Blood red agrumi and glistening pomegranates steep the markets of Palmera, proving themselves irresistable. Just as they were for the Goddess Persephone, who spent 6 months of the year in Hades because she ate the pomegranate seeds. I set my pomegranate seeds of lapis lazuli, coral, pearls and turquoise into a bangle and hoop earrings, and called them Persephone as a reminder of the goddess, for Sicily is often called: Persephone's Isle.

Precious coral, in a palette of soft oranges and reds, ranges from opaque and waxy to translucent and vitreous. Originating from marine environments, this is one of the most ancient of gems, with its unique concentric structure like a spider's web. Found in Celtic tombs from the Iron Age, one of the seven treasures in Buddhist scriptures, and thought to be a powerful talisman, it has a rich and fascinating history.