Coral is mounted on it's side to get the full impression.
This piece is harvested around the Solomon Islands were there was still a quota to export to the EU. It's not this white when coming out of the sea because it has been bleached to get this amazing white color. Otherwise it would look dirty and not as decorative as it is now.
The import in the EU is done under the CITES IT/IM/2018/MCE/06629 certificate.