Online Shopping Sites

By Marc Choyt

You”ve decided to get married and now you are considering wedding and engagement ring set. This may be the first time in your life that you”re looking to invest in an expensive piece of jewelry. Hearing news about blood diamonds and dirty gold, you are somewhat suspicious of the jewelry sector. You want to find ethically made jewelry that’’s a worthy representation of your love and commitment.

Fortunately, there are some green wedding ring options. You probably will not find them locally, because only a tiny percentage of jewelers are concerned about ethical sourcing issues enough to bring product into their store. So you start type in keywords into google and a number of recycled gold wedding rings and ethical wedding rings with fair trade gemstones pop up. Now what do you do?

It doesn”t need to be that complex. Everything you need to know can be summed up in one rule: trace wedding and engagement ring from mine to market. Read the details below and you”ll know exactly what questions to ask.

1. DIAMONDS: Natural conflict free diamond do not exist and anyone who is making that claim is distorting the issues. Canadian diamond mines are well run, but that have massive impact upon the environment. Diamonds from Africa are often not traceable to a specific mine through their polishing, The best programs involve cutting and polishing facilities in Africa which supports local economies. Even synthetic diamonds are part of an industrial process which has its impact. The best thing to do is to learn about the issues and make an informed decision.

Ask your jeweler: Where is your diamond sourced and where is it polished? If they cannot answer these questions, then you could be buying a conflict blood diamond.

2. GEMSTONES: Several companies claim “fair trade gemstones” but a third party certification process has yet to be developed. The most ethical thing to do is to find gemstones which can be traced directly back to the source, benefiting small scale artisan miners.

Ask your jeweler: Where are these gemstones sourced and polished? If your jeweler cannot answer these questions, you may be buying gemstones that come from child labor.

3. METAL: Do not buy a ring unless the precious metal is recycled or traced directly back to mine that you know is managed responsible. If you don”t buy a recycled wedding ring and a recycled engagement ring, your ring will could cause up to twenty tones of toxic sludge full of mercury.

Ask your jeweler: Where is the metal used in the creation of this ring sourced from? If it is not recycled or come from a specific mine, then you may be using gold that is massively damaging to people and the environment.

4. MANUFACTURING: Who and how your ring is made makes a difference in the sourcing of your ring. Is it pumped out from a CAD program to a casting machine, or is there actual artistry involved? Changes are, you do not see your marriage as a mass commodity, so your ring needs to reflect artistry that individually represents your most noble and cherished concerns. A ring, like your life, should be artistically made.

Ask your jeweler: Who made this ring? If they cannot answer, it could have been made in a sweatshop in China, or just stamped out with a machine.

5. REPUTATION: Finally, consider the reputation of the company and how they are exemplifying your environmental and human rights values. Testimonials, which list full names and cities, are only partly sufficient. The company should be independently rated by a third party organization such as the BBB that traces its level of complaints, if any. Also, the best companies in the ethical sourcing community are not just selling jewelry, they are actively promoting a change in the jewelry sector.

Ask your jeweler: How and is there any third party verification of your business conduct, such as the Better Business Bureau and what does your company do in terms of corporate responsibility and giving back to the community?

The better online merchants will be completely transparent about the five points I”ve raised here. With these questions, you are ready to use your purchase to create a better world.

About The Author

Marc Choyt is President of Reflective Images, a designer jewelry company, http://www.celticjewelry.com selling conflict free diamonds and unique wedding rings at: http://www.artisanweddingrings.com. Marc authors http://www.fairjewelry.org, a website covering fair trade gem and jewelry issues.