WHAT IS A CORAL?

Coral is the product of an animal, we could almost say it’s its home.

It is formed by colonies of polyps, which build around their soft body, through secretions, a sort of skeleton. It’s a limestone scaffolding with a protective and supporting function, which assumes, over many years, the extraordinary branched shape of a tree. There are three conditions necessary for coral to grow healthy and luxuriant:

• • The absence of pollution
  • The presence of sea currents
  • Constant water temperatures

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Coral has its own life cycle, like every being in the making, so it is born, grows, reproduces and finally dies. These seasons are inextricably linked to the life of octopuses, to whom we owe its development. The small animals, during their existence, multiply and divide several times. If they feel a situation of overpopulation, they release in the sea their 3 spermatozoa which, dragged by the currents and fecundated, give life to larvae, which originate other colonies in other marine areas. At the moment when the beasts die, as if the protected walls of a castle fell, parasites creep inside the structure. These parasites begin to dig tunnels in the coral, like woodworm in wood, until it becomes crumbly, fragile and unworkable once caught.

I like to compare sustainable coral fishing to go mushrooming: branches are found in families and only the best are selected, leaving the small ones to grow.

HOW TO FISH

The coral, since the times of the Greek civilization, has been fished with nets in the Mediterranean, through a technique that we could define technique of trawling which involves to tear them from the rocks.

This methodology has recently been officially banned by the European Community. Since then, coral fishing has been carried out by particularly experienced divers who, thanks to the aid of sophisticated technologies, are able to descend to considerable depths: often over 100 metres. A responsible underwater fishing like the present one is a panacea for the ecosystem and that it makes the coral harvest before it starts its destructive phase, dying, let’s say, for natural causes. The underwater fishing is, in fact, very selective; the “coral reef”, which dives into the sea, identifies the shoal, but does not indiscriminately incite it; it collects only the biggest, healthy specimens of high economic value, leaving the small ones and waiting for them to grow in the following years. Just like a good farmer, who exploits the land in rotation and leaves a field fallow to restore its fertility, so the fisherman leaves a portion of the seabed to rest in order to allow the coral to grow well. The ancient fishing, too massive, has led in part in the Mediterranean area to substantial damage to the environment and the general temporary shortage of raw material. If, on the one hand, the expedient of underwater raids has benefited nature, on the other hand we must consider the danger of the profession of “diver” and the fact that fishing with divers is infinitely more expensive in terms of time.

Corals mounted on Silver and Gold

Online sale of Corals mounted on gold and silver: Coral and Cameo in Amalfi since 1940 offers a large selection of corals and Pendants, brooches, rings, earrings, cufflinks that are mounted in 18 Kt. gold and 925% silver.

Coral and Cameo is able to create your customized Coral.