The Advantages of Buying Ethical Jewelry

For some jewelry enthusiasts, the invention of lab-grown diamonds or ethically sourced gemstones is a disgrace to the jewelry making industry, and many will label these synthetic diamonds as fakes. However, over the years, these pieces have garnered a large following. Many notable people and celebrities are now advocating for these gemstones rather than mined diamonds. Most of those buying engagement rings in Chicago favor ethically engineered pieces that help protect the environment. Read on to learn about the advantages of getting ethical jewelry. 

Advantageous for the Environment

When searching for gold and diamonds, miners have to blast caves to get their hands on these precious metals. After exhausting one location, they move on to the next, but the mined areas often suffer from irreversible environmental damage. One example was the California Gold Rush breakthrough. After dredging and blasting, the rivers became heavily polluted and entire forests were taken down just to find gold. 

When buying a lab-grown diamond, you get to enjoy exquisite pieces without harming the environment. Buying an ethically grown jewelry piece is much more sustainable. Recent advancements in technology have allowed lab-grown diamonds to produce a smaller carbon footprint than mining for gold and diamonds. Mining a one-carat diamond requires some 200 to 250 tons of Earth to be displaced. When you consider that this practice has been going on for years, many of the areas are now depleted of their resources and miners are now looking at extracting cold regions of Canada and Russia, which is much more challenging and requires more energy. 

Lessens Demand for Conflict Diamonds

The 2006 political war-themed film “Blood Diamond” focused on how diamonds are mined and sold to warlords, who will profit once they are sold to prominent diamond companies. In fact, even De Beers admitted to buying diamonds from conflict areas. It was only in the year 2000 that the company announced it would no longer buy diamonds outside of its proprietary stones. While this pronouncement was a welcome one, it does not mean that these companies will stop the trade. The only sure way to buy conflict-free diamonds is by buying lab-grown diamonds.  Supporting engineered diamonds help curtail the business of abuse, particularly in developing countries where it has become a booming business. 

Curtails Child Labor

Aside from reducing blood diamonds, supporting the trade of lab-grown jewelry helps put a stop to child labor. In many emerging countries, such as Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), children are forced to work in the mines to look for gold and diamonds since they are small enough to pass through the tunnels. With no other means of surviving, these children have no choice but to accept the task, even with minimal pay. In India, children are also forced to work in cleaning, polishing, and cutting diamond pieces because they are believed to have better eyesight. If your jewelry is lab-grown, you have the assurance that no child suffered in making your engagement ring or your beautiful necklace that matches your wardrobe. 

Stops Unfair Labor Conditions

Miners are grossly underpaid. When you buy a diamond at an exorbitant price, the jewelers justify the price with the idea that their designers and artisans spent countless hours making the piece. However, they will not mention the miners who have to spend six to seven hours in a mining shaft just to get these pieces to their design headquarters. These miners will not see any of the money that you will pay for your diamond. 

Now that you know these advantages, are you ready to buy ethically engineered jewelry? Try it out, and become part of the solution.