Coral...

Red coral and turqouise earrings

Coral beads come in a variety of colors and textures.  The vibrant colors make them a natural choice for beaded jewelry.   Intensely red coral is prized as a gemstone and sometimes called fire coral, however it is not actually fire coral.   Red coral is very rare because of overharvesting due to the great demand for perfect specimens.

Red, pink, pale white, tan or cream are common colors for coral, but you can occassionally find coral in purple, green, black and other colors.  It can be found in sticks, beads (both poloshed or rough)and a variety of other shapes.

When buying coral, make sure that it is authentic coral and not a ceramic imitation.  When buying coral beaded jewelry, prices will be higher due to the pricing of authentic coral.  Make sure you read the description carefully when purchasing.

Red coral sticks

Polished coral coin beads