SeaWeb and Cheeky Monkey Jewelry Team Up
For Coral Conservation
(March 1, 2010) SeaWeb and Cheeky Monkey Jewelry today announced that they have teamed up in an effort to create demand for coral conservation. Just prior to an important meeting focusing on international trade in endangered species, Simon Cardwell's Cheeky Monkey Jewelry is supporting SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear coral conservation campaign by launching its first line of coral-inspired jewelry called the Lophelia Collection.
"The work that SeaWeb and Too Precious To Wear are doing fits right in line with the Cheeky Monkey philosophy: producing beautiful jewelry that doesn’t cost the Earth," said Simon Cardwell, founder and owner of Cheeky Monkey. "Launching prior to the start of an international meeting on wildlife trade is our way of drawing much-needed attention to the plight of these beautiful creatures. The Lophelia Collection complements Cheeky Monkey’s IUCN endangered species collection perfectly. In making this collection, we left the coral right where it should be: in the ocean."
On March 13, the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) will kick off in Doha, Qatar. At the meeting between 175 member countries, or parties, red and pink coral (Coralliidae) are up for protection. Currently, these precious corals are afforded no international trade protection.
Being introduced in conjunction with the start of the CITES meeting, the Lophelia Collection includes a bracelet of laced coral that is created from recycled sterling
silver, set with more than a carat of fair-trade sapphires, crowned with a recycled
10-carat gold starfish and set with a solitary diamond. Accompanying the bracelet
are both gold and silver earrings and a matching necklace adorned with a mix of
sapphires, all of which resemble laced coral. Ten percent of the sales of the
Lophelia Collection will be donated to SeaWeb’s Too Precious To Wear campaign.
Cheeky Monkey has long demonstrated its commitment to environmental causes
and sustainability issues. Cardwell currently uses recycled sterling silver, gold and recycled diamonds or fair-trade gemstones. Cheeky Monkey also has a line
of ‘Endangered Collection’ pendants, a line of 14 fabulously jewel-encrusted
critters, all of which top the IUCN endangered species list.
“We’re so thrilled to have Cheeky Monkey join our roster of dedicated designers
from the jewelry, fashion and home décor industries who have made a
commitment to coral conservation,” said Dawn M. Martin, president of SeaWeb. “Individually, Simon is the perfect ambassador for red and pink coral: He has the
talent and ability to create beautiful, lasting pieces that invoke the awe and
inspiration of our ocean planet without actually harming the ocean’s resources.”
SeaWeb’s Too Precious To Wear campaign works with the fashion, design, and
jewelry industries to create demand for coral conservation. The campaign raises
awareness of both deep-sea corals and shallow water coral reefs as living
animals, and it seeks to address the threats posed to coral by international trade. Cheeky Monkey Jewelry joins other designers in the Too Precious To Wear campaign including Tiffany & Co., Lilly Pulitzer, Pottery Barn, Temple St. Clair,
Lela Rose, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, Melissa Joy Manning,
Monique Péan, Leber Jeweler, Kimberly McDonald, Hannah Garrison, Michael
Aram and Chantecaille.
Cheeky Monkey Jewelry is committed to be a leading international accessories
company that is known for its sexy—think: cheeky—and eco-chic designs.
Cheeky Monkey Jewelry pledges to practice and promote the responsible use of
our planet’s resources by educating fashion-forward consumers about earthfriendly
jewelry alternatives.
Download the complete media Release >>
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