The Precious Red Coral Share

Photo: Jewelry from Red Coral

Red coral have been a substance of extreme intrigue over the centuries! Starting from the Greek mythology which relates that seaweed turned red by the blood of Medusa; the Gauls used it as ornaments for their weapons; Romans believed it cured wounds and was also regarded as good luck charm. Currently, Precious Coral mostly associated with luxury and elegant jewelry, and it is one of the two officially recognized organic gemstones; the other is the pearl.

Here is a fascinating 2 minutes feature by Al Jazeera discussing the move towards a new regulation on export of Red Coral by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the threats it is causing the local red coral artisans in Italy. Click here to view the video.

Export of black or red coral products are prohibited in the Maldives. NGO's and resorts like the Banyan Tree and Four Seasons are striving towards increasing coral growth through coral planting and "reef ball project" that encourage the growth of live and healthy coral.

If consumer's pressure to reduce the exploitation of such coral products, corals will have a better chance at surviving the threats faced by climate change. Sign the Coral Pledge today!