Jewellery town
Torre del Greco
Torre del Greco, Italy
A town on the Bay of Naples that became the centre of coral working in the 18th century and of shell and lava cameo carving soon after. Mostly small family workshops. Red coral is rare and imitations are common: ask what you are buying.
Torre del Greco, on the Bay of Naples below Vesuvius, has worked coral for centuries and became the world centre of coral jewellery in the 18th century, when local boats fished coral across the Mediterranean. In the 19th century its craftsmen also took up cameo carving in shell and lava.
What you find
Family workshops carving coral and cameos, coral and cameo jewellery, and a coral museum. Coral now comes from many sources, including the Pacific, and is worked here for markets worldwide.
How it works
Workshops sell to the trade and to visitors; some offer tours.
Tips
- Red coral is rare and imitations (dyed bamboo coral, glass, plastic) are common: ask what you are buying.
- Coral trade is regulated in some countries (CITES lists some species); check before export.
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