Get “Cheeky” for Coral Conservation

Posted by Kate Matelan on July 9, 2010 at 9:53 pm

Cheeky Monkey Jewelry's Lophelia Cuff made of recycled metals and fair trade sapphires.

Cheeky Monkey Jewelry has teamed up with SeaWeb to support coral conservation and fair trade by producing some fabulous coral-inspired pieces in their Lophelia Collection. SeaWeb’s Too Precious To Wear coral conservation campaign kicked off before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) occurred in March 2010. The aim of CITES is to concentrate on the effects of international trade on endangered species and to help to protect wildlife in this realm.

Simon Cardwell, the founder and owner of Cheeky Monkey Jewelry, explained that his company was going to “[leave] the coral right where it should be: in the ocean.” He has created this exquisite collection of earrings, a pendant, and cuff without any damage to the environment, and 10% of all sales for these pieces will be donated to SeaWeb’s Too Precious To Wear campaign. You can now wear some coral without ever harming the species.

Better yet, the laced coral earrings ($250), necklace ($150), and cuff ($1,200) are all constructed of recycled sterling silver and gold (Cheeky Monkey uses recycled metals in all of their products actually). The sapphires in the collection are also fair trade items which can give the buyer even more satisfaction in purchasing any or all of the featured pieces. Cardwell’s commitment to the environment and long-term sustainability has him designing his jewelry with those core values in mind. I took an incredible course on sustainability my last semester in college and can honestly ask all of you to help support sustainability efforts to make our future brighter. Not to mention, you will get a flood of compliments on this gorgeous jewelry while helping the environment at the same time!