Think On It

Coral: the gem of the sea

December 6th, 2007

I plan to do some research on the state of coral today. I know that it is a material that has become very tightly controlled in order to protect the reefs, and I know that every scrap in Italy is accounted for and that coral workers have to have permits. I don’t really know exactly how that works or what present figures for any part of the “industry” are.

Carved coral parure of bracelet and necklace with a sculpted pendant. I would wear this with anything.

Meantime, I want to acquaint you with what I’ve been seeing based on a visit I made to a shop here in town recently. Diego Pincardini has a shop and a workroom here in Città di Castello. I first met him when he was participating in our Medieval Artisans days, sitting outside his shop in Medieval costume and working coral with traditional tools. It stopped me in my tracks. In the shop windows behind him were some of the most luxurious and gorgeous pieces I had ever seen. The workmanship went far beyond the “factory” type work I had seen in the south, where coral is a commoner material.

Then I lost him. I never seemed to find him went I went to the shop. The windows grew sparser. The lights were off and the iron gates closed. I purposely went to the next Artisan days to find him. “Why are you never here?” I asked.

“I’m here, but I am only working here. I’m away a lot to sell my work in bigger cities where work like mine sells better than it sells here. If you want to see me, you have to make an appointment.” He whipped a business card from his Medieval gown and handed it to me. So that’s what I did. I called, I went. I went for the pleasure, because he has a safe in the workroom full of treasures beyond belief, and he’s willing to open drawers and show me half-done pieces he is working on. It’s my kind of candy store.

So the other day I went to see what is on the bench. He asked me why I come to see him. I told him it’s because he works in colors. Diamonds may or may not be a girl’s best friend, but except in the case of pavé, where tiny diamonds trace a shape in gold (I don’t like pavé on white gold) I like colored stones better.

I’d inspired joy in Diego Pincardini! Out poured a treatise on the rare and the colored: turquoise, coral, ebony, amber, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and the panoply of what nature colors and hides from us. Shared joy is a wonderful thing. Heaps of colored gems are the last fillip.

This is black coral beads formed into a bracelet with gold links and a red coral cabochon clasp. I would wear it with a black cashmere sweater or a taupe linen dress.

He offered me a CD of photographs of some of his work, a CD he carries to augment what he can carry in his little black bag when he speeds around northern Italy placing his work in the great jewelry stores of the country. I took it, reduced the size of the photos and I am, with his permission, sharing a few of them with you. The original photos were enormous, so that a jeweler could see the details in scale from 200% and up.

Angel skin coral worked as a pendant and a bracelet with a clasp like the pendant. Fabulous with cream silk.

I have watched him carve the stones. Coral is so precious nowadays that even the bits carved off to make one of the major pieces are used to make beads or tiny carvings.

A bracelet of carved links and an intricately carved clasp. I would like this with a sky blue sweater or top that would call attention to the intricacy.

Antiqued brooch of silver and yellow gold, with carved coral details. This cries for something substantial behind it, such as tweed, or a textured stole, maybe a bulky oatmealy sweater. I think this could become a family heirloom piece.

He works in other materials too, and shows Italian turquoise and semiprecious stones. Yesterday he was working on carved ebony, and showed me in great detail how he would make the heavy earrings become light as air. Sigh…

These gold bracelets took my breath away. I would wear them all the time, everywhere, even to do the laundry. Unfortunately, gold bracelets form no part at all in my schemes to survive the dollar crunch and stay in Italy.

I’ll just add a series of thumbnails for more pictures, and you can decide whether to take a closer look by clicking, or not. I’d love your ideas on how you would wear any of these pieces. I need ideas for my daydreams.

I’ll post again, because I have only shrunk a small part of the pictures, and for me this is like living in a museum!

The shop is DP Coral, via della Pendinella, 06012 Città di Castello (PG) Italia. Call ahead if you’d like to visit. (39) 339 382 0718. Or you can shop the great jewelers of Rome and north to the borders and pay a lot more!

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, Italy, Fashion, Beauty