Stony coral · bleached, hemispherical

A bleached piece of stony coral, grown hemispherically: on top a dense packing of corallites, each with star-shaped septa, underneath the fine, net-like growth structure.

The upper side is covered with honeycombed corallites — each was once a single animal, each has its own internal walls. Turn the piece over and you see the underside with the fine radial struts along which the colony grew upwards. The colour is bleached throughout, cream-white to light grey.

Stony corals are protected species. Passing one on privately within Switzerland is one thing; taking it across the border requires papers that do not come with it. Anyone living abroad must clarify this beforehand — I do not ship this piece outside Switzerland.

There is no photograph with a tape measure for this piece. It fills a cupped hand. I will measure it on request.

• Naturally grown coral piece, bleached
• Hemispherical form, corallites on the upper side
• Underside with fine radial structure
• Collection or shipping within Switzerland only — species protection
• No papers, no origin stated
• Measurement not confirmed

Good. Structure preserved everywhere, no broken edges, no glued repairs. Occasional darker inclusions — natural, not dirt.