Eco Friendly Wedding Rings

Eco friendly wedding rings have been increasing in demand in recent years as consumers are becoming more aware of how metal mining and extractions impact the environment.

Below you will find facts, tips, and resources that will help you to find beautiful, quality and environmentally friendly wedding and engagement rings.

As any type of mining will have some kind of impact on the environment, the number one way to go green with your wedding rings is to purchase used wedding rings.

These rings can come from estate sales, antique dealers, personal sales, and even thrift shops. The selection and styles of these rings are endless, and with a little research and time you can be sure to find the perfect rings for you and your partner.

Always protect yourself when you buy a used wedding ring; make sure a return policy is available and have the rings independently appraised.(check antique wedding rings for more information on antique rings).

# 2 Eco Friendly Rings

If you would like eco friendly wedding rings created just for you and your partner, recycled metals is the way to go. Some couples like to use jewelry they already own and have the jewelry melted down then crafted into rings; however, only specialized jewelers have the ability to do this, so it might take some searching around to find a local jeweler near you which can accomplish this task.

Another choice is to purchase wedding rings from a store which craft the rings out of recycled metals, used gemstones, and fair trade gemstones.

Look for companies which use fair trade labor practices in addition to mining methods which do not produce as much waste as traditional mines. Keep in mind though that any new ring using recently mined metals is going to have some cost to the environment.

Wedding Ring Metals and Environmental Impacts:

• By far, the metals which have the highest environmental cost are gold, palladium, and platinum. One ounce of mined gold can produce over 20 tons of waste; palladium and platinum mines produce extremely large amounts of waste as well. Around the world every country is dealing with hazardous wastes left over from these mines, including the United States. If you want an eco friendly gold, platinum, or palladium ring, purchase used wedding rings or recycled wedding rings.
• Tungsten and titanium mining methods also have an impact on the environment, but how much of an impact depends on the mining practices and extraction methods that are used. As a rule, tungsten and titanium metals that are mined in developed countries have a lower environmental impact due to enforced regulation standards and laws. If you are interested in tungsten or titanium rings, ask about the origin of the metals used to create the rings.
• Like tungsten and titanium, there is an environmental cost to silver mining, but how much depends on the practices of the mine. Fortunately, there are tons of sterling silver on the market today, and rings crafted out of recycled sterling silver are a cinch to find.
• The lowest impact wedding rings materials are stainless steel, copper, nickel, and wood. Pure wooden wedding rings are by far the most environmentally friendly, but they do not last as long as metal rings and they require specific care.
• For more information about wedding ring materials, check out wedding ring metals to learn more about the physical properties of these materials and what you can expect from them.

Resources for Eco Friendly Wedding Rings:

For more information on eco friendly wedding rings, check out the www.fairjewelry.org website, a popular blog about ethical jewelry practices and resources.

For handcrafted rings using recycled metals, click on the following links:

http://www.turtleloveco.com
www.artisanweddingrings.com
www.greenweddingrings.com
www.greenkarat.com
Kerstin Laibch Ethical Jewellery

Or for designer ethical wedding and engagement rings produced from recycled metals and ethically mined gemstones check out:

Brilliant Earth and
CRED The Fair Trade Jeweller

For eco-friendly diamond simulant rings made with eco-friendly metal bands check out Diamond Nexus Labs

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