Antique, Three Row Necklace From "Corallo Sciacca", Sicily c. 1900

Corals from the Mediterranean Sea come in different shades of colour. Depending on the region, the depth of the sea and the growing conditions, the marine animals develop specific colour nuances, such as the deep red Sardegna corals that are fished around the island of Sardinia. Sicily provides a special coral colour and the history of these marine treasures is extremely exciting: In July of 1831, an undersea volcano erupted off the town of Sciacca, located on the southern coast of Sicily. Fishermen observed the explosions and were astonished to discover that the volcano had formed a new island. Immediately when the eruptions ended, a fierce dispute broke out over 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, 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: in 1832, the waves had already 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? The repeated submarine volcanic eruptions and numerous earthquakes had caused large amounts of corals to die, which formed one of the richest deposits in the entire Mediterranean. These subfossil corals had taken on a salmon hue overtime that made them distinctive. 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. His necklace, which he had received as a gift from his sweetheart, fell into the water. When he dived for the necklace, he realised that the seabed was covered in coral. Soon the coral began to be mined and after just a few years the deposits were completely exploit. In this necklace, we see these special corals arranged in three rows. These are pearls that were processed in the years around 1900. They have the characteristic salmon colour that makes the "Corallo Sciacca" so desirable. The strands are arranged in a gradient, i.e. they become thicker towards the centre. The necklace is held in place by an original rolled gold clasp set with three coral buttons. A magnificent piece of jewellery with its very own history that looks particularly beautiful when worn. Illustration: Ferdinandea Island eruption by Camillo de Vito, detail, Guache, circa 1831.

Estimation:€1,390

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