Mediterranean Coral

Untreated Antique Mediterranean Coral traded through Africa

Antique natural red mediterranean coral beads est age late 1800s to early 1900s

“As red coral became a sought-after material for jewelry, currency, and religious ceremony, the Greeks, the Romans, and, later, others established extensive coral-trading networks that eventually reached India, East Asia, the Middle East, West Africa, and elsewhere. Long after Empúries faded into the dunes, coral harvesting along the Costa Brava continued—by free divers, by boats fitted with crude, destructive dredges, and in recent decades by specialized scuba divers who can collect coral from otherwise inaccessible caves and small crevices. Until recently, this rugged Catalonian coast remained an important center of coral collection and trade. Here, as in the red-coral-fishing communities that range from France, Italy, and Croatia to Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, the species is an enduring element of local culture.

Red coral is no longer bountiful, though: It’s threatened not only by over-harvesting but also by habitat destruction and climate change. Saving the species requires an international effort as complex and innovative as those ancient trading networks, one that values red coral for both its aesthetic splendor and its role in supporting entire Mediterranean ecosystems.”  The Atlantic

Antique red coral beads from the Mediterranean coasts of Morocco. Selected corals of matched color. Sourced in the Tafilalt Valley area in South East Morocco. Red coral beads were used in traditional Berber necklaces often coupled with Amber and Turquoise, Amazonite, and other valuable beads and were used for trade of other goods.

Worn beads in good condition (see pictures) .

Mediterranean Coral – untreated