More Than Just Jewelry: Ethical Engagement Rings

The Beginning of A Beautiful Story

Congratulations are in order if you are shopping for an engagement ring. The small piece of jewelry has a huge impact on the journey towards your "happily ever after." In the past, choosing a proposal band was solely determined by two sets of questions; yellow gold or white gold and emerald or princess cut?

There's a lot more to consider these days, for instance, more couples prefer ethical engagement rings. However, you don't want to get too caught up in the details and by all means, you should enjoy the exciting process of scouring around for the perfect proposal ring.

Often, it's the person proposing who is tasked with finding the ideal ring for the engagement but some couples end up shopping for the piece of jewelry together. Whichever the case, with your heart set on ethical engagement bands it helps to have a few pointers to work with when looking for THE RING. After all, it's the piece of jewelry that personifies love and the beginning of a beautiful story. Featured in this article is the stunning MiaDonna ring. With a collection sure to please any couple, these ethically made engagement and wedding rings are also handcrafted in the United States.

Why Choose Ethical Engagement Rings?

We once read that an engagement ring personifies a love that's so pure that only crystals forged centuries ago could tell their story. That describes how beautiful the piece of jewelry is both on the surface and intrinsically.

Beyond the aesthetics, ethical engagement rings are even more beautiful because they symbolize the process of breaking the chains of exploitation. The sad reality about precious stones and metals is that they've long been exploited and sourced from nations that are caught up in civil unrest. They are also often traded illegally with the proceeds used to fund weapons of war, hence the term conflict diamonds.

Scores of jewelry makers have been at the forefront of changing the mining processes, and overall, promoting diamonds in an entirely new light. Some of the precious stones currently in circulation are lab-grown, which means that they are also entirely conflict-free. A majority of ethical jewelry manufacturers also source for fair trade gold and other precious metals that are traceable back to the point of origin.

Tips For Buying the Perfect Ethical Engagement Ring

The irony is that shopping for a beautiful piece of jewelry like an engagement ring often ends up being a stressful experience. It's simply because there's so much to consider from the size, color, clarity, weight, cut, and quality of the diamond. That only sorts out matters related to the stone, you'll also have to make several decisions related to the metal.

Most of us are not jewelry experts and aspects like diamond shapes and fluorescence only cause further confusion. It's easy to see how the process of buying an item that's supposed to kick-start the next chapter of your life can end up being overwhelming. That's why we figured that the helpful approach is to come up with a straightforward guide on how to buy the perfect ethical engagement ring.

The Style and Shape

A quick sneaking look through your significant other's jewelry box should give you an idea about their sense of style. One of the things to look out for is whether they have vintage pieces of jewelry or more statement pieces. Determine whether their collection includes more platinum or gold pieces. Also take note of the shapes of the jewelry they already own because more than often, they'll prefer something similar.

The shape or cut of a diamond is equally important because it determines how much you'll end up paying for the ring. In general, marquise and pear cut diamonds are less expensive than the classic round cut options. If your better half would prefer a sizable sparkler, you'll get a great deal by going for alternative shapes.

The Stone and Metal

You might have come across the "four Cs" related to diamonds which refers to clarity, cut, carat, and color. While you do want to get your money's worth, don't get too caught up in searching for a perfect stone.

In fact, it's nearly impossible to find a diamond ring that checks all the boxes. Instead, you are better off prioritizing the feeling a stone exudes. Just for references, diamonds are graded using the GIA format on a scale of D to Z. Often, D denotes a flawless stone while Z would refer to an imperfect diamond.

Perhaps carat is the most buzz-worthy term that most people are familiar with when talking about engagement and wedding rings. Some people prefer larger stones while others focus more on getting the clearest diamond even at a lower carat count. That takes us back to the sneaky look through your spouse-to-be's jewelry box which should give you an idea of their preferable stone size.

Traditionally, engagement rings are accompanied by platinum, yellow gold, silver, or white gold metals. Rose gold bands have picked up in popularity as a modern and fresh alternative. Also worth noting, platinum resembles silver in appearances but the former is more expensive and weightier in terms of density. 14K gold is often the most wearable choice hence perfect for wedding bands while 18K gold suits engagement rings.

The Sizing and Setting

After all is said and done, the worst thing ever would be to get a gorgeous ethical engagement ring that's the wrong size. If the engagement is a complete surprise then you'll have to rely on your significant other's past jewelry for measurement. It's easier if you are shopping for the rings together because you can get measured correctly at the jewelry store.

Simply put, the setting refers to how the center stone is framed or mounted on the ring. That's where preferences come into play once again because you want a ring setting that matches your spouse-to-be's personality. Generally, solitaire settings accommodate varieties of diamond shapes and work with a sliding scale of budgets.

With that said, you should by all means step outside the box and go for something uniquely special. If your wedding budget allows it, go for customized ethical engagement rings to guarantee that you are getting a one-of-a-kind proposal band. Work directly with a jeweler instead of picking something from the store. Above all, grab a friend or two to help with the shopping process.

More Than Just Jewelry: Ethical Engagement Rings

MiaDonna was founded in 2005 with a single objective: to offer consumers a beautiful, ethical, conflict-free and affordable diamond alternative that would help to free innocent children oppressed by the active conflict diamond mining industry – and that’s something we can definitely get behind! The most important piece of jewelry you ever wear should be one that you can admire not only for its beauty and the meaning behind it, but admire it because it’s ethically made.

Handcrafted in the U.S.A. using recycled precious metals, lab-grown gemstones, and lab-grown diamonds, their fine jewelry is guaranteed conflict-free, crafted without negatively impacting our environment or native communities.

As if that weren’t enough of a reason to consider a MiaDonna diamond engagement ring, MiaDonna is a foundation-first company and proudly gives back a minimum of 10% of their net profits from every purchase to their charity foundation, The Greener Diamond. These funds help to build educational, mentorship, agricultural, and relief programs in diamond mining communities in countries such as Togo, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Africa.

MiaDonna offers some of the best tools to ensure that you end up with the ring of your dreams. Their home try-on program is unique and it gives you the chance to determine exactly the sort of ring that suits you and your personality best. And yes – it comes with a hint card to help your partner out! The stress of choosing something perfect for forever is alleviated so that you two can focus on what’s really important.

Solitaires, two-tones, diamond trios, vintage styles, modern styles, halo engagement rings, and stackables – MiaDonna has something for you while still maintaining the elegance and quality of an heirloom piece that can be passed from generation to generation. Their user friendly website with 360 degree views of each ring is definitely worth checking out!

Book an appointment to visit their Portland, Oregon showroom or shop all lab-grown diamond jewelry online 24/7 on MiaDonna.com

Credits: Featured rings MiaDonna.com