Local NewsJuly 13, 2008

Samantha Critchell of The Associated Press

You can have your coral and save it too.

The marine conservation group SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear campaign offers alternatives to coral to capture its beauty without harvesting any of the real thing.

"There has been a huge trend toward coral in the past five or six years," says artist Michael Aram, who sculpts faux coral household items out of enamel-painted metal. "I don't know how and when it all started, but it became an incredible trend. ... It has struck a chord."

A sampling of coral-inspired items:

l Anika Brazil Swim bathing suits, to debut later this month, with glass coral-colored beads as ornamentation.

l Stetson coral-colored cowboy boots. "We love using it as a natural complement to the rich brown leathers you see so often in western boots," says Pam Fields, CEO of Stetson. "For women, the warmth feminizes the collection and ties nicely into the coral and turquoise accessories that we see dominating the ladies area. For men, it is a way to wear a rich color that isn't 'pink."'

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM

l Coral-print sheets and resin-sculpted coral candleholders from Pottery Barn.

l Tiffany & Co. jewelry with a coral-branch motif. "We have a collection in sterling silver with a necklace, bracelet and charms, and earrings in white gold," says Linda Buckley, Tiffany's vice president of public relations. "The few people who have asked about coral and why we don't sell it, once we explain the reason why, they are very supportive."

l Michael Aram's hand-hammered steel bowls with lacquered faux coral-branch bases.

l Torn by Ronny Kobo's coral-motif tank tops for shopbop.com.

l Creme de La Mer's World Ocean Day moisturizing cream. While technically not a coral product, it is based on a sea-kelp formula, and the company donates to a coral-saving campaign and says without healthy oceans - of which healthy coral reefs are key - there'd be no secret "miracle broth" ingredient.

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM