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A Turn for TurtleBy RUBVE GRAHAMKrtfaht New* Servic*In jewelry, this was to be the year of the tortoise. Women's Wear Daily recently advised its readers that tortoise was in and ivory is out.Such trend-setting jewelry designers as Aldo Cipnllo, of Cartier, and Celia Sobiri. whoonly last week was voted a special Caty Award, had become devotees of real lor-toise shell jewelry.What nobody'knew, least of all Aldo and Celia, was that the tortoise shell they were using comes from the hawks-bill turtle, a species protected by the Federal EndangeredSpecies Act passed in 1069, That legislation makes it illegal to import or to sell jewelry from the hawksbill and many other varieties of turtles. among at her-fashionitems that are banned are leopard coats and alligator bags.Stores and jewelry design* ers were caught completely unaware that they were doing anything illegal until the National Audubon Society wrote letters to that effect to the presidents of Cartier and Bonwii Teller. The letters were recel v e d arter both stores iiad advertised tortoise shell j e w € 1 r y in the New York Times. Both stores re* moved the jewelry from sale at once.Michael Thomas, president of Cartier, explained, 3 immediately got in touch withAldo Cipullo. who in turn checked his lorlise shell sources and determined that all of it was from the hawks-bill turtle. We were told by( government agents to destroy' the jewelry, since it would be illegal to sell it.A Bon wit Teller spokesman said the letter from the Audubon Society was followed by a visit from govemrneni-a-gtuus. No knowing, whether the jewelry was from the hawkshilt or another endangered turtle, agent took samples to determine whether the jewelry can be put back on sale.The tiHVvksbill 5s preferred by jewelry designers because of its markings, but there are many others that are on lhe endangered list. A spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, a Washington-based conservation group, • said there are 51 varieties of Idnd and marine turtles that are endangered, An Aubudora Society spokesman says t h e re are eight varieties of sea turtles — their in am area of interest, as far as turtles are concerned — that are endangered.The Audubon's position was slated by a spnkesman as follows: “We want fncermrion.il traffic in sea turtle products of all kinds slopped.” This means ihat even if government r.gents find that Bonwii Teller's tortoise is not from an endangered turtle the Au-dobon Society is still going to protest.
Newspaper Details
San Antonio Light
San Antonio, Texas, US
Wed, Jul 11, 1973
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel M.
GB 15 Jun 2022
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