Choosing the perfect diamond ring can be exhilarating whether you're looking for a floating diamond ring or an emerald-cut eternity ring. You're comparing channel set diamonds versus bezel set stones. Perhaps for the first time, you're considering whether you prefer VS clarity or SI clarity diamonds. The choice between a dainty ½ carat total weight and an exciting 2-carat stone is yours.
At the pinnacle of those little decisions, one question emerges as the most crucial of them all: "is this ring the one?" You shouldn't have to worry if that ring used ethical diamonds or not.
Weighing all of those factors and then deciding on a ring is supposed to give you feelings of assurance and excitement for the future. The unfortunate truth is that with some jewelers, that feeling of confidence is smoke and mirrors. The diamond you so carefully selected for your band could be unethical. You may be having some questions about what that means. It’s our pleasure to answer those questions for you today and offer you options for buying an ethical diamond.
What Is An Ethical Diamond?
A diamond can be ethical in three ways:
- A reputable diamond buyer bought it and can trace its history back to an origin to ensure it wasn't used in any unsavory currency exchanges.
- Miners harvested the stone in a diamond mine with practices that are acceptable under the Kimberley Process.
- Jewelers carefully created the stone in a lab. Manmade diamonds possess every bit as much quality as earth-mined stones while giving a spotless conscience to those who will buy them.
Kimberly Process
Simply put, the Kimberley process is an agreement between governments to eliminate the production and use of conflict diamonds. In 2003, world leaders agreed to a trade regime that would utilize the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Through this, States put safety regulations into place to ensure shipments of rough diamonds were 'conflict-free.' Those who participate in this certification scheme vow to be transparent in their practices from mining to sharing statistical data, trading, and certifying shipments are conflict-free.
The Kimberley Process is open to all countries who would willingly enter into this trade regime and currently has 56 participants representing 82 countries. These countries each produce, export, and import rough diamonds, making them eligible for participation. Ultimately, the Kimberley process seeks to make the trade of rough diamonds safe and legitimate for everyone involved.
What Are Ethical Mining Practices?
The typical wedding or engagement ring buyer is most likely preoccupied with sentimental details and romantic feelings. Most probably wouldn't think to stop and evaluate the quality of the mining practices that went into the diamond they're purchasing. Even so, it's a good practice to be informed about these matters as a consumer. Let's look at a few mining practices that satisfy an ethical standard:
- Providing fair wages to workers: A portion of diamond mining occurs in impoverished countries where miners rely on their work to eat. Ensuring that miners are paid for their effort and provided safe mining equipment is essential to caring for fundamental human rights.
- Working with local economies: One dangerous aspect of mining diamonds near an established civilization is its damage to local economies. Mining companies should carefully preserve natural resources and the way of life of the people who first lived there.
- Keeping the Earth in mind: Diamonds are one of the world's most precious resources. When miners harvest diamonds from the earth, it's paramount that they are diligent in reducing their environmental footprint for the world's benefit.
There's More Than One Way To Be Ethical
Now that we've taken a look at what it means for diamonds and mining to be ethical, let's talk about you. Where do you fit into this grand scheme? Once a diamond has been mined, traded as a rough diamond to buyers, and cut and polished by jewelers, it's ready to go to you. You play an essential part in the life of ethical diamond rings, too.
Buying From A Reputable Jeweler
Thankfully, many fine jewelers care about ethical diamonds. At Noémie, we are committed to ethical practices from stone to shipping, and we only buy diamonds from reputable diamond suppliers who cooperate with Kimberley Process standards. Whether you're purchasing our custom personalized necklace or our stunning diamond chain link ring, you can be confident that you're receiving excellent pieces from a jeweler with a high ethical standard in mind.
Repurposing an Heirloom Diamond
Another ethical option available to you is repurposing an heirloom diamond. Perhaps you were given a piece from a loved one's estate. Maybe you have diamond jewelry you no longer wear from a previous time in your life. You can provide these diamonds with new life by having them repurposed by a jeweler into a unique piece to last your lifetime.
Choosing A Lab-Mined Diamond
Finally, one way you can be absolutely sure that you're choosing the most morally conscious choice is by purchasing a diamond that has been lab-mined. Not only is this option better for ensuring conflict-free diamonds, but it also helps reduce greenhouse emissions as well. Best of all, a lab-grown diamond is identical to a mined diamond in every way. The only difference is the fact that it was purposefully grown to meet ethical standards.
Noémie's Ethical Diamond Options
We want to provide you with every opportunity to buy an elegant, ethically-made piece of jewelry. Although our mined diamonds are certifiably conflict-free, we gladly offer you the choice of purchasing lab-grown diamonds, too. It's up to your personal preference. Whether one of our stones has been naturally-mined or lab-grown, we promise you will receive a luxury diamond with excellent cut, color, and clarity.
Does This Apply To Wedding Bands?
What about your wedding band? As we mentioned, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether the diamond ring you're considering was mined ethically. With that in mind, you're free to peruse our entire diamond wedding ring collection with a clean conscience. Our 100% conflict-free diamonds ensure that you're free to keep dreaming about the wedding ring details that matter to you.
The Benefit Of A Lab-Grown Diamond
Did you know our lab-grown diamonds offer a lower price point on our already affordable pieces? You can select the "lab-grown diamond" option when customizing your diamond wedding ring for a percentage off your total. By cutting out the middle man, we're able to achieve low prices so you can purchase luxury diamonds with ease. What's better than an affordable, ethically-sourced diamond wedding ring?
Beautiful, Ethically-Sourced Diamond Wedding Rings
If you are still new to our diamond wedding band collection, allow us to accompany you on your journey to explore some of our highest-reviewed pieces.
- Chevron Diamond Ring: This subtly-curved band consists of 18k gold with VS clarity white diamonds. The chevron style is simple yet makes a statement, so you're free to wear it alone or pair it with other bands. It's a highly-favored option with 85 five-star reviews for its quality.
- Bezel Diamond Ring: Lined with petite, circular bezel settings, our Bezel diamond ring is available in platinum and 18k rose, white, yellow, or black gold. The band contains a 1/2 carat total weight of gorgeous diamonds in F/G color. It's a petite take on the classic eternity style.
- Baguette Diamond Band: This exceptional piece is perhaps one of the most well-loved rings in our collection, with 429 five-star reviews. It includes 18k gold and platinum, with F/G color diamonds cut in a classic baguette shape. This piece may be for you if you like to incorporate vintage styles into your lifestyle. Additionally, our baguette ring features the option to choose a lab-mined diamond for a lower rate.
- Diamond Eternity Band Ring: Finally, with an astounding 792 five-star reviews, this beloved band offers timeless elegance at an excellent price. Our eternity band is handcrafted using top-tier quality conflict-free stones. The band features diamonds all the way around to symbolize endless adoration and commitment. Like the baguette band, this diamond eternity ring offers you the choice to order this style with a lab-grown diamond for an even better price.
Affordable Fine Jewelry Meets Peace of Mind
Now that we've peered behind the curtain to understand what makes diamonds ethical, you can rest assured knowing you have the facts that you need to make an informed decision. As you look for fine jewelry, you're looking for a piece that will be a part of your journey and your story. With that in mind, purchasing a diamond with pure origins is the best way to begin a new life chapter.
When shopping Noémie’s conflict-free women's diamond ring selection, you can go back to dreaming about which setting you prefer and the cut of diamond you'll choose for your perfect ring. By choosing one of our lab-grown options, you're able to select a ring you love for less. Whether you choose a lab-grown diamond or a naturally-mind stone, we've done all the work to ensure any ring you choose displays completely ethical diamonds. m uy7ht
Sources:
https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/what-kp
https://www.thebridechilla.com/2019/04/noemie-ethical-fine-jewelry-minus-the-middleman/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200207-the-sparkling-rise-of-the-lab-grown-diamond