I was quite happy with my today outfit: golden skirt, black shirt and a huge coral brooch until a colleague came and told me that I shouldn't buy coral because the world reserves are endangered.
This is my dilemma. I am trying to be ethically and politically wise when I buy things. For example I do not buy ivory because I don't want to be part of creating a higher demand which may lead to an increased hunting of elephants. I don't patronize any company I know about that treats badly its employees. But I have these coral jewellery and I found out the most of the coral used today comes from the time the reserves were not depleted. Still...
Your outfit is beautiful, and I love your brooch too! I've had a small jewellery company for a few years. I've made jewellery from coral too, and they're not all endangered. If you buy Italian coral - which is the beautiful red variety your brooch is made of (as far as I can tell from the photo!), there are restrictions on the harvesting - and everything is controlled. That makes it one of the few sustainable channels to get coral from. So I don't think there's any problem with your beautiful brooch.
RépondreSupprimerIf it's the cheaper, deep sea coral (Bamboo coral) there are problems though. It's harvested from warm waters in the Pacific, and regulations aren't very thorough. The industry is harming the environment and damaging the coral population to a degree that it becomes endangered. Either way - the brooch is yours now and you should enjoy it!