I love coral jewelry, but I've heard that the overharvesting of coral is harming the environment. Is this true?

Before I get to the environmental aspect of coral jewelry, I want to first explain a bit about the gemstone itself. Coral is actually made of the hardened skeletons of sea life that develop into branch-shaped forms. The majority of coral used in the creation of jewelry is found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, Australia, Canary Islands, Hawaii, and Japan. The colors of coral jewelry range from white to red. The most expensive colors of the underwater tree-like forms known as coral are black, red (aka fire coral) and pink (aka angel skin coral). Coral jewelry has been worn since ancient times, dating all the way back to the 8th century BC. From the ancient Rome to Victorian England, coral jewelry was considered a precious commodity. Coral has been used to decorate palaces, bejeweled crowns, and in coral necklaces as christening gifts. To this day, coral is often used in Indian jewelry and Hawaiian jewelry. Coral also holds great religious meaning as it is among the treasures of Buddhist scripture, as well as one of the materials used in Tibetan rosaries. In addition, coral jewelry was also believed to have magical powers, such as the power to keep the wearer safe from harm, bring good fortune, dispel the evil eye, etc. Nonetheless, despite the long history of coral jewelry, we as responsible jewelry consumers must remember that a lot of marine life depends on coral as a natural resource. The use of coral in jewelry has caused what some irreparable environmental damage due to overharvesting, pollution, gas exploration, too much fishing, etc. Jewelry consumers concerned with the environment should refrain from purchasing and / or wearing coral jewelry if they want to protect this beautiful natural resource. If you really want to go that extra mile in conserving coral, you should get involved in organizations dedicated to the cause of coral conservation. Such organizations recruit major players in the jewelry industry to participate in their campaigns, and they also advance coral conservation via government legislation.

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