"The outside is shiny with some black/grey trailings to look like a natural stone but the inside is crumbly and white."

That accurately describes the great majority of 'coral' beads sold here in hundreds of small stalls. They are the cheapest and most plentiful coral beads available here, and the feel of the surface suggests some plastic-type sealant.

There is much better-looking coral available, but when lies are told about obvious fakes I steer clear of the whole genre.

Besides, I am not sure how the coral is obtained. I would not like to contribute in any way to further destruction of the reefs here. The reefs are the glory of the Philippines but are already under enough threat from the dynamite fishing, cyanide fishing and bottom trawling.

In other words I am not convinced that most of the coral sold here is fossilised, but is rather formed from reef material.

I can't understand anyone buying such ugly beads anyway, but obviously there is a market.