Four-Row Necklace made of Sciacca Coral with a Scarab Clasp, circa 1880 and later

Double Good Luck Charm

Four-Row Necklace made of Sciacca Coral with a Scarab Clasp, circa 1880 and later

€ 2,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

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

Coral has been regarded as a good-luck charm since ancient times. A 17th-century account from Venice states that coral “whenever a person carries it, whether at home or on a ship, drives away the evil shadows of spirits, bad dreams, lightning, winds, and storms, and protects them from any attack by wild beasts.”—“Wherever a person goes, whether at home or traveling by ship—coral drives away the evil shadows of spirits, bad dreams, lightning, winds, and storms, and protects against all adversity.” (Isabella Palumbo Fossati Casa: Venetian Interiors in the Renaissance: Homes, Society, and Culture, Paris 2012, p. 276) In Naples, for example, people still use coral amulets today to protect themselves against misfortune. Yet the fascination with Mediterranean coral cannot be explained solely by its (supposed) protective function—its appearance never fails to inspire, not least on an aesthetic level, as is the case with this necklace. Four striking strands of hand-cut beads are graduated in a gradient. The natural Mediterranean corals are hand-cut and display a beautiful regularity. Each of the slightly flattened beads displays a uniform warm peach tone, typical of so-called Sciacca coral, which was recovered off the southern coast of Sicily beginning in the 1870s. Unlike freshly harvested Mediterranean coral, Sciacca coral does not come from living colonies but from ancient coral reefs that have accumulated on the seabed over many centuries. A characteristic feature is its play of colours, ranging from delicate salmon and peach tones to vibrant orange, which distinguishes it from the deep red of live-harvested coral. The discovery of these deposits sparked a veritable coral craze in the late 19th century and led to immense production of coral jewellery, particularly in the workshops of the port city of Torre del Greco in the Bay of Naples. By the early 20th century, however, the Sciacca coral deposits had been completely depleted, so that today it can only be found in antique pieces of jewellery. The necklace is fastened by a clasp made of gold-plated silver that is no less beautiful. Crafted around 1880, the clasp features a genuine, preserved beetle, which found its way into jewellery design as a scarab during the so-called “Egyptian Revival.” We have paired this antique clasp with the antique necklace. Thus, our necklace, featuring coral and a scarab, combines two ancient symbols of good luck—certainly a comforting thought while working! Highly decorative and of fine quality, the necklace came to us from Munich.

Size & Details

Double Good Luck Charm

€ 2,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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