Guide to Ethical Wedding Bands

What Are Ethical Wedding Bands? 

To make it short and sweet, ethical wedding bands are essentially wedding bands that promise little to no environmental or social harm throughout the process of being made and distributed. Due to the industry's infamous history of environmental damage and forced labor, it’s no wonder people are making the push for change. Responsible sourcing ensures not only less environmental damage by following strict guidelines, but also safety, proper treatment, and fair wages for gem cutters and miners. Despite terms like “eco-friendly” and “ethical” being tossed around willy nilly nowadays, it’s now more important than ever for you, as a conscious consumer, to know for yourself what a true ethically sourced wedding band consists of. And that, my friend, starts with Fairmined gold. 

Ethical Metal 

While recycled gold may be a great alternative, the most impactful and ethical wedding bands are made from Fairmined gold. Unlike traditionally sourced gold, Fairmined gold assures that both mines and miners meet a variety of strict guidelines to ensure fair treatment and responsibility on both humanitarian and environmental levels. Unlike traditional mines that contaminate local water with mercury and push for low wages (along with child labor), fair mined mines are responsible for protecting their local drinking water supply and pay their miners 100% market value (despite the industry standard being only 30%). In addition to this, fairmined mines promise a progressive work environment free of child labor and offer opportunities to women within the workforce as well. 

Recycled gold has been popular throughout the years due to reputation for doing little harm to the environment, and while it is true that recycled gold doesn’t directly hurt the environment, it doesn’t exactly do anything to help it either. Fairmined gold is the hands-on approach to stopping social and environmental corruption within the mining industry and should always be considered the more efficient option. 

Ethical Diamonds 

The sad truth is this: most diamonds simply cannot be traced. Though it sucks to admit, it is often hard to keep a keen eye on the production process of diamonds. Between the large and widely spread out supply chain, the average diamond has most likely traveled to a multitude of countries and continents before even making it to a jeweler. For this reason, you should opt for rustic diamonds,  recycled/vintage diamonds, or lab-grown diamonds. 

 

Style options for wedding bands 

Plain Wedding Bands 

A plain or classic wedding band is typically a simple gold band with little to no embellishment in terms of decor. Plain wedding bands tend to be great options when paired with extravagant or distinct rings. This is also a popular option amongst those of us who live active or busy lifestyles, as a diamond encrusted wedding band can frequently be more of a worry. 

Halo Wedding Band

A halo wedding band typically offers an assortment of round pavé or micro-pavé diamonds. Aside from creating a dazzling finish, these diamonds work to draw attention to the engagement ring and in most cases visually enhance the size of the engagement ring as well. For this reason, a halo setting is ideal for diamonds under a carat.

Chevron/Arc Wedding Bands

Chevron/Arc wedding bands, also known as wishbone bands, are typically encrusted with diamonds and, as you might’ve guessed, depict a wishbone-like design. While chevron rings may vary in style, their distinguished v-shape is a given. This shape is popular and practical. due to its ability to highlight the engagement ring's beauty without fear of friction damage.