Jewelry

[TwiliteBeach]

Recently, once again, I flinched watching HSN proudly trumpet a TSV featuring red sponge coral. And I remember going to a jewelry show seeing piles and piles of coral beads....yes, I thought coral was pretty too.


But worldwide coral reefs are in terrible decline, from overdevelopment, warming temperatures, pollution - and as a craftswoman and bead stringer - IMO, there is no reason at all to destroy animals simply to decorate ourselves:


Since corals grow at rates of 0.24 to 1.5 millimeters (0.01 to 0.06 inches) per year, they are extremely long-lived and do not reach maturity until they are seven to 12 years old. Once this coral is harvested—especially when it’s extracted at a young age—surrounding coral beds often do not recover.


Glass, bone, stone, and other mateials are sturdier than coral, and I defy many to be able to tell the difference between real and good fake coral. And if you think too bad, it doesn't matter - well, reefs support huge fish communities, tourism - nothing to be proud of, that so many reefs will not be seen by your children, or childrens' chidren, because they are dead. I'd like to see the shopping channels and designers say - "You know what? We're going to be part of the solution, not part of the problem."


The U.S. is also the world’s largest documented consumer of Corallium, a red and pink species of coral often used to create jewelry. Finished pieces of jewelry and art crafted from this type of coral can fetch anywhere between $20 and $20,000 in the marketplace.


So Jay King, Studio Barse, etc. - for me, I won't buy ANYTHING coral - wouldn't be suprised if the spiney oysters are in trouble too - because I've been on dead reefs - sad, bleached things - and think self-decoration is no reason to destroy communities so precious. You say "here is our CORAL special value" and I change the channel, immediately.

[151949]

I agree OP - coral should be given protected species status so they can't be sold in the USA. If it actually is as desperately endangered as you imply.

[Kachina624]

They sell only coral that is not from protected species.

[TwiliteBeach]

IMO, protected or not, doesn't make it OK - IMO it is gratuitous. I love jewelry - so I am not too happy when cyanide is used in gold mining polluting streams, and so on....

But corals? Since I really do defy the average person - inlcuding mysefl - to even be able to tell the difference - why use it at all? They are very slow-growing animals - but those same animals also provide a home and shelter for other animals.

Do we really have to wait, until a species is at the brink of extinction before we say - "you know what? Life is better with these animals and communities in it". And re the recent switch from high-priced metals to mixed metals just shows that designers will work with whatever to sell. Just like instead of the "angelskin" coral jewelry and beads that was once readily available, now it's all "sponge coral" - because that's what is left. Other corals were too overfished.

No-one on any forum likes to be lectured - but I've never seen a post on this issue (with all the love for the movie Finding Nemo and so on) so I just thought I would post - IMO, NOT buying coral jewelry is an easy, painless way to say we love our world and the creatures in it, and it's nothing we NEED, anyway. Not even for jewelry - there's amber, cultivated pearls, wonderful dichroic and blown glass, dyed agates, even natural stones that have the same color and are far more durable. I just wish someone on Evine, QVC, and HSN would step up and say no more - and the designers as well.

[TwiliteBeach]

Not "desperately endangered" that I know of - depending on what species you are talking about.

But - note that used to be lots of the "angelskin" type coral - e.g., the peach-pink shades in beads and cabochons - now it's all this "red sponge coral":

Until recently, sponge coral was not used for jewelry: They weren’t considered jewelry-quality coral because they had too many holes....

Enhancement. According to Peter Rohm, coral and gemstone manufacturer in Austria, because the structure is full of holes, 95% of all sponge coral is stabilized. “You can recognize this easily, as the holes are filled when stabilized,” says Rohm

This is from an Etsy blog:

I’ve been working with SeaWeb’s “Too Precious to Wear” campaign to bring awareness of coral conservation to the jewelry industry. In the last year, numerous designers and retailers have pledged not to use or sell coral. It’s important for consumers to know what they are buying and where it is coming from. The hard corals that work in jewelry are very long growing and cannot be farmed. Mediterranean coral is practically depleted, and Pacific coral is harvested with trawlers that completely destroy whole ecosystems. The current practice of harvesting coral is completely unregulated and if it continues, there will be no more coral. 

And I would ask, too - well, turquoise is stablized, and opals often protected with a doublet, but is not the "naturalness" of a material - like polished amber - part of the attraction of jewelry - and this red sponge coral has to be filled with a resin to make it workable - how "natural" is that?

Years ago, I bought a pearl/jade/coral bead necklace that now I am too uncomfortable to wear - I just feel bad and wish I had known more, then. Anyway, now, if I see coral jewelry being sold, I just change channels.

[flickerbulb]

I follow the Smithsonian on Facebook and they recently focused on researchers who are trying to preserve coral reefs.

They have pioneered a procedure to freeze coral sp&^% much like they do for human reproduction.

If they have to do this to preserve coral, I am shocked that is not outlawed so that jewelry can made. It is an interesting read, so I hope you check it out.

[SANNA]

They use plentiful sponge coral, all dyed except the white. Nothing is in danger, no need to go overboard.

[blankette]

I completely agree and I do thank you for this post . You are absolutely right, it is more than deplorable, sadly out of sight is out of mind, so we need reminders such as this.