luxury webblog

THE ENVIRONMENT ; Fiona Harvey on the impact of high consumer demand for expensive baubles

Lustrous, bright red coral makes a beautiful necklace or bracelet, the fiery colour setting off skin tones to perfection. Coral like this is prized by jewellers as it can be carved into exquisite shapes without losing its perfect shine.

Coral, as everyone knows, grows in reefs at the bottom of the sea, created over hundreds or even thousands of years by tiny polyps, providing a nursery and hunting ground for multitudinous species of fish. These reefs, according to SeaWeb, an ocean conservation charity, are “in crisis”, dead and dying from “overharvesting that stems from high consumer demand [for coral], as well as from pollution, destructive fishing and rising sea temperatures”.

Is it ethical, then, to wear coral? No, says SeaWeb. Dawn Martin, the charity’s president, says: “Real corals are living animals worthy of protection – they are truly too precious to wear.”

SeaWeb’s campaign has the support of Tiffany & Co, and a long list of jewellery designers. Michael Kowalski, chief executive of Tiffany, which removed coral from its shops in 2001, says: “[We have] long believed that the only material to take from a coral reef is inspiration.”

Coral is just one of many rare and beautiful materials whose use in jewellery and watches is of concern to environmentalists. Every manufactured product has an environmental “footprint” – the impact on the climate, earth and atmosphere of mining or growing the raw material, and the energy and water used in the manufacturing process. Some of the materials used in top-end watches and jewelllery have a bigger footprint than most.

The issue that people are most familiar with is blood, or conflict, diamonds. As Solitaire Townsend, chief executive of Futerrra Sustainability Communications, a consultancy, notes: “Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend – unless, of course, you happen to be the girl mining them.”

But she says the problem goes much wider. “Over the past decade, the environmental and social cost of jewellery has tarnished the reputation of an industry that’s supposed to make us feel like glamorous high-achievers,” she says.

Ivory has been taboo – and mostly illegal – for decades, and fur continues to be controversial. But the environmental cost of other materials may be less obvious.

Take gold and silver. Some gold and silver mines use mercury, a highly toxic metal, in gold extraction, which can cause huge pollution problems. Plus, there is the environmental degradation that many metals mines cause to the surrounding area, caused by the waste and leftover rock. It is possible to clean up mines, but historically many companies have not bothered.

But watch and jewellery makers are reacting, says Ms Townsend – in large part because environmental groups are working hard to ensure that these issues are at the forefront of their customers’ minds.

“Unlike many industries, the high-end watch and bauble companies have shown a commendably rapid response,” she says. “Perhaps they understand that…we are looking for an unmitigated positive experience from a pound(s)4,000 watch.”

Her advice to consumers is to ask for guarantees that the environmental impact of watches and jewellery has been minimised by the manufacturer. “Chances are you’ll spend a while considering a purchase with such a high price tags – so why not add an extra five minutes to check [for these guarantees]?” she asks.

There are plenty of programmes to help manufacturers cut their adverse impacts, and follow best practice. Diamonds can be certified “conflict-free”, and from next year there will be a Fair Trade appellation for responsibly mined gold. Check that precious metals come from companies that are members of the Alliance for Responsible Mining.

The Responsible Jewellery Council is another name to look out for. Its members include Cartier, De Beers and Tiffany. CIBJO, the world jewellery confederation, also recently launched an education foundation to promote sustainable practices. CIBJO told the FT: “Consumers are still willing to pay more for ethically produced goods. When they are already spending more on a premium product, they especially don’t want to be able to be attacked over their choices.” Wal-Mart has also established a jewellery sustainability group for its suppliers.

There is an international legal framework set up to try to end the trade in rare animals: Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

No responsible retailer would sell a product that included the hide or bone of a Cites-protected animal. But if you are buying accessories in a more informal setting, it is a good idea to check that hide or bone is not from an animal listed in Cites – otherwise, the goods can be confiscated by Customs officials.

A small amount of limited trade in products from Cites animals is permitted – for instance, Greenland’s Inuits are allowed to sell some jewellery made from the tusk of the narwhal, a rare whale – but should only be sold with a special Cites exemption certificate, which you must produce at Customs.

Coral may also receive Cites protection, if the SeaWeb campaign is successful. Even without such protection, it is often illegal to take corals across borders, for fear that the trade will result in the destruction of valuable reefs. The best place for coral is undoubtedly the sea.