#MarriedMaitlands: My Ring

Christopher did a fabulous job picking out the perfect ring for me.  I absolutely love it!  When we began talking about rings and what I might like last year, I told him I had no clue since I've never really worn jewelry on my hands/wrists.  He suggested I start looking around so that he would be able to get me something that I would prefer when the time was right.  I took him up on that suggestion and visited a jewelry store in Albany with my friend, Shannon.  She was about two months away from her wedding so she had recently been through the ring shopping drill and was the perfect companion.  After that visit, I was certain I wanted a three stone ring with a trellis setting and a white gold band.  I have small hands and the solitaire diamonds just seemed to look strange on my hand.  I took that info back to Chris, and we even visited the same store on our way to Shannon and Mark's wedding a couple of months later so that I could show him the style I preferred.  After that, we didn't talk too much more about details.  I was never quite sure when or if he had purchased the ring, but he later informed me that he did a lot of research and comparisons of various companies before making the purchase in early December.

You can see the trellis setting really well in this photo.

The company he ultimately decided was the one is Brilliant Earth based out of San Francisco.  The diamonds in my ring were mined, cut, and polished in Botswana, Africa.  They are fair-mined and fair-traded, and the company gives back 5% of their profits to communities harmed by jewelry trade, too.  Chris was very happy to find a company that fosters change and promotes growth in the realm of the diamond business. 

According to their website, Brilliant Earth believes that high quality, fine jewelry need not come at a great human or environmental cost.  Their goal is to make jewelry as beautiful as it can be. They are passionate about cultivating a more ethical, transparent, and sustainable jewelry industry. The following excerpt was particularly interesting:

We hold true to our values of awareness and transparency by carefully tracking the origin of our diamonds.  We go beyond the usual "conflict free" standard, which narrowly defines conflict diamonds as diamonds that fiance rebel movements against recognized governments.

Our beyond conflict free diamonds are sourced from mines that are free from violence, child labor, environmental devastation, and other abuses present in diamond mining.  These mines operate in accordance with fair trade principles, improving livlihoods by providing local jobs with fair wages, skilled training, and progressive working conditions.  Our diamonds are mined under strict international environmental standards to protect local ecosystems.

It is wonderful to know that not only is the ring I wear beautiful, but it was also made and carefully and thoughtfully picked out with these great principles in mind.

Do you know if your ring is fair-mined or fair-traded?

Andrea :)