Non-Conflict Diamonds and Alternatives
Following up on yesterday’s post on choosing a green wedding band, I wanted to provide some information and resources for selecting diamonds for your wedding jewelry.
Conflict diamonds, also known as “blood” diamonds, are rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance their efforts to overthrown legitimate governments. The trade of “blood” diamonds has caused devastation and destruction in such Central and West African nations as Angola, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
To prevent the sale of conflict diamonds, the United Nations mandated an international certification scheme called the Kimberly Process The Kimberly Process regulates certification requirements for its members to ensure diamonds are conflict-free. Luckily, most U.S. retailers participate in the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme or "KPCS" and thus finding your dream diamond that is also conflict-free is relatively easy today. That said, I've still provided some resources and retailers below that may interest today's "green" bride and groom.
To determine whether or not a diamond is conflict-free, The Conflict Free Diamond Council has posted guidelines for consumers on its website. Another useful resource is Amnesty’s Diamond Buyers Guide.
Many non-conflict diamonds today are being mined in Canada. Authenticity and certification that diamonds are non-conflict are provided by CanadaMark (currently the only certification to meet The Conflict Free Diamond Council’s requirements for conflict-free diamonds) and The Government of the Northwest Territories Diamond Certification Program. Both watchdogs have developed monitoring systems for Canadian diamonds throughout the production lifecycle to certify that diamonds are conflict-free.
My favorite retailers providing socially-conscious and eco-friendly fine and customized jewerly are: Leber Jewerler Inc, Brilliant Earth, and Cred Jewellery. If you're looking to buy antique and estate jewerly as an eco-friendly option, try: The Marlene Harris Collection.
For couples interested in non-diamond alternatives, I recommend eco-conscious, handcrafted wood jewelry, lab-produced diamonds, or even rings made from coconut.
Simple, unique, and beautiful wood jewerly can be purchased from: Simply Wood Rings and Touch Wood Rings. Laboratory produced diamond alternatives are sold by: ApolloRings. And beautiful, unique coconut rings are made at: Cocoloco.
Conflict diamonds, also known as “blood” diamonds, are rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance their efforts to overthrown legitimate governments. The trade of “blood” diamonds has caused devastation and destruction in such Central and West African nations as Angola, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
To prevent the sale of conflict diamonds, the United Nations mandated an international certification scheme called the Kimberly Process The Kimberly Process regulates certification requirements for its members to ensure diamonds are conflict-free. Luckily, most U.S. retailers participate in the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme or "KPCS" and thus finding your dream diamond that is also conflict-free is relatively easy today. That said, I've still provided some resources and retailers below that may interest today's "green" bride and groom.
To determine whether or not a diamond is conflict-free, The Conflict Free Diamond Council has posted guidelines for consumers on its website. Another useful resource is Amnesty’s Diamond Buyers Guide.
Many non-conflict diamonds today are being mined in Canada. Authenticity and certification that diamonds are non-conflict are provided by CanadaMark (currently the only certification to meet The Conflict Free Diamond Council’s requirements for conflict-free diamonds) and The Government of the Northwest Territories Diamond Certification Program. Both watchdogs have developed monitoring systems for Canadian diamonds throughout the production lifecycle to certify that diamonds are conflict-free.
My favorite retailers providing socially-conscious and eco-friendly fine and customized jewerly are: Leber Jewerler Inc, Brilliant Earth, and Cred Jewellery. If you're looking to buy antique and estate jewerly as an eco-friendly option, try: The Marlene Harris Collection.
For couples interested in non-diamond alternatives, I recommend eco-conscious, handcrafted wood jewelry, lab-produced diamonds, or even rings made from coconut.
Simple, unique, and beautiful wood jewerly can be purchased from: Simply Wood Rings and Touch Wood Rings. Laboratory produced diamond alternatives are sold by: ApolloRings. And beautiful, unique coconut rings are made at: Cocoloco.
posted by The Last Bridesmaid at
10:34 PM
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