Answer:
Take off my skin, I won't cry, but you will.
If you drop me I'm sure to crack. But give me a smile and I'll always smile back.
My first is a creature whose breeding is unclear. My second, a price you must pay. My whole can be found in the river of Time and refers to events of today.
What has two spines and a lot of ribs, and carries much but never moves?
Creatures of power, creatures of grade, creatures of beauty, creatures of strength. As for their lives, they set everything's pace. For all things must come to live. Under their emerald embrace Either in their life or in their death.
I’m grown from darkness but shine with a pale light. Very round I am and always a lady's delight.