You Asked for It: Conflict-Free Beauty

Hey Goldiluxe!

A bit of a Q for you:

We try to live as peacefully as we can.  To us, that means we may not want diamonds in our rings.  What are some of our options, diamond and non? Where do you stand on the issue?

Great question!  I shall do my best:

My stance on diamonds is complicated*, so I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version.  I choose not to purchase diamonds.  I choose not to directly support an industry that has its roots firmly planted in pain and atrocity.  I do not support DeBeers and their horrifying ties to diamond wars in Africa.  I have, however, received diamonds in the past from loved ones and I wear them proudly.  The world around us is so beautiful and holds so many amazing secrets.  Each gift I’ve received was given to me with love.  Love is beautiful.  Why should I be ashamed of that?  But.  I also wear them as a reminder.  A reminder that the stones themselves are not the problem.  The greed and deceit surrounding them is.  So, my diamonds remind me of the best and the worst of our world.  They remind me to make the world better.   

That said, none of the stones in my wedding set are diamonds (I’ll get to that later).  When we looked at rings, I wanted to be able to think about my husband, our marriage and everything good the world has to offer.  No gray areas, no reminders or lessons, just beauty.

Regardless of one’s stance on diamonds, there are lots of ethically sourced and traded bridal jewelry stores out there…you just have to look for them.  Here are some of my favorites**:

1.  Brilliant Earth- This is a great source not only for conflict-free diamonds, but other gemstones as well.  Click here to read their Conflict-Free Guarantee.  One can also purchase antique diamonds here, as well.

2. Nexus Diamond Labs- The lab created revolution is here, indeed.  All diamonds featured here are lab created.  Lab created diamonds are indiscernible from mined diamonds, but exponentially more affordable.  Click here to read about the lab process.

3.  Moissanite- Moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral consisting of silicon carbonite.  It can also be lab created as finding it in its natural form is extremely rare.  Fun fact: It is named after Henri Moissan, the man who discovered it.  Like the lab created diamond it is identical to a mined diamond.  The biggest criticism of Moissanite I have heard is that it is far too brilliant.  Fun fact #2: My wedding set is Moissanite and I love it!

4. The best resource I have ever seen for alternative jewelry is Offbeat Bride.  Seriously.  It’s one of my favorite websites evah, and they have three amazing stories about where to find the bestest in ethically sourced, conflict-free bridal jewelry.  Check it out.

*The thoughts on this blog are mine alone.  I do not pretend to be so sanctimonious as to condemn the choices and behaviors of others or push my beliefs onto them.  I do not support the purchase of most legally traded diamonds.  However, the choice should be made by each couple, thoughtfully and individually.  

**The sources on this blog have been researched by me and meet my standard for ethically sourcedand traded jewelry.  I encourage my readers to do their own research on the listed companies.  This way, you can make educated choices on your own, based in your own beliefs.

Photo Credit: brilliantearth.com