Long Vintage Necklace Made of Red Mediterranean Coral, c. 1965

Coral has been regarded as a lucky charm since ancient times. From the 17th century in Venice, for example, it is recorded: "Portati dovunque l'huomo sia, ò in casa, ò in nave, scaccia le cattive ombre de gli spiriti, sogni, fulmini, venti, e tempeste e gli diffende da ogni assalto di fiere." - "Wherever man goes, whether he is at home or traveling by ship, coral drives away the evil shadows of spirits, bad dreams, lightning, winds and thunderstorms and protects against all adversity" (Isabella Palumbo Fossati Casa: Intérieurs vénitiens à la Renaissance. Maisons, société et culture, Paris 2012, p. 276). In Naples, for example, amulets made of coral are still used today to protect against evil. However, the fascination with coral from the Mediterranean cannot only be explained by its supposed protective function - the sight of it is also fascinating on an aesthetic level, as is the case with this necklace with a total length of 92 cm. The long row of hand-polished pearls in a beautiful red are sorted and knotted in the same order. The total of 137 pearls are hand-cut and have a vibrant color with slight variations. A clasp, which is set into a large coral bead, is made from 18-karat gold. We found the Italian corals here in Berlin.

Estimate:£1,180.7

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