Coral is the most important form of craftsmanship in Sciacca, a town in the province of Agrigento. The only species of reddish-orange coral different from the “Rubrum” species of the Mediterranean is produced here, thanks to the Sciacca Coral Consortium, an association of artisanal enterprises with workshops located in the same city, founded in July 2013 by the will and determination of its founders, the coral craftsmen of Sciacca.
The consortium’s primary objective is to safeguard and enhance Sciacca coral, a type of coral with unique characteristics worldwide. It is a predominantly sub-fossil coral, already dead due to a natural process, making it eco-sustainable. It has different and unique color shades at the same time.
History
Sciacca coral comes from the discoveries of coral banks called Graham, Foraneo, and Terraneo, at 120-200 meters deep, off the coast of Sciacca, resulting from repeated volcanic activity over millennia.
Indeed, thanks to the exceptional microclimate created as a result of the volcanic phenomena (Isola Ferdinanda 1831 – The Neverland), vast extensions of coral banks came to light. Due to frequent earthquakes and subsequent eruptions, they were torn from volcanic rock and deposited on the seabed, forming three large coral deposits.
Over the centuries, the action of muds, volcanic gases and time modified its genetic structure, transforming the Mediterranean Red Coral (rubrum coral), which grows copiously in front of Sciacca, into the extraordinary and unique Sciacca Coral, which stands out for the uniqueness of its color shades ranging from intense orange to pale salmon-pink characterized by brownish and sometimes black spots to testify and certify its volcanic origin.
In the following years, the discovery of those three banks and the treasures extracted from the sea of Sciacca spread worldwiden and commercial activities dedicated to coral processing flourished in the city. Today, Sciacca Coral, almost a century and a half after its discovery, is famous worldwide for its uniqueness given by its color and particular beauty. The processing techniques of an iridescent material such as Mediterranean coral have been handed down over time. Nowadays these techniques find in the artisans of the Consortium exceptional interpreters of the Sicilian tradition able to combine it with individual creativity and contemporary taste.
Five local companies and workshops joined by the same values and professionalism in favor of the enhancement of Sciacca coral and its artistic and traditional processing: G&M Gioielli Caruana, Maurizio Alfeo, Nocito, Oro di Sciacca, Sabrina Orafa in Sciacca.
Finally, the Consortium is the custodian of the collective protection brand “Corallo di Sciacca” registered with the Ministry of Economic Development (UIBM) and intends to claim the membership and connection with the Sciacca territory, which aims to enhance the history and traditions, safeguarding in particular the excellence of local craftsmanship which finds its highest expression in the ancient art of coral processing which today boasts institutional recognition from the Region of Sicily and the Chamber of Commerce “Premio Progresso Economico e Legalità” (Economic Progress and Legality Award).