From Ferdinanda's Treasure Trove

Long And Magnificent Antique Sciacca Coral Necklace In Three Rows, Circa 1900

€ 1,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Long And Magnificent Antique Sciacca Coral Necklace In Three Rows, Circa 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 come in different shades of colour, depending on the region, the depth of the sea and the growing conditions of the marine creatures. Sicily also provides a special coral colour, and the history of these marine treasures is extremely exciting. 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 country the new island should belong to. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies regarded it as 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 eroded the island to such an extent that it sank into the sea and was only preserved as a shoal. But what does this have to do with corals? For thousands of years, repeated undersea volcanic eruptions and numerous earthquakes in this region had caused large quantities of the corals native to the area to break off, forming one of the richest deposits in the entire Mediterranean. These corals had taken on a salmon-colored hue due to storage in salt water, which makes them unmistakable to this day. This immeasurable treasure for Italian jewellery production was discovered in 1875. Harvesting of the coral began soon afterwards, but by 1915 the deposits were completely exhausted. In this necklace, we see these special corals arranged in three rows in a graduated pattern. These are pearls from around 1900 with the characteristic salmon hue that makes the "Corallo Sciacca" so desirable. The restrung strands are held in place by a new silver clasp with gold plating. A fine piece of jewellery with a history all of its own! and a comfortable wearing length. Illustration: Eruption of the island of Ferdinandea by Camillo de Vito, detail, Guache, ca. 1831

Size & Details

From Ferdinanda's Treasure Trove

€ 1,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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