When you pick a ring to celebrate an engagement, the style and the cost are usually the first things to consider. Yet wait a moment: what if you could be more eco-conscious and contribute to sustainable living while getting an excellent ring? Is it even possible? It is, it turns out.
The modern jewelry industry offers couples opportunities that were not available several decades ago: to buy a diamond that does not aggravate planetary pollution and does not promote unfairness to workers and communities where diamonds are mined. So by purchasing a ring with such a ‘clean’ diamond, you promote fairness and help protect the planet. Looks like a very lucrative wedding gift that you can give to your loved one.
What Are Eco-Friendly And Sustainable Diamonds?
Unfortunately, diamond mining has long been a business that caused significant damage to the environment and used unfair labor practices. You’ll probably find this number everywhere on the Internet at present: up to 1750 kilograms of the soil are to be dug out and moved per 1 carat of a diamond actually found. The total numbers of natural disturbances and actual harm are even more worrisome: hundreds of gallons of water are used directly and thousands are contaminated with runoffs, carbon emissions per one carat are high, and fossil fuel is required for mining in unlimited amounts.
Yet the discovery of the process of lab diamond growing showed the way out of this doomed circle. In the lab environment, no natural resources are depleted and no pollution happens. Besides, the human rights movements made governments and regulating bodies in diamond industries scrutinize how diamonds are mined and ensure that local communities are not harmed in the process.
All these developments bring you a unique and ethical choice: you can get diamonds that did not impact our planet negatively and did not endorse bad business practices. Another big plus of eco-friendly diamonds is that they can be cheaper by up to 30% while still being real diamonds in terms of composition and appearance.
Types of Sustainable Diamonds
However, we should draw distinction lines between different types of ‘clean’ diamonds. There are:
- Recycled diamonds
- Lab-grown diamonds
- Ethical diamonds.
Each type has its own benefits that make the stones a perfect choice.
Recycled diamonds
These diamonds are taken from heirloom jewelry pieces and reset (or recut and reset) into a new piece, usually an engagement ring. These diamonds make zero impact on the environment and you can honor your family items by giving them a new glitzy life.
Lab-grown diamonds
These are very popular currently and continue to grow in popularity because they give you the luxury of choice while being environmentally neutral and ethical. These diamonds are created in laboratories from scratch, grown from the seed in conditions that imitate the real process of diamond formation. The created stones can vary in size, they can be cut into any shape you like, they are real diamonds certified according to international standards, and they cost less compared to mined stones.
So if you want a ring with a really ‘clean’ diamond of a larger size that won’t leave you broke, then a lab-grown stone is your choice.
Ethically sourced diamonds
These diamonds are mined but with the observation of nature-conserving requirements that aim to minimize the environmental impact. In addition, the mining compensates workers fairly and helps develop and support the communities that surround the mining sites. There are not many locations that comply with all requirements that make a diamond an ‘ethical’ one, but if you are sure that your diamond is sourced from that location, you’ve literally hit the jackpot in the diamond world.
How to Buy a Ring with a Really Sustainable Diamond
The information may seem a bit overwhelming when you actually set out to find a ring that is stylish, within your budget and features a sustainable diamond. But basically, here is a shortcut to spotting the perfect one:
– first, team up with trusted and reputable jewelers who can back up the claims of ethical and eco-friendly diamonds with actual proof like documentation;
– second, before you start browsing the rings selection state clearly that you are interested in lab-grown or other sustainable diamonds, and it may somewhat narrow down the choice for you, making the task easier;
– if you don’t find the piece that really stands out, enquire if it can be custom-made using eco-friendly diamonds.
A really good jewelry shop will be your trusted guide and assistant and skilled craftsmen can create unique engagement rings featuring ‘clean’ diamonds that will become treasured heirloom pieces for generations to come. Elegant and dainty engagement rings with diamonds by YourAsteria are an excellent example of such an approach, where the beauty and craftsmanship of every piece are matched by responsible diamond sourcing and an impressive range of lab-grown stones to choose from. You can pick a ready one or commission a custom treasure to give to your sweetheart.
Pros and Cons of Eco-friendly and Sustainable Diamonds
So before you start a thrilling selection journey, let’s recap some positive points:
– Eco-friendly diamonds (lab grown and recycled) have low to zero impact on the environment;
– They are cheaper while possessing the quality and composition of mined diamonds (because they are essentially the same);
– Ethical diamonds come from places where people’s toil is respected and fairly compensated, so these diamonds even cause suffering to anyone.
If you worry about the cons of buying eco-friendly diamonds, here’s what to remember:
– Lab-grown diamonds do not grow in price with time and are not worth as much as mined ones;
– Some people may believe that lab-grown stones are not real diamonds – but that’s not true, they are diamonds in the full sense;
– Some methods of diamond growing can be more energy-consuming than others, thus leaving some carbon imprint. So be sure to ask if the lab-grown diamonds you plan to buy are really eco-friendly.
Finally, What to Choose?
The choice is totally yours, because no matter what we do, we inevitably leave some kind of natural impact, whether we buy a diamond or go grocery shopping. Yet, if you want to be more environmentally conscious and responsible, you can opt for diamonds that are really ethical, eco-friendly, and sustainable. They are timelessly beautiful and elegant, but some of them are cheaper and all of them are free from any kind of guilt. That’s a great feeling to share with your loved one on your engagement and later on your wedding day.
