The upper strand here is the "apple coal." This material has been available, usually from the Philippines, since the 1970s. It is often dyed red, and sometimes hardened with a lacquer or plastic coating that's added (by dipping) or painted on. Apple coral is closely related to "tiger coral"—basically the same material, not dyed red, but being light yellow with brown lines.

Apple coral is not (or should not be) expensive, but it also should not be taken for granted. Like ALL organic materials we exploit for decoration, these and other corals and materials are in danger of being over-exploited.

The lower group is dyed bamboo coral from China—a material that has been around since about 1995. However, we have seen a lot of red-dyed coral, and this is different for being more orange—the common color of many natural corals. So, in some respects these are more natural-looking, in not having the unrealistic strident red of many similar beads. That is to say, these are slightly more difficult to identify as having been treated, because their color is close to what many people will expect.

JDA.