Which Coral should I buy

[xbsd]

Hi, I am looking at purchasing a Red Coral. The jeweler sent me pictures for 2 of them and I trying to decide which one I should get (looks better). Is there any way to identify whether it was dyed (or whether it is natural or otherwise. The vendor is http://www.astrologicalgem.com ... any thoughts on the vendor would also be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I wish someone with experience in coral would reply. I don't have any experience but I love the gorgeous, earthy red colors of the coral you have posted. For me- both are very pretty but I prefer the oval.

 

[chrono]

Acetone will remove the dye but it is highly destructive. Examination under extremely high magnification might yield clues if the gemmologist is highly experienced. Short of that, lab testing is the only conclusive answer since they have more expensive and specialized tools to examine the coral for signs of treatment and imitation coral.