There are two legends concerning the introduction of this jewellery as having a special place in society on the Croatian coast. The first involves a defeat of Turkish invaders. The women of Rijeka prayed during the battle for a rain of stones to crush the invaders. Being a good Catholic, God duly sorted it out. The men of the town, having been saved a fair bit of bother promptly thanked the girls by making them all earrings. The other version comes from the Pelješac Pennisular and tells of an Itlaian Baronness that loved her servant girl so much that she granted her freedom and had The Moretto made to remind her of her favoured slave whilst she was doing the washing herself. Even though this form of adornment – brooches, earrings and various other trinkets that take the form of a bust of a black man wearing a white turban – originated in Italy, it is now the official mascot and well-known symbol of Croatia’s main port city: Rijeka. 17th and 18th century Venice had something of an obsession with the Orient and loaded up servants along with spices and cloth on the boats back home. Jewellers started celebrating this practice with these patronising fashion accessories. The maritime regions of Croatia started to produce their own, more modest versions soon afterwards. A single Moretto earring was worn by only sons, sailors and fishermen as a talisman.