'Too Precious To Wear': Helping To Protect Coral Reefs

tooprecioustowear.org

A recent article was featured on Etsy's blog, The Storque, written by the exquisite jewelry designer Temple St. Clair, concerning the depleting supply of red and pink coral from the earth's oceans.  Her appreciation for marine life came through her love of scuba diving since she was a little girl, and this issue is very close to her heart.  A really wonderful and insightful read, I've learned that although coral is a beautiful addition to any piece, the harvesting of this organism is occuring too rapidly for itself to reproduce, and that may have detrimental damage to our ocean's ecosystems.  Many of the world's coral reefs are protected through environmental laws, although scientists predict maybe as much as 50% of them may be destroyed by 2030. (Wikipedia.org)

Temple has made an open invitation to shoppers and jewelry designers to make a pledge to avoid the purchase and demand of coral with SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear, an organization to help bring awareness of the importance this organism has to our environment.  Many artists and designers around the world are asking questions about the source of their coral, most refusing to use it at all.  Vintage coral is also an excellent option - something I opt to when I purchase a jewelry piece or beading supply.  Temple even has her own plans to pay homage to this beautiful sealife in her spring collection through the use of gold, sapphire and diamonds.

A sketch from Temple's spring collection, without the use of coral

Make the pledge today and help preserve this beautiful organism, and let's keep what's left where it belongs.  Enjoy an Etsy Treasury I've put together full of 'ocean friendly' coral inspirations!

Photos courtesy of Etsy's blog, The Storque.