Green Thinking Blog

Today I got a glimpse of a huge, beautiful sparkler of a diamond on some lady’s hand when I was standing in the checkout line at Publix. After I shook off my mesmerized stare (I’m a sucker for anything shiny and sparkly), I made a mental note to write this blog for our Green Thinking readers.

Is it possible to “green” your engagement or wedding rings? Well, first we have to put aside the fact that rings are not a necessity to life and they do require resources, energy, and transportation. But it got me thinking that in 2008 there must be sustainable or eco-conscious ways to adorn your finger (or your partner’s). The truth is that rings are pretty and most girls really look forward to the moment when we’ll get one. Can I get an AMEN?!

As usual, I did a little research, and here’s what I came up with:

Brilliant Earth - I found out about this company from my friend Melanie in California who recently got engaged. Her guy surprised her with a non-traditional, but oh-so-classy platinum sapphire ring from Brilliant Earth. All the company’s jewelry is made using socially-responsible methods, the diamonds are certified conflict-free from Canada, and they donate 5% of profits to “communities who have suffered from unethical practices in the jewelry industry.”

GreenKarat - I read about GreenKarat jewelry over on TreeHugger. They have some ready-made selections (check out that simple, but gorgeous canary diamond), but the best feature is the custom jewelry page where you can tell them exactly what you want, and they’ll make it for you in 2-8 weeks time. GreenKarat makes ecologically and socially responsible jewelry, and the company is also a big supporter of recycled gold.

Another option is to buy a “recycled” ring from the classifieds or a vintage/antique store. It would take some searching, but you never know what you’ll find. You might come across something special in the classifieds if someone is getting divorced and wants to get rid of a ring (seriously)! As for vintage/antique jewelry, you may have a great store right in your city or you can browse online. A few good sites I found are: Sylvia’s Antiques, Fay Cullen, and Dover Jewelry (wowza they have some ROCKS). On these sites, you can find rings from $400 to $80,000! Another option: take a diamond that’s been in your family and have it re-set in the style and setting that you want.

Pictured: Platinum sapphire ring from Brilliant Earth.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 8:47 am and is filed under Gifts, Lifestyle, Sustainable. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.