[Jewelry making - Article 00190] - Re: [Orchid] Use of turtle shells

[Craig Binninger]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    Ian, Good morning. I contemplated your response over night and I
    feel we are interring into a debate. Auntie Bessie(god rest her
    soul) and her pet turtle are not in dangered species, at least not
    yet. Your remarks about tons of reef being dredged up by fishermen
    seems a little odd to me as most dredging for say oysters,yummy, and
    clams are done in a different part of the ecosystem. To my knowledge
    the practices of New England clam and oyster fishermen are done in
    the sandy bottom part of the ocean floor where these shellfish can
    borrow down for protection, breeding, and spanning. Yes quotas and
    abuse of regulations happen whenever a buck is to be made. But it is
    not the rule as these men that make a living from the sea are
    anxious to maintain their life stile without completely diminishing
    their source of income. This harvesting is done by dredging these
    shellfish out of the sand. I am unaware of what food source is
    dredge off the reefs. Plus the assumption that it would be very hard
    on the equipment. Storms are a natural occurrence that have been
    having an effect on reefs for as long as there have been reefs. I
    believe natural section, and evolution may have something to do with
    the reefs existence to this day. Hume? Coral on the beach usually
    bleach and rounded beyond the beauty of it's living community. You
    also brought up the issue of indigenous peoples harvesting sea
    turtles for food, that's fine. But if we did not put a ban on the
    import of these sea turtle products, they would be harvested for
    export so they could buy TVs. Everyone likes TV. Especially where
    there are very few of them. The next point you made about
    certification through some scientific method( carbon dating )seems
    very expensive and not financially viable. You would probably have
    to pay for it. I also think if you brought your ivory to customs and
    explained your source these men would have enough experience to know
    the difference between your ivory and illegally imported banned
    ivory. Unfortunately many very poor people in remote areas consider
    it their right to take that which is available to them
    traditionally. When tons and tons of poached ivory is burned each
    year I don't think they were snared and left to rot as a food
    source, maybe some.On to the next point. Clear cutting of trees goes
    on every day. The first time I saw the side of a mountain that had
    been clear cut I was only a kid and I could not understand why this
    would happen. It is very ugly. Either Indonesia or Malaysia for all
    practical purposes have extinguished their Mahogany forest. They
    didn't mind while they were making a pay check, but what are they
    going to do now? Move to the city and live in the slums. From the
    posts that I have read on this subject I am convinced that
    orchadians are aware of the problems, sensitive to the issues, and
    acting responsibly. I am glad to jump off my soap box, as I feel I
    am preaching to the choir. WOW! Look, a green orchid. It doesn't get
    any better. Ian thank you for bringing up these points as I know you
    know the difference. I am not the person to be dictating morality to
    anyone, as I have used all these materials.Thank you. This thread
    has put a question in my mind. Can jewelry beyond buttons and
    insignias be a viable media for political, and educational purposes?
    Elizabeth, please forgive me for jumping on your very polemically
    correct turtle shells. Luv ya, 

Regards, Craig
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________