White coral HALOMITRA PILEUS

HALOMITRA PILEUS, known as Neptune’s bonnet, is an unusual coral: as an adult it lives free on the sand and is not attached to the substrate. Native to the Solomon Islands, it develops into broad rounded discs, sometimes bell-shaped, that can cover large areas across the Indo-Pacific.
In its living state, it shows brown tones highlighted with pink or violet edges. Once mineralised, it reveals a white skeleton, radiating with concentric grooves, giving it the appearance of a calcareous shell sculpted by the sea.
Displayed on a brass base, this coral naturally belongs in a cabinet of curiosity.
Each specimen comes with its CITES certificate, the mandatory document attesting to its legal provenance. Such authorised pieces are becoming increasingly rare, a natural consequence of stricter international protections.