According to the television commercials, every kiss begins with “Kay” as in the jeweler–and if a guy really loves you, he’ll go to Jared. Enviro Girl’s husband knows better–he knows his wife was deeply affected by Blood Diamond and gaudy, sparkly jewelry isn’t her taste. If her husband is going to shell out a couple hundred clams on a piece of jewelry, she sure as heck doesn’t want it to be the carbon copy ring/necklace/bracelet thousands of other women got from shopping malls all across America. No, Enviro Girl would want a custom piece, uniquely hers and not something she’d see adorning another woman’s hand/neck/wrist. She’d also want it to be a quality piece of jewelry, one to last a lifetime or longer and she’d want it to be an ethical and environmentally-conscious purchase.
So what’s a lover to do?
Enviro Girl has thought of these options for purchasing ethical and environmentally conscious jewelry:
1. Etsy. Every single time Enviro Girl goes on Etsy she is dazzled by unique pieces–in every imaginable price range, all well made and original designs hand crafted by artists. Etsy would be the first place Enviro Girl would want 
her husband to look. Check out these sterling silver wedding bands–absolutely beautiful! Often Etsy artisans work with recycled materials, too.
2. Antique shops. Check out this gorgeous engagement ring from an antique dealer. Whether you are shopping online or in the store, antique shops sell all nature of gems and jewelry. This is recycling in its purest form–there’s nearly NO chance of finding another person wearing a duplicate piece of antique jewelry, especially since most jewelry made “back in the day” was custom-made and custom designed. The stories behind some pieces might even add to the sentimental value … and the craftsmanship will far surpass the jewelry you’ll find mass-produced for shopping mall jewelers.
3. Custom jeweler. This is actually how Enviro Girl got her wedding ring. Mr. Enviro-Girl bought a loose gemstone and presented it to her in a plain setting. For their wedding, Enviro Girl designed her own ring and the stone was set into that design. No one has a ring like hers and the quality has stood the test of time. The “greenest” way to go about this would be to buy antique gemstones and have them reset into a custom design. The one below is a fine example.
There are ethical and environmentally conscious ways to give and wear jewelry–and all of these ways beautifully adhere to the 3 Rs–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Reader, what have been your experiences with “Green” gems?
** If you’re stunned by any of these pieces, the images are linked to the sites where they may be purchased.
My husband doesn’t buy me jewelry, period, which is just fine with me. I’d much rather that he buy me books, CDs, and plants … all of which he does.
When I do buy jewelry, it’s pretty much all made by artisans.
2 of my favorite pieces are things that belonged to my grandmother.
My Mom inherited my grandfather’s diamond pinky ring and had it reset into a necklace.
I have two tourquoise rings that were made by Navajo craftsmen. I purchased them at Pow-Wows.
3 of my favorite necklaces are made from glass and wooden beads from the craft stores.
I could not agree more!
My wedding ring was my husband’s mom’s (she passed away when he was young). I had always been drawn to unique/non traditional jewelry so I never imagined myself wearing diamonds…but the ring is out of this world beautiful (and different from rings you see today) and totally sentimental.