Five Points To Consider When Purchasing Ethical Wedding Rings And Ethical Engagement Rings
A search for ethical jewelry on line will yield a number of companies offering product
, including but not limited to: recycled precious metal, fair trade gems, fair trade gold, and diamonds from Canadian Namibian and Botswana. With competing offerings, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the myriad of claims.The truth is that basically, there's a small group of retailers producing ethical jewelry, paying for Google Ad words and sourcing from many of the same companies to create their finished product. The supply chain is very limited. When you consider the differences between these companies, remember these five points to consider.
1. The most critical issue in the purchase of ethical wedding rings is that you can trace the jewelry back from your jewelry case to the mine along the entire supply chain, including manufacturing. Knowing the details of where the piece was sourced and how it was created will enable you to make your own informed decision. The rest of the points in this article expand on the critical issues of traceability and transparency.
2. Check out the claims of the company, as expressed through its marketing. One acid test is how they talk about 'conflict free' diamonds for your ethical engagement ring. No natural diamond is 'conflict free.' All have impact. For example, some companies marketing Canadian diamonds minimize the environmental impact of mining and how the introduction of diamond mines in the Northwest Territories fragmented communities of indigenous people.
3. Many companies in the ethical jewelry space are using the term "fair trade" to describe their product. Fair trade diamonds do not exist. Fair trade gemstones is a concept that is in its infancy. Fair trade manufacturing is often claimed without any on the ground worker safety standards in place. But there are people working in the spirit of fair trade. Companies that associate themselves with fair trade need to provide information that backs up their claims.
4. The manufacturing of a ring is one thing that is bypassed in much of the marketing of ethical engagement rings. The truth is that today, very few rings are created with the hands of an artisan. If you buy a straight band that looks like so much other jewelry on the market, the company probably does not want to tell you that you ring is being mass produced from a CAD program or stamped out with a machine. The making of a ring may or not matter to you, but if they do, then ask about manufacturing.
5. All precious metal used to create ethical wedding rings comes from the earth. That involves some conflict with the environment. The best two options are recycled precious metal or fair trade precious metal, which is entering the marketplace in 2010. Any gold that's outside of these two options you should assume contains dirty gold, a product seeped in human and environmental misery.
In sum, there are only a few things you need to consider, no matter where you purchase your ethical engagement or wedding ring. Where does the metal come from, where does the gem come from, and how is the ring made? If you know the answers to these questions, you can make your own personal ethical decision.
by: Marc Choyt