In Naples, there is a jewellery shop - which is also a Coral Museum - but it isn’t at street level.
It is there to remind us that the most precious things must be discovered and protected, that Naples was a capital of trade, relationships, and craft excellence for a long time, and that all of this, fortunately, has not been lost.
The History of Casa Ascione
On the noble floor of a historic palazzo, right opposite the San Carlo Theatre, you can visit Gioielleria Ascione and, by appointment, the Museum. Within these elegant and bright spaces, room is given to the craftsmanship of coral and mother-of-pearl.
Masterpieces so beautiful, and so finely decorated, that you feel lucky just to be able to admire them from so close.
Telling the story of this family are the direct descendants of Domenico Ascione, a coral fishing boat owner in Torre del Greco, and his son Giovanni, who dedicated himself with success and foresight to coral manufacturing alongside his ten children. So much so that “in 1905 the family, already suppliers to the royal household, had the privilege of gracing their brand with the coat of arms of the House of Savoy with the second patent, joining it with the one received in 1875 from Vittorio Emanuele II”.
The creations are immortal, having crossed the world, tastes, and history: “from ornaments in the Pompeian style to those with flowers and leaves of the 19th century, from the coral bijouterie of Sciacca from the final decades of the 1800s, to engravings on coral and shell, to goldsmith creations in the Liberty style of the early twentieth century, right up to the Art Deco -inspired ornaments of the 1930s with needle - woven techniques”.
Even the Treasure of San Gennaro, at the Naples Cathedral, guards the gold, coral, and malachite Pyx crafted by the Ascione family, commissioned by Umberto of Savoy.
How much time must have been necessary to create it? On of the owners tells me that his father always used to say that “even Napoleon’s Crown was created in just a few days,” and this makes me think that they responded to the most demanding requests impeccably.
From the height of these spaces, where you can glimpse the San Carlo and the Maschio Angioino, watching tourists moving “in single file” to bite into the fried pizza listed among the “10 things not to miss in Naples”, or the Maradona mural, always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
What a pity, I think, they are missing out on a hidden gem, right a stone's throw from everything else, and they don’t even know it.
Coral Between Myth and History: From Medusa to Ancient Rome
Beyond the experience of the visit, here at Ascione you can commission your own piece of jewellery, just as a bride did with her mother-of-pearl hair clip. It moves me to think that there is still someone so attentive to these details.
Choosing is impossible, I assure you.
Today, alongside delicate little coral roses to wear as earrings, moving on to more important and showy jewellery, you can even find silk stoles and precious velvets decorated by hand with countless tiny corals.
Times have changed and jewellery has downsized according to market demands. You perceive this when comparing them to the creations of the past, where coral embellished crystals, mirrors, nativity scenes, paintings, and incredible parures, but here you know you are giving something authentic and a piece of history.
And if you too, for a moment, thought about buying a coral horn (or cornetto) while visiting Naples (remember, it only brings luck if you receive it as a gift), let me remind you that behind this habit lie centuries of stories, beliefs, and testimonies, starting from Ovid and even earlier from the Greeks.
Would you ever have associated the origin of coral with Medusa?
Ovid writes that the blood of Medusa, decapitated by Perseus, coloured and petrified the seaweed used by the hero to cover her. Now perhaps I understand why, several years ago, the Ascione family chose the Gorgon as their logo, before changing it to the current one.
But let’s go further back in time. The Greeks and Phoenicians began to fish for it, and Pliny the Elder too (Naturalis Historia, chapter De coralliis) describes coral as a symbol of luck and protection, even for children (even today it is often given as a baptism gift).
“And as we follow the marvels of India and the Indians,” it reads, “it is certain that among them coral is considered in the same light as a gemstone and a religious amulet. But even before this was known [editor's note: the Indian appreciation], the Gauls used to adorn their swords, shields, and helmets with coral decorations. Currently, however, it is so rare in its place of origin [in the sea] that it is almost unobtainable in the places where it is gathered. It is also believed that, tied around the necks of children, it acts as a protective amulet".
I will stop here.
I am sure you will discover much more, andthat you will enjoy telling me all about it.
