Ethical Engagement Rings

Ethical engagement rings are made under fair working conditions, without forced labor or even worse, child labor.¹³ like many eco-friendly wedding gifts, ethical engagement rings are made with the aim of protecting the planet as much as possible during the process.

This includes protecting the natural habitat of free-roaming animals.¹

Ethical Wedding Rings

In the same way as ethical engagement rings, ethical wedding rings are also made following strict requirements such as fair trade, fair working conditions, and zero unethical labor.

In addition to this, the precious metals and gemstones are ethically sourced.

For instance, some jewelers offer lab-grown diamonds or 100% recycled gold and platinum. Another excellent reason to choose ethical engagement rings or ethical wedding rings, is that tree-planting and animal-saving efforts happen in exchange for that choice, which can also be purchased with a wedding carbon offset.^{2, 3}

Vintage Engagement Rings

Vintage engagement rings are all the rage, especially those with settings inspired by the Victorian or Edwardian ages.

This is a great choice for reducing emissions, and with a climate loving couple carbon offset, you can go a step farther and erase even more.

Vintage Unique Engagement Rings

Vintage unique engagement rings also have historical time period settings, but they are unique in the sense that they are eco-friendly and ethically produced.¹⁴

The most popular types of vintage unique engagement rings include the following:

• Art Deco
• Cathedral
• Halo
• Filigree
• Floral
• Milgrain⁴

Eco-Friendly Engagement Rings

Eco-friendly engagement rings have a very low impact on the environment and the manufacturing process of these rings follows a strict set of regulations relating to ethical sourcing and fair labor practices.

Furthermore, eco-friendly engagement rings are often made with lab-grown diamonds, which cuts out the negative effect that traditional mining has on the environment.

Handmade Engagement Rings

Handmade engagement rings also aid in the fight against environmental damage. Choosing handmade engagement rings provides the following benefits:

• Zero use of machines, which results in less energy consumption.
• Handmade engagement rings are usually high quality.
• Ethically sourced materials are used.
• Locally manufactured, and locally sold support the local economy.

Affordable Ethical Engagement Rings

Finding affordable ethical engagement rings is easier than ever before. The below rings are stunning and available for less than $500.

• Four-Prong Petite Comfort Fit – Brilliant Earth: $490
• Melissa – Valley Rose: $470
• Emery – Clean Origin: $350
• Classic Simple Solitaire: Blue Nile – $240⁸

Recycled Engagement Rings

Another way to ensure minimal impact on the environment is to opt for recycled engagement rings.

Old rings can be melted down to create new rings, or jewelers can recycle their old stock by melting it down and creating new jewelry.

The best reasons to choose ethically sourced, lab-grown, or recycled options are laid out as follows: Traditional diamond mining and ring manufacturing have devastating impacts on the planet:

A single gold ring, containing a single 1-carat diamond sourced the traditional way causes the problems stated above:

In addition to this, the diamond trade is directly related to human suffering:⁵

Nature-Inspired Engagement Rings

For these reasons and more, it is best to choose ethical engagement rings, which include stunning nature-inspired engagement rings.¹⁵

Miadonna offers a range of nature-inspired engagement rings to choose from:

• Eden: The twisted band with a single recycled diamond, resembling vines.
• Harper: Lab-grown diamond cut in the shape of a blooming flower.
• Grace Vintage: Symmetrical flower setting in an antique design.
• Charisma Butterfly: Two small butterflies on each side of a lab-grown diamond. Recycled diamonds decorate the rest of the ring band.
• Tory: Square-shaped stone with a vine design on the band.
• Lotus: The band features the design of a blooming lotus flower on either side of a lab-grown diamond.⁶

Vegan Engagement Rings

Vegan engagement rings form part of the sustainably-sourced jewelry industry.

Vegan engagement rings are manufactured in a sustainable manner so as to avoid damaging the planet by destroying natural habitats.¹⁶

Whereas traditional diamond mines have a very negative effect on the environment and lead to the destruction of fragile ecosystems, vegan engagement ring manufacturing centers around lab-grown diamonds. The process of growing diamonds in a lab helps remove carbon from the air and uses renewable energy.

Jewelry retailers who offer vegan engagement rings are helping to restore balance to the planet by trying to reverse some of the damage done by the traditional diamond industry.⁷

Ethical Engagement Rings

One of the most important factors related to ethical engagement rings is the ethical sourcing of gemstones.

In Burma alone, a country that has been under military rule for at least 5 decades, child labor is enforced in the mining and production of rubies. Burma supplies up to 90% of the global ruby demand.

These rubies, along with similarly-manufactured gemstones are known as conflicted gemstones.

And while the Kimberley Process, introduced in 2003, does help with cutting down on conflict diamonds and gemstones, there is still a long way to go to get to a truly conflict-free industry.⁹

Ethical Gemstone Engagement Rings

Fortunately, many jewelry retailers are on board with helping to save the planet and minimize human suffering, and they do this by investing in ethical gemstone engagement rings.

Ethically Sourced Diamonds

Ethical gemstone engagement ring manufacturing also requires ethically sourced diamonds and conflict-free diamonds.

Conflict-Free Diamonds

When choosing conflict-free diamonds for conflict-free rings, the following factors must be considered:¹⁷

• Conflict-free is only truly conflict-free if all aspects of conflict-riddled diamond mining are avoided. This includes rebel-controlled mining, child labor, violence, and the destruction of the environment.
• Conflict-free diamonds can only be truly conflict-free if they are traceable to the original source.

Conflict-Free Rings

Therefore, the options that pertain to conflict-free rings include the following:

• Choosing lab-grown diamonds only.
• Choosing traceable Canadian diamonds.
• Choosing recycled diamonds.
• Choosing Kalahari Dream diamonds.¹⁰

Conflict-Free Engagement Rings

Some of the best conflict-free engagement rings brands are:¹⁸

• Miadonna (conflict-free, lab-grown diamonds)
• Fair Trade Jewellery (conflict-free, Fair Mined, Fair Trade, nickel-free precious metals (gold)
• Vrai (Carbon Neutral lab-grown diamonds (world first)
• Catbird (conflict-free, lab-grown stones)
• Trumpet & Horn (recycled diamonds)
• Bario Neal (ethically sourced diamonds)
• Taylor & Hart (Fair Mined metals and stones)
• Aurate (traceable stones)
• James Allen (conflict-free certified)
• Noémie (conflict-free certified)¹¹

Unique Conflict-Free Engagement Rings

Unique conflict-free engagement rings brands usually incorporate the following, along with their jewelry:

• Sourcing maps to identify where the diamonds originated.
• Donations to charitable organizations.
• Lab-grown diamonds.
• Recycled gold and stones.
• Carbon offset options.
• Carbon-free materials.
• Diamond waste recycling.
• Zero emission activities.
• Recycled packaging.¹²

By incorporating these components into the jewelry-making process, jewelry retailers can ensure that they have a wide variety of ethical engagement rings to offer, as well as ethical wedding rings.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ethical Engagement Rings