The coral of Torre del Greco and the work of Assocoral and the Consorzio Corallo e Cammeo Torrese are featured in the Special Report dedicated to coral, published by CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation on the occasion of the 2026 Congress, which this year marks the organisation’s centenary with the Vicenza event.
The report is signed by Vincenzo Liverino, President of CIBJO’s Coral Commission, who retraces the history, economy and prospects of the Torre del Greco coral district, describing it not only as a heritage to safeguard but as a living industry to grow.
The collective mark “Made in Torre del Greco”
Among the report’s central themes is the collective mark “Made in Torre del Greco”, created a few years ago from a clear need: to bring coral artisans and traders to work together, under a single direction, to guarantee and trace the entire supply chain, from processing the raw material to the product that reaches the final buyer’s hands.
An insight that, in practice, anticipated the principles we now find in the path toward the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Torre del Greco coral and cameos: guarantee of origin, traceability and protection of an authentic processing method.
The path toward the craft PGI
The report devotes a specific chapter to the European Union step that extended the protection of geographical indications—until now largely reserved for the agri-food and wine sectors—also to craft and industrial products, through EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).
Torre del Greco coral and cameos are among the first Italian craft traditions to apply for this recognition, alongside excellences such as Murano glass and Burano lace. Leading the application is the Consorzio Corallo e Cammeo Torrese, which has already obtained national recognition under two separate specifications—one for coral, one for cameos—with the support of Assocoral, the national association of producers of coral, cameos and related materials.
For the Coral Commission, a craft PGI is an economic tool even before a symbolic one: it offers consumers a verifiable guarantee of origin and authenticity, protects genuine work from imitations and, as a result, safeguards the jobs of those who work coral every day with their own hands.
The Precious Sea Summit
The report also recounts the first edition of the Precious Sea Summit, the new international forum dedicated to precious materials from the sea—coral and cameos, but also mother-of-pearl, shells and pearls of every origin—hosted in Torre del Greco last May.
The initiative was promoted by Assocoral together with Italian Exhibition Group–Vicenzaoro and the Consorzio Corallo e Cammeo Torrese, with CIBJO as the international Main Partner. At the heart of the agenda: traceability, protection of marine resources, safeguarding ancient crafts and the role of new generations in carrying this knowledge forward.
CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, speaking at the Summit, recalled how the value of coral is measured not only in economic terms, but in the quality of businesses, in the tradition of artisan families and in the sector’s ability to combine beauty, ethics and responsibility toward the sea.
A thank you
Assocoral and the Consorzio Corallo e Cammeo Torrese wish to thank CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and Coral Commission President Vincenzo Liverino for highlighting, on an international stage, the work, history and families that for centuries have safeguarded in Torre del Greco the art of coral processing.
The full report is available on the CIBJO website: cibjo.org/congress-2026/sr-coral
