Lost Island Treasures

Antique "Corallo Sciacca" Necklace in Three Rows, Italy ca. 1900

€ 890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique "Corallo Sciacca" Necklace in Three Rows, Italy ca. 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!

Corals from the Mediterranean Sea come in different shades. Depending on the region, the depth of the sea and the growing conditions, the marine animals develop specific shades of colour, such as the deep red Sardegna corals that are fished around the island of Sardinia. Sicily provides a special coral color in this regard, and the history of these marine treasures is decidedly fascinating. In July 1831, an undersea volcano erupted in front of the town of Sciacca, located on the southern coast of Sicily. Fishermen watched the explosions and discovered to their amazement that the volcano had formed a new island. Immediately after the eruptions ended, a fierce dispute broke out as to which country 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 claimed the new land, strategically located on important shipping routes, and named it Graham Island. The French fleet also claimed the island, which it called Julia, and Spain also laid claim to it. The dispute was finally settled by nature: By 1832, the waves had eroded the island to such an extent that it sank into the sea and remained only as a shoal. But what does this have to do with corals? The repeated submarine volcanic eruptions and numerous earthquakes had killed large quantities of corals, which formed one of the richest deposits in the entire Mediterranean. These subfossil corals had taken on a salmon hue due to storage in the water, which made them unmistakable. This treasure of the sea was discovered in 1875 when Bettu Ammareddu, captain of a trawler, was fishing on the shoal that was once the island. According to the legend, his necklace, which he had received as a gift from his beloved, fell into the water. When he dove for the necklace he found that the seabed was covered all over with coral. Soon the mining of the corals began, but just as quickly, already in 1915, the deposits were completely exhausted. In the present necklace we see particularly beautiful corals arranged in three rows. They are beads from around 1900 with the characteristic salmon tone that makes the "Corallo Sciacca" so desirable. The strands are graduated, meaning they get thicker towards the center. The necklace, which we had restrung, is held by an original clasp made of gold-plated tombac. A magnificent piece of jewellery with a history all its own! Image: Ferdinandea island eruption by Camillo de Vito (1831), private collection.

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Genuine Italian Mediterranean corals inspire to this day by their wonderfully rich play of colours with a pronounced wealth of variants. From the creamy white of the Adriatic coral to the delicate pink of the angel skin coral or Pelle d'Angelo to beautiful light and dark salmon red hues to the strong dark red colour known as Moro coral, this wonderful natural material is characterized by the most beautiful colours of nature that the sea can produce. For centuries an integral part of princely and later also bourgeois art chambers, coral jewellery, especially from the region around the Bay of Naples, enjoyed popularity never experienced before, especially in the 19th century. The stocks of some coral species, which are now under strict conservation, as well as the demand for natural corals, which has increased dramatically in recent years, make coral jewellery today more than ever a sought-after treasure. Today, only antique pieces or corals from old stock come onto the market - the quantity is therefore limited and finite.

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Size & Details

Lost Island Treasures

€ 890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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