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If you're magnetically drawn to the bling, but repulsed and nauseated by the horror of the diamond trade, then you should check out the conflict free diamonds from Brilliant Earth.
In a sea of sketchy mall stores, these guys stand out as a socially responsible jeweler with their conflict-free Canadian diamonds, ethically sourced sapphires, and recycled gold and platinum.
And if that weren't enough? They donate 5% of their profits back to communities in Africa harmed by the jewelry trade. If you've heard of conflict free diamonds but are a little rusty on the specifics, Brilliant Earth has some great resources, including questions to ask any jeweler who you might be working with … and a blog that will continue the education.
They have tons of wedding ring designs — and of course they wouldn't be an offbeat vendor unless they had completely custom wedding rings, too!
I know I crammed a ton of links into this post — but Brilliant Earth's website is so crammed full of both beautiful wedding rings AND well-written information about the jewelry trade that I couldn't help myself. Spend some time and go look around!
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My fiance abhors diamonds and I was ambivalent because I didn’t really have a “vision” of my engagement or wedding rings. All I knew is that the stone wouldn’t be a diamond. He surprised me with a ring that has a white sapphire as the center stone flanked by two blue sapphires. They are all beautiful and from Montana.
Sapphires are special because I have a September birthday and that is my birth stone. Bonus, if I wasn’t telling everyone, the stone looks like a diamond. Sapphires are also pretty rare, but much less expensive than diamonds. Something offbeat ladies might be interested in.
For those in the UK also check out http://www.credjewellery.com/, the ethical fair-trade jewellers. I got my wedding ring from them, which cost very little more than other goldsmiths, and with superb service!
i love brilliant earth! they have awesome stuff, i’ve spent lots of time on their site.
Thanks for promoting such a great site! We found wedding bands we loved by accident, which happened to be gold – and when I asked the jeweller where their gold came from, they had the cheek to reply “well, it doesn’t grow on trees and really, we don’t care”…
After some research we found out it was recycled gold, so we might still get those rings even though I despise their attitude. I’d love to get rings from Brilliant Earth, but my FH isn’t comfortable with ordering wedding bands over the internet. 🙁
Personally, I love the look of diamonds but will refuse to let my partner buy one due to their cost.
This would be a good choice–who wants to support blood diamonds–for people who are interested in real diamonds (or sapphires!). It’s nice to know there are safe alternatives to the huge online and mall type jewelers where you often have no idea where their diamonds come from.
My ring is from Brilliant Earth, and it couldn’t be nicer. They’re an online business, but they have an office in San Francisco, and since that’s where I live, I was able to go in try on rings in person. I loved the whole experience, and I love that my diamond is Canadian, just like my boyfriend!
My fiance got my ring from Brilliant Earth, after hunting for months for a truly ethical jeweler. He was able to choose the diamond and setting, like on Blue Nile, and the customer service was great. The ring came with lots of supporting documentation about the diamond’s provenance, even information on how the mine’s workers are treated and how the company works with local Inuit groups. Also- the quality and the workmanship make for a gorgeous ring.
I could never wear a ring knowing that it might have caused harm to someone, and I’d recommend Brilliant Earth to anyone else who feels the same way.
When a good friend of mine moved to Yellowknife last year, I learned a bit about the city. It’s a diamond town, and the industry there is incredibly responsible. They hired locally, not bringing a slew of people in to steal jobs, and they are proud of their work. Makes me all proud to be Canadian and stuff. *blush*
My partner and I got my engagement ring from Brilliant Earth and it is incredible. They do great custom orders, and are totally open to colors/metals/gemstone colors that aren’t featured on their website (my ring features a lab-grown yellow diamond surrounded by white diamonds set in recycled palladium and white gold). I heard about them on NPR, where Brilliant Earth does matching pledges, which is also nice.
Brilliant Earth looks really great, and their online help center is extremely responsive. It makes me sad that they don’t sell settings sepperately – since I’d like to use a stone that’s been in my family for generations! Alas.
i actually read a review of one of their rings that a customer had been able to get their own heirloom diamond set in the engagement setting.
“I was grateful that BE placed an heirloom diamond in the center for me. It is special to have my grandmothers love on a ring I wear with a commitment of love to my husband.”
(review of the tiara engagement ring)
it wouldn’t hurt to ask, they seem very flexible and accommodating… although, seeing from the date of your post it may be too late now. =(
Thank you so much for posting this. I am going to be getting a wedding ring soon and I am so happy to know about this. There’s some really beautiful stuff on here. I have a tanzanite engagement ring though so I just wish I could find something to match that.
I absolutely love, love, love the Brilliant Earth engagement ring that my fiance gave me. It is the antique scroll with a sapphire setting and diamonds set into the band. I’m so happy he chose to not listen to me about not getting a fancy ring – I wanted a onyx. The sapphire is gorgeous and sparkles beautifully. From what he has told me, the customer service was spectacular and he has just placed the order for our wedding bands. Kat (4), my ring came from an internet order. Don’t let that sway your fiance’s decision!
Not to duplicate Cat’s comment (7), I received the same documentation and I was so relieved that I could have a beautiful ring knowing that we were supporting an honorable diamond industry.
Leber Jeweler is based out of Chicago. My fiance got my ring there. It is stunning and they were very helpful 🙂
Wouldn’t the most ethical diamonds be the ones that have been passed down for generations? like Miranda, i too wish that I could just get a setting, as I’ve got an heirloom diamond.
For those who are worried about ordering online, I confirmed with Brilliant Earth today that they have an extremely flexible return policy. You have 30 days to return your ring if you’re unsatisfied. The only situation in which you can’t return the ring is if it’s custom-made, but you CAN return it if you create your own using their pre-designed settings. I went to the showroom today, and I absolutely love their rings. Just thinking about the company made me happy all afternoon.
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