Many of us are becoming ever more concerned about the environment. We’re actively looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, limit our impact on the ecosystem and seek out companies that are both sustainable and ethical. As a result of this, an increasing number of people are choosing to buy an ethical and sustainable engagement ring to fit in with their values.
What makes an engagement ring ethical?
Diamonds are the most popular gemstones for engagement rings. However, the demand for these gemstones has led to a number of environmental and humanitarian crises around the globe. There are a whole host of problems associated with mining diamonds, from severe damage to the ecosystem where the diamond quarries are located to the exploitation of the mine workers who work in them. There’s also the issue of diamonds being used to fund weapons for wars and conflicts around the world.
Fortunately, many alternative gemstones exist that are equally as stunning as diamonds but obtainable without the associated environmental and human costs.
So, what makes an engagement ring ethical?
Ethical engagement rings are rings that create a low impact on the environment, and don’t violate human rights. When choosing an ethical engagement ring, look for conflict-free or lab-grown gemstones and combine them with recycled metals for the ultimate in sustainability.
Choosing an ethical engagement ring from Vinny & Charles
At Vinny & Charles, we place a high emphasis on ensuring that our engagement rings are both ethical and sustainable. We manufacture all our jewellery in our studio workshop in Perth, Western Australia so that we have full control over the manufacturing process.
All our pieces are crafted with love and the utmost attention to ensure that they’re of the highest quality and that they will stand the test of time. We want your engagement ring to become an heirloom that will be passed down from generation to generation.
To ensure that our rings are both sustainable and ethical, we use high-quality materials such as solid gold and source our diamonds through highly reputable and conflict-free sources that follow the Kimberley Process (KP). The Kimberley Process is a commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chains which, to date, actively prevents 99.8% of the worldwide trade.
We also utilise lab-grown diamonds such as Moissanite in our designs. Henri Moissan, a French scientist discovered natural moissanite in 1983 when a meteorite fell to earth in Arizona. Made from silicon carbide crystals, natural Moissanite is extremely rare, but it can be successfully recreated in the lab.
While a lab grown Moissanite may look like a diamond, its composition, durability, brilliance and colour are distinctly different. But it is a truly beautiful stone nonetheless and an excellent choice if you prefer not to have mined diamonds in your engagement ring. We use Charles & Colvard® Moissanite and provide certification for any stone over 0.50ct. Charles and Colvard® also provide a Limited Lifetime Warranty which guarantees that their gemstones will maintain their brilliance and fire forever.
Whether we use natural or lab-grown gemstones, or other gemstones such as Aquamarine, Smokey Topaz, Alexandrite or Moss Agate, we make all our pieces in line with industry standards and each piece is fully hallmarked.
Giving back to nature with every ring
All the designs at Vinny & Charles are inspired by nature. But our commitment to the environment goes much further than that. For every order we receive, we give back to nature by planting a tree through our collaboration with onetreeplanted.org. So, when you buy your engagement ring through us you are not just choosing an ethical engagement ring, but you are choosing a sustainable engagement ring that has been inspired by nature, created with care and consideration, and delivered with passion and love.
