Coral Harvesting? Facts And Myth's - Etsy Take vs. crudeco

http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/declaring-coral-too-precious-to-wear-10844/

Featured article from etsy's storque blog dated: October 15th, 2010.

Although facts remain that human's haven't been kind to world and oceans. But Miss Melanie Claire of Temple St. Clarie not only fell into a life of jewelry design but she's fallin' on her head. She fails to offer a balanced article for the etsy customer, seller and drive-by-blogger. Etsy's supported blog post is riddled with myth. It doesn't take into account ocean reef's that are used for business to support local communities, nor does it offer an explanation for the businesses who revive our ocean reef through educational endeavors and private foundations who assist in rebuilding our ocean reef's.

Etsy admin, staff and Juliet (writer and proof reader of "said" article) completely disregarded and disrespected the entire house of etsy. Sellers were left with a salty taste in their mouths.....and NO it wasn't that! The stab in our sells, our product representation and their own TOU's regarding etsy policies, which is not to refer, redirect or offer links to off site dealers, manufactures, wholesalers or artisan's who are not or who not have an etsy business listed on etsy.

Referring from my own facts of collecting coral:

Twice in the last 15 years I've stumbled onto lapidary men with rare Chinese Coral branch, once in 1995 and again at a rock club show in 2002. Each meeting I purchased all the coral they each had to sell. In each case their collection had come from estate sells where the collectors acquired their coral before the Great Barrier Law. My understanding of this red coral is that I am able to use it in jewelry and for collecting. I have had customers ask me about the "laws" regarding selling rare branch coral. And in each case, I refer to our rock club by-laws regarding collecting. If the coral was obtained and sold prior to the species act in 1970, then a collector can resale or create jewelry to resale.

Certainly this "coral" debacle between etsy and etsy sellers' that feature coral pieces in their shops will not see a reasonable conclusion anytime soon. Many threads have been closed, etsy admin seems to encourage suppression among their seller's and forum chats.Stifling an intelligent community of artisan's, crafter's and customer's will not go well.

Offering another point of view about our ocean's coral reef's.
http://www.ted.com/talks/enric_sala.html

Well, worth the viewing.
In the use of vintage and antique rare red coral branch, mine is from private collections obtained before 1970.