skeleton to be used as curios and in the manufacture of jewelry. As a result of extensive harvesting as well as the threats of climate change, habitat loss and the degradation of reefs, this species is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and is listed under Appendix II of CITES.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corals worldwide are stressed &amp; diminishing.&nbsp; Large vintage specimens in good condition will be increasingly rare.&nbsp; Checking current eBay listings, asking prices range from $1,350 down to $3.99 for a small piece.&nbsp; This is being sold as &#039;crushed&#039;, for crafts.&nbsp; Guessing it&#039;s just bits that fell off larger pieces:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/pZsAAOSwstxVJaCP/s-l1600.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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