Flotsam and Jetsam

Antique Coral Necklace in Three Rows Made of "Corallo Sciacca", c. 1900

€ 890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Coral Necklace in Three Rows Made of "Corallo Sciacca", c. 1900

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

In July 1831, an undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Sciacca on the south coast of Sicily. Fishermen observed the explosions and were astonished to discover that the volcano had formed a new island. As soon as the eruptions ceased, a fierce dispute broke out over which state the new island should belong to. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies considered it a natural part of its territory and named it Ferninandea after its king, Ferdinand II. However, Great Britain also laid claim to the new territory, which was strategically located on important shipping routes, and named it Graham Island. The French fleet also claimed the island, which they called Julia, and Spain also laid claim to it. The dispute was finally settled by nature: by 1832, the waves had already eroded the island to such an extent that it sank into the sea and only remained as a shoal. But what does this have to do with the corals in this necklace? The repeated undersea volcanic eruptions at this point in the Mediterranean had caused large quantities of coral to die off over thousands of years, forming one of the richest deposits in the entire Mediterranean. These subfossil corals had taken on a salmon-colored hue due to storage in the water, which makes them unmistakable. This treasure of the sea was discovered in 1875. The corals soon began to be mined, but by the beginning of the 20th century the deposits were already exhausted. In this necklace, which is quite close to the neck, we see these special corals arranged in three rows. These are pearls from around 1900 with the characteristic salmon shade of the "Corallo Sciacca". The strands are arranged in a graduated pattern, i.e. they become thicker towards the center. A magnificent piece of jewelry with its very own history! Image: Eruption of the island of Ferdinandea by Camillo de Vito, detail, Guache, around 1831.

Size & Details

Flotsam and Jetsam

€ 890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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