Sciacca coral – a fascinating treasure of the sea
Sciacca, in addition to boasting a centuries-old tradition for its beautiful carnival, is famous for its coral. The Coral di Sciacca has unique characteristics that distinguish it from all the other corals: the color varies according to the intensity of the pale salmon-pink, the surface of the brownish and sometimes black ones, just a testimony and a certificate of the origin of the volcanic, up to to the brown of the fossil coral “burned” by the very high temperatures reached. When freshly caught it appears opaque, while once cleaned and carefully processed it has a vitreous-porcelain sheen.
The Sciacca Coral has unique origins in the world, it comes from the Ferdinandea Island, submerged in the Sciacca Canal, between Sciacca and Pantelleria, whose history is nothing short of exceptional. Today the Ferdinandea Island is a rock platform that lies between 6 and 8 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea 30 miles off the coast of Sciacca, a submerged volcano that periodically erupts and emerges. Back in 1831 in the shoal called “Bummolo” by the sailors of Saccensi, a new island emerged from the depths off the seafaring city. Immediately the powers of the time agreed to search for a strategic landing place. England sent her ships and planted the flag naming it “Graham”; France named it “Iulia” in reference to its appearance in July and the Bourbon rulers for their part claimed it calling it “Ferdinandea” in honor of King Ferdinand II of Bourbon.
In 1875 some fishermen from Sciacca, during a fishing trip, noticed the presence of the “submerged treasure” in the nets. The three paranza captains reported the news of the discovery of coral in the city and thus began the great race in search of the precious coral. Legend has it that Bettu Ammoreddu, captain of the paranza, was out fishing together with Bettu, known as “Occhi di Lampa” and Peppe Muschidda, when he lost the chain given to her by her beloved Titina, a token of love and amulet. He then dived into the water to retrieve it and thus discovered the coral. The fishing and processing of coral over the centuries have been inextricably intertwined with the history of Sicily.
Sciacca boasts coral masters who with scrupulous attention have brought the ancient production techniques back to life, working one by one small branches of coral, combining them to create original shapes. A coral that lends itself very well to being engraved; its soft and delicate colors are perfect to be combined with the most precious gems. The saccense coral is smaller in size than the Asian one, the characteristics of its habitat make the difference, it is an “octocoral”. The typical red colour, under the action of the volcanic fungi of the Ferdinandea Island, takes on very particular nuances
Since 2012, the Corallo di Sciacca has been protected by a consortium made up of some companies specialized in processing, which preserves and promotes methods of craftsmanship and the identity of the precious marine gem all over the world.
