Is coral harvested alive or dead?

Question

I was wondering, when they harvest coral for jewelry is it the live parts they harvest, or the already dead parts?

Answer 1

When the coral is harvested, some live polyps may be still present. The part that is used in jewelry is the skeleton.

Answer 2

The corals are still alive when harvested, but as time passes it calcifies, or hardens. They use the hard parts for jewelry, for corals can never be used alive.

And harvesting corals is not good, for there are only a few coral reefs left.