Tiffany & Co: Save the Coral!

From the Israel Diamond Industry Portal:

I wonder if they care as much that their diamonds are polished by child laborers in Indian slums?

Tiffany and Co. has reaffirmed its “no coral sales” policy with the unveiling of store windows with an “Under the Sea” theme. The high-end jewelry chain’s declared aim is to raise awareness about the damage coral harvesting causes to critical marine ecosystems.

Tiffany’s windows now feature a fantasy world with each store window offering a different view of the ocean floor.

Luxury jeweler Tiffany explained that its goal is to inform the public that corals are living animals which, together with the reef systems they create, provide marine life with food and fertile grounds for reproduction.

Tiffany Chairman and CEO Michael J. Kowalski stated: “Today, corals are in crisis–the result of destructive fishing methods, climate change and their removal for use as decorative objects and jewelry. In 2002, we discontinued selling coral jewelry, concluding that in a world where corals and reef communities are under siege, we could not be complicit in their destruction. It is our hope to raise consumer awareness of this important issue and to urge fellow jewelers to join us in refusing to sell coral jewelry.”

Luxury jewelerTiffany also supports nonprofit organization SeaWeb and its “Too Precious to Wear” campaign, whose aim is to educate consumers and retailers about coral conservation. Tiffany has actively backed the reauthorization of a U.S. Coral Reef Conservation Act and the addition of red coral to the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II, which includes species threatened with extinction unless trade is carefully monitored.

By: Rachel Lieberman, Israel Diamond Industry Portal