Stories From a Green Bride: Are Diamonds A Girl's Best Friend?

I didn't need to watch Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond to know that diamond mining has a negative effect on humanity and the environment.  Not to mention that they've become more a symbol of status than of love.

And yet I still wanted a traditional diamond engagement ring.  What are a girl and her conscience to do?

1. Say How You Feel

I openly discussed the topic of conflict diamonds with my boyfriend Rob and others in my life.  I made it clear that I did not want to contribute to the tragic conflicts in Angola and Sierra Leone, fueled by illicit diamond smuggling.  Nor did I want to support mining practices that hurt the environment there and in other parts of the world.  For me, a new diamond would not do.

Image Courtesy of Brilliant Earth

 Brilliant Earth is an socially and environmentally responsible jewelry company, offering certified conflict-free diamonds and recycled metals. They will also create new pieces out of stones and metals that you already have in the family.

2. Be Open to Alternative Options

By discussing conflict diamonds with family and friends, I had inadvertently placed a want ad for used diamonds.  Several people offered family heirlooms, old rings they had since upgraded from, and even lose diamonds for which I thanked them but deferred to Rob.  As much as I wanted a reused ring, it was ultimately Rob's decision.

Images Courtesy of Reflective Images

Each engagement and wedding ring in the Reflective Images collection is handmade by an American artisan utilizing 100% recycled, eco-friendly precious metals. They are available with fair trade gemstones and ethically sourced conflict-free diamonds which can be traced from mine, directly to market.

3. Give Up Control and Enjoy!

When Rob proposed in the park where we met, I merely glanced at the ring before putting it on my finger.  The jewelry itself didn't matter at that once in a lifetime moment.  It was later, after all excitement and phone calls, that I really looked down and examined the ring, which had once belonged to his grandmother.

Image Courtesy of Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry

Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry designs stunning engagement bands and other jewelry, all handmade in New York City. The ring pictured above is made from 100% reclaimed yellow gold, and completed with an pre-1930 antique diamond. Antique diamonds offer all the pros of diamonds with none of the ethical implications because they predate the modern mining practices that are socially and environmentally devastating. 

Written By Veronica Del Bianco

Veronica Del Bianco currently resides in the heart of New Orleans just a street car ride from the French Quarter.  And despite her pick-up truck driving fiancé, her love for po' boys, and her devoted hound dog, Veronica cannot hide the fact that she is, indeed, a transplanted "yankee" from the Mid-Atlantic. She is currently planning her own green wedding.