7 Ethical & Sustainable Engagement Ring Companies
Shopping for an engagement ring can be overwhelming especially when you are searching for a conflict free diamond ring.
For the past year I’ve been planning an ethical & sustainable wedding. Jake & I started the process by shopping for an ethical engagement ring and furthered our knowledge recently when picking out wedding bands.
Through out this process I’ve learned a lot about the ethics and sustainability of the diamond industry and wanted to share some tips for couples looking for socially responsible rings.
Along with these tips on shopping for conflict free engagement rings, I’m sharing eight eco-friendly ring brands changing the diamond industry for good by giving back, using ethically mined or lab grown diamonds, and focusing on recycled materials.
I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with team members from each of these ring companies to further my knowledge on diamond industry ethics.
I am impressed with all of their initiatives to further the growth of the eco-conscious diamond industry.
This article does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer may receive a commission if you decide to purchase from one of these sustainable engagement ring companies.
Why do ethical & sustainable engagement rings matter?
Engagement rings and wedding rings symbolize love, but unfortunately there is a lot of forced labor, unfair treatment, and harsh environmental practices throughout the diamond mining industry.
By choosing to purchase a socially responsible engagement ring or wedding bands, you’re supporting brands that care about other people and the planet.
I encourage consumers to wear a wedding band that not only represents love, but is made with love.
Does the Kimberly Process Certification mean conflict free?
The popular Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, some of us might have heard of isn’t really conflict free.
MiaDonna founder Anna-Mieke discovered only 1 in 9 diamonds can be backtracked to their original source.
However, if you walk into a diamond store and ask if their diamonds are conflict free, customers will be told something along the lines of “yes, our diamonds are conflict free, certified by Kimberley Process.”
Photo by Our House Photography featuring the Vintage Crown Engagement Ring from MiaDonna
This certification just means the money from the diamonds is not financing war.
However, this does not take into account human treatment, child labor, or human-trafficking.
It also fails to evaluate the harsh environmental impact. Unfortunately, a lot of times the environment from diamond mines cannot be restored due to the depth of the digging.
Are lab grown diamonds conflict free & eco-friendly?
Yes, lab grown diamonds are great because the diamonds are touching less hands through out the process, allowing the supply chain to be managed and overseen for ethics.
Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, optically and physical the same as mined diamonds with seven times less environmental impact than mined diamonds since there is no harsh digging into the earth happening.
While lab grown diamonds still use energy, water, and produce a bit of waste, it is less than mined diamonds.
How are Lab Grown Diamonds Made?
So what exactly does lab grown mean? Basically instead of your diamond coming from a mined area of the Earth, scientists are able to mimic the Earth’s environment using carbon, high heat, and high pressures. This is a more sustainable process.
Lab grown diamonds then go through the same grading process as a minded diamond grading cut, clarity, color, and carat.
Throughout this process, the ethics of the supply chain can easily be monitored which is perfect for consumers searching for ethical engagement rings made with love. And an added bonus for couples looking at lab-grown diamond rings, they are usually less expensive than mined diamonds.
Can you tell a difference in lab grown diamonds?
Honestly, you can’t tell ANY difference.
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When shopping for my engagement ring I looked at both mined diamond rings and lab grown diamond rings and really couldn't tell a difference. I felt like lab grown diamonds matched my ethics best and had a minimal impact on the planet which is why I chose this route!
My engagement ring and wedding band are made with lab grown diamonds & recycled metals and you can’t tell any difference from looking at them.
If you choose to go with lab grown you can find some really unique eco friendly engagement rings that are more affordable too!
How do I know if my diamond ring is ethical?
To be honest, it’s really hard to know because mined diamonds touch so many hands through the supply chain.
My best advice would be to reach out and ask. Ask about the sourcing of the diamond, if any recycled metals are used, and what the supply chain looks like.
Truly ethical brands will appreciate that you took the time to reach out and will be happy to share additional information regarding the sourcing and sustainability.
Along with the sourcing of the diamond, it's important to know if the jewelry brand pays the jewelry makers fair wages too.
It's important to consider ethical practices through out every level of the supply chain from the mining of precious metals to the diamond to the maker.
8 Ethical & Eco-friendly Engagement Ring Brands
If you’re shopping for engagement rings and looking for ethically made and eco-friendly options, here are some brands leading the way.
These brands feature engagement ring options such as lab grown diamonds, recycled gold, fair trade materials, responsibly sourced stones, and more.
Do Amore: Eco-friendly Wedding Rings Made in the USA
Do Amore is a socially responsible jewelry company offering ethically sourced, recycled, and lab grown diamond engagement rings.
Do Amore’s mined diamonds are ethically mined through their partnership with Diamond Sightholders which sources rough diamonds from responsible mines in Canada, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Russia, which Do Amore purchases after they have been cut and polished.
Do Amore carries engagement rings and wedding bands for men and women.
Each Do Amore ring is made in the USA and shipped in handmade ring boxes crafted from Jarrah wood, one of the world’s most sustainable woods.
Each ethically made ring helps provide clean water to those in need through Do Amore’s partnership with Charity Water.
Charity Water identifies communities without clean water and Do Amore helps fund the building of wells around the world through ring purchases.
Do Amore’s website has a great interactive map allowing customers to see where the wells are located.
Brilliant Earth’s Ethically Mined Diamonds & Fairmined Gold
Brilliant Earth sells Beyond Conflict-Free™ diamonds, engagement rings, and fine jewelry both online and in showrooms across America.
Beyond Conflict Free Diamonds are selected for their sustainable engagement ring origins.
Brilliant Earth suppliers demonstrate a robust chain of custody protocol for their diamonds and can track and segregate diamonds by origin. Suppliers are required to source diamonds that originate from specific mine operators who follow internationally recognized labor, trade, and environmental standards.
Brilliant Earth also offers lab-grown diamonds and is working to bring fair trade diamonds into the mix.
As part of their commitment to ethically sourced jewelry, Brilliant Earth’s goal is to support their non-profit partner Diamond Development Initiative’s work to bring fair trade diamonds to market in the future.
Along with ethical diamonds, Brilliant Earth also uses eco-friendly metals including recycled gold and recycled silver. They also have a line with Fairmined which is an initiative working to transform mining into an active force for good, providing a source of gold to be proud of.
As part of Brilliant Earth’s commitment to sustainability, Brilliant Earth is Carbonfree ® . Brilliant Earth has partnered with Carbonfund.org to offset their carbon emissions by contributing to Tropical Rainforest Conservation in Brazil.
Vintage Engagement Rings on Etsy
Etsy is a great place to find secondhand, vintage, and recycled rings.
Secondhand rings are a great eco-conscious option because they value products that already exist and do not use resources creating something new.
Ethical shoppers can discover some truly unique rings with vintage designs and one of a kind elements.
Blue Nile: Unique Colors of Lab Grown Diamonds
Blue Nile was founded in 1999 with the idea that the diamond and engagement ring business was ready for innovation.
This conflict free diamond company features both responsibly mined and lab grown diamonds. Blue Nile offers an exclusive assortment of lab-grown diamond jewelry from Lightbox.
Lightbox creates their beautiful colored stones by adding a gas mix to the CVD reactor and combining this with treatments that are incorporated at the end of the synthesis process.
The result is stones rich with color, which would be extremely rare and expensive in natural diamonds.
Their lab grown diamond jewelry features unique colors such as pinks and blues.
MiaDonna: Lab Grown Diamonds That Give Back to Mining Communities
MiaDonna creates ethical, eco-friendly engagement rings, wedding bands, and high end jewelry featuring lab grown diamonds and recycled materials.
MiaDonna is a certified B Corporation and uses 95% recycled metals in the creation of their jewelry.
This conflict free ring company goes above & beyond by planting a tree with each purchase made and sets aside a minimum of 5% of profits to donate to The Greener Diamond Foundation, a non-profit focused on restoring and empowering mining communities.
MiaDonna has a showroom in Portland, Oregon where customers are able to shop in person. My husband and I visited MiaDonna’s showroom when we were shopping for our wedding bands. It was a great experience.
Not local? No worries.
Any bride-to-be can easily try out MiaDonna products through their Home Try On Program. When we were looking for engagement rings I did MiaDonna’s home try on program and it was great because I could wear the rings around the house and not feel like I was being pushed to buy something.
MiaDonna is also incredibly unique because they carry sustainable men’s wedding bands too!
Photo by Our House Photography featuring the Vintage Crown Engagement Ring from MiaDonna
These ethical diamond brands have great resources on their website and I encourage you to further your knowledge.
Time Magazine also published an interesting article on Blood Diamonds.
Hopefully this guide has helped you find some responsible brands to shop for sustainable engagement rings, a wedding ring, and beautiful jewelry featuring conflict-free stones.
For more ethical & sustainable fashion tips be sure to follow The Honest Consumer on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, & check out the Ethical & Sustainable Brand Directory.