Your Guide to Affordable, Sustainable, and Ethical Engagement Rings

By Holly Shaftel, contributing writer

I Said Yes — to Love and the Planet

My partner of 10 years recently popped the question, and of course I said “Hell yeah!”

Because I care a lot about the environment, he knew I’d want engagement and wedding bands that were made in a way that’s kind to people and the planet. So, he chose rings made with recycled gold and lab-grown jewels — and saved a lot of money too!

Are lab-made and recycled metals the only way to go? Let’s first look at the dark side of traditionally mined jewelry, and then we’ll check out some eco-friendly choices.

💎 What’s Wrong with Traditionally Mined Jewelry?

A lot, actually! Mining for gold (which is particularly bad) and gemstones often leads to dangerous working conditions, harms communities, and causes serious environmental damage — especially when it’s done without strong rules and protections. Let’s talk about the environmental stuff:

🌱 Land Destruction and Biodiversity Loss

People clear forests and other habitats to make room for mines. When that happens, animals lose their homes and have a harder time surviving.

Also, when trees and other plants are gone, there’s nothing left to hold the ground in place. Rain and wind can wash away the soil and rocks, sending them into streams, rivers, and lakes. This is called erosion, and these pieces of earth can clog riverbeds or mess up local ecosystems in other ways.

💧 Water and Soil Pollution

Gold mining alone uses as many as three dozen toxic chemicals, including cyanide and mercury, according to Earthworks. Mining companies dump 180 million tonnes of this waste into rivers, lakes, streams and oceans annually. These chemicals also seep into soil, groundwater, and drinking water. When these companies aren’t dumping, mining waste stored in dams can collapse, further contaminating the environment.

Mining activities can also pollute through acid mine drainage (AMD). This happens when water mixes with rocks dug up during mining that have sulfur (the stuff that gives rotten eggs their smell). This creates sulfuric acid, which then leaks into nearby streams and rivers.

The acid can dissolve toxic metals such as arsenic and lead, polluting the water and harming fish, plants, and people. The worst part? This kind of pollution can continue long after a mine is shut down.

🌍 Resource Depletion and Waste

Gold, silver, and gemstones are non-renewable, which means once we take them from the Earth, they’re gone for good.

Mining these materials also wastes a lot of water — for digging, washing rocks, keeping dust down, and moving materials through pipelines. Econology.info reports that it can take up to 1,500 liters of water to make just 3 grams of gold (less than a teaspoon). In dry areas, this can lead to water shortages for people, plants, and animals nearby.

Miners also have to pump out underground water to keep the area dry while they work. That’s even more water taken away from the environment.

On top of that, mining creates tons of waste rock. The rocks that contain gold or gems (called ore) usually have only a tiny bit of valuable material. For example, the global average amount of gold in ore was only 0.000131% in 2023. The rest becomes tailings, which are huge piles of leftover crushed rock.

It can take 20 tons of tailings to produce a single gold ring. It can also take 99 tons of waste for every ton of copper. The resulting waste piles can be enormous, sometimes covering thousands of acres and standing hundreds of feet tall.

Lastly, mining uses a lot of energy. For example, gold mining in an area about twice the size of Paris, France, can emit as much carbon as nearly 250,000 cars in a year. The World Gold Council estimates that gold’s annual emissions equal around 126 million tonnes of CO2e*.

Even Canada’s Ekati diamond mine, known for being better than most, creates 143 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per carat**, according to 2010 estimates. That’s still 5.5 times the emissions of making a synthetic diamond!

So, can you still enjoy these treasures without adding to their environmental troubles? Let’s look at some solutions.

💍 Eco-Friendly and Ethical Jewelry Options

Here are some ways you can still look good and save money while still being nature’s friend.

Jewelry Type	What It Is	Key Benefits	Things to Watch Out For
Lab-grown gemstones	Gems made in a lab that look and feel just like mined ones.	Lower environmental impact if made with renewable energy.	Make sure they’re made using clean energy, not fossil fuels. Also make sure the company is clear about how it sources its gems.
Recycled metals	Metals reused from old jewelry, electronics, industrial scrap, etc.	Cuts down on mining and saves resources.	Not all recycled claims are true — look for brands that show proof.
Vintage/secondhand	Pre-owned pieces from antique shops, online, or thrift stores.	No new materials needed; gives old pieces new life; often unique.	Watch out for fake or low-quality items, especially online.
Ethically sourced gems	Gems that are mined with care for people and the planet.	Helps support fair treatment and better mining practices.	These can be hard to trust — look for real, reliable certifications.

💍 Sustainable Jewelry Brands

Ready to find that guilt-free engagement ring? Look for companies that either have official (“third-party”) certifications or are open about their sustainable practices.

Here are some to consider:

Company	Official Certifications	Notes on Transparency & Sustainability
Aether	✅ B Corporation, Vegan Action, Fairmined Gold, Natural Capital Partners	Makes diamonds from carbon in the air — super cool and eco-friendly!
MiaDonna	✅ B Corporation	Uses recycled metals, shares detailed sourcing info, and helps plant trees
Kimai	✅ B Corporation	Uses recycled gold and lab-grown diamonds; open about supply chain
Fenton	✅ B Corporation	Recycled materials and ethical labor; clear about sourcing
VRAI	✅ CarbonNeutral®, Natural Capital Partners	Diamonds grown with renewable energy; shares detailed emissions and energy data
Brilliant Earth	✅ Responsible Jewellery Council, Fairmined Gold, SCS Global Services, Carbonfree® Partner	Offers both mined and lab-grown options; publishes sustainability info and reports

✅ Some Certifications to Look For

These show a company is trying to be more responsible:

• Fairmined / Fairtrade Gold
• Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)
• SCS Global Services
• CarbonNeutral® Stamp
• B Corporation
• Natural Capital Partners
• Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) Global Services
• Carbonfree® Partner
• Vegan Action
• SCS-007 Jewelry Sustainability Standard

🚫 What to Avoid

• Uncertified jewelry, especially gold
• Conflict or blood diamonds (diamonds that fund wars and other crises)
• Anything certified only by the Kimberley Process, as it has loopholes and doesn’t guarantee ethical sourcing
• Gemstones of unknown origins
• Fast-fashion jewelry (cheap metals and toxic finishes)
• Pearls from industrial farms
• Jewelry from the illegal wildlife trade

Conclusion

In a world where sparkle shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense, it’s clear that traditionally mined jewelry carries a heavy environmental and ethical price. From deforestation and toxic waste to water scarcity and human rights abuses, those glittering pieces often hide a troubling backstory.

But the good news? Beautiful, meaningful jewelry doesn’t have to cost the Earth. By choosing recycled metals, lab-grown or traceable stones, and brands with third-party certifications, we can celebrate love, milestones, and style — without sacrificing our values. The future of jewelry is bright — and sustainable.

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* Carbon dioxide equivalent, or how much heat a greenhouse gas can trap compared to carbon dioxide

• Example: Over 100 years, 1 pound of methane traps as much heat as 21 pounds of carbon dioxide. So, we say 1 pound of methane = 21 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents, or CO₂e. (EPA)

** a way to measure how much a gemstone weighs

• 1 carat = 200 milligrams (about the same as a small paperclip)

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Main image: Photo of an emerald ring. Image by thefss from Pixabay