Coral is a mesmerizing material: it is alive, it belongs to the sea and, just like everything that comes from water – like pearls, sea shells, and Venus, the goddess of Beauty and Love – it has something ancestral and magical. For centuries, coral was used to craft amulets able to protect their owners from evil, misfortune and fears, and it was even believed to help diminish physical pain. 

Coral is usually divided into two main categories: dark-orange coral, known in Italian as carbonetto,  and pink-diaphanous coral, known as squallo, which is more expensive. We should also mention black coral, which is used in jewelry-making as well, although it isn’t perhaps as popular as its red and orange cousins.