13 Ethical Engagement Rings For A More Sustainable ‘Yes’
There’s a lot that goes into the decision-making process behind an ethical engagement ring—never mind the anxiety of popping the question (and the answer to that question!).
But environmental and societal considerations are often overshadowed by the 4Cs.
Due to the less-than-shiny ethics behind mining diamonds and precious metals, most mainstream jewelry brands are indirectly supporting child labor and environmental degradation.
Fortunately, there are plenty of companies selling ethical engagement rings a cut and several carats above the rest.
We’d say “yes” to any of the one-of-a-kind vintage sustainable engagement rings from Taylor & Hart.
To avoid mining altogether, Clean Origin makes only lab grown sustainable engagement rings.
And let’s not forget the metal, because Catbird sure doesn’t with the ethically sourced gold in their swoon-worthy fair trade engagement rings.
To learn how we polished this list of where to buy ethical engagement rings, head to the end of the article.
*This post contains affiliate links
QUICK LINKS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENGAGEMENT RINGS
1. BRILLIANT EARTH
About Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth calls their diamonds Beyond Conflict FreeTM owing to their stringent sourcing policies and innovative origin-tracing Blockchain technology.
They offer a variety of gemstone or ethical diamond engagement rings.
Shop one of their premade studded bands, halos, and more, or build your own by choosing a setting and stone.
Providing unmatched transparency while shopping for ethical engagement rings online, you can filter diamonds by country or origin and read the full diamond supply chain report before you commit to making the big decision.
Brilliant Earth’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Certified by the world’s finest diamond grading laboratories, lab grown or recycled diamonds combined with settings of 93% recycled gold, 99.8% recycling silver, or recycled platinum (when available).
That little percent of non-recycled gold is Fairmined certified.
Some of their alternative ethical engagement rings feature unique rare metals, including meteorite, tantalum, and RMI-certified and conflict free tungsten.
Supply chain & labor practices:
For this certified member of the Responsible Jewelry Council, Beyond Conflict FreeTM means more than not financing rebel movements.
It also extends to sourcing policies that minimize environmental impact, creating safe workspaces, and supporting community development.
Customers can track some of their diamonds to origin using Blockchain technology through a partnership with Everledger. You can filter for these while perusing their site.
And you can see exactly which countries supply their diamonds and gemstones on their sourcing map.
Many partners, like their sapphire supplier in Sri Lanka, operate in small, cost-sharing cooperatives and employ impact management strategies.
Green business practices:
Not only are Brilliant Earth’s rings covered by a lifetime warranty, but they package them in wood sustainable engagement ring boxes certified by the FSC.
Brilliant Earth is certified Carbonfree® through Carbonfund.org’s Tropical Rainforest Conservation project in Brazil.
Find all that and more in their sustainability report.
Community & charitable giving:
They donate to organizations like Pure Earth, Feeding America, Rainforest Alliance, the Brilliant Mobile School, NAACP and ACLU.
Available: Brilliant Earth
2. CLEAN ORIGIN
About Clean Origin
Have you thought about using science to put your love to the test?
If so, a lab grown ethical engagement ring from Clean Origin might be the ring for you.
No, it’s not something out of a science fiction novel you give to your AI girlfriend. Lab grown diamonds are just as real as the “real” thing, but much better, sustainably speaking.
Because lab grown diamonds are 20-30% cheaper than mined diamonds, they’re also more affordable ethical engagement rings than your average unearthed counterpart.
Clean Origin’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Clean Origin designs custom ethical engagement rings in rose gold, yellow gold, white gold, or platinum—all fully recycled and topped with a lab-grown diamond.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Because Clean Origin uses exclusively lab grown diamonds and recycled metals and gold certified by The Responsible Jewellery Council, they aren’t supporting any further unethical mining practices.
Green business practices:
Many of Clean Origin’s diamond labs use carbon offset programs and they use recycled paper to ship online ethical engagement ring orders.
Available: Clean Origin
3. TAYLOR & HART
About Taylor & Hart
If your true love’s heart is set on a mined diamond, Taylor & Hart makes some of the best ethical engagement rings in that category.
Having grown up in South Africa, the founders have an intimate knowledge of the blood diamond industry in neighboring Zimbabwe.
Taylor & Hart offers everything from vintage to completely custom ethical engagement rings.
Taylor & Hart’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
For the metals, T&H uses either recycled or fair trade non-recycled platinum and gold.
Gemstone choices include hand-selected and conflict-free diamonds (GIA-graded for top-tier quality), rubies, emeralds, tourmalines, or sapphires, for those looking for ethical sapphire engagement rings.
They now also offer synthetic sustainable engagement rings featuring diamonds grown in a lab using either high pressure and high temperature or Chemical Vapor Deposition methods.
Supply chain & labor practices:
“Unethical sourcing is the biggest flaw a diamond can have”.
Their diamond suppliers in Botswana, Russia, and Australia thus go above and beyond Kimberley Process requirements.
Taylor & Hart has also implemented Blockchain technology to ensure the ethical sourcing of diamonds is as tamper proof as possible.
This Diamond Time Lapse provides a detailed report on the entire diamond journey, including who planned, cut, and polished it.
They also offer CanadaMark diamonds which are fully traceable to Canada and the certification ensures responsible mining, for both the environment and people involved.
Green business practices:
All eco friendly engagement rings come with a lifetime warranty, complimentary annual aftercare, resizing, and a 90-day return policy.
Available: Taylor & Hart
4. CATBIRD
About Catbird
Bespoke brand Catbird started in a “cheap, busted storefront” that mostly sold clothes, elbow patches, and pretty ribbons.
Strange beginnings aside, their champagne diamonds in unique and complex settings will certainly make an impression (regardless of their answer!).
This woman-owned business offers unique sustainable engagement rings from other designers and Catbird.
You’ll find unusual offerings like ethical gray diamond engagement rings, too.
Catbird’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Catbird’s materials consist of recycled or Fair Trade gold and conflict free stones.
Their diamonds (in white, black, gray, or champagne colors) do better than the Kimberley Process and are either guaranteed conflict-free, lab-grown, or recycled.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Joining other fair trade artisan jewelry brands, Catbird is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and No Dirty Gold.
Full traceability of their materials is of the utmost importance, which is why they only carry a small selection of gems.
Their ethical pearl engagement rings feature pearls from a third-generation clean-water practice farm in Hubei Province in China.
All studio workers benefit from safe and comfortable working conditions, generous employee benefits, professional development opportunities, fair pay, and team lunch every day.
Community & charitable giving:
Catbird has contributed over $1 million to their Catbird Giving Fund which supports organizations like Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood, and the ACLU.
Available: Catbird
5. RING BEAR
About Ring Bear
Whether you’re a man wanting to propose to the gentleman-love of your life or a lady who’s opted to shake off traditional gender roles by popping the question first, Ring Bear’s inclusivity stands apart.
They make some of the best ethical engagement rings “For Him, For the Planet & Forever.”
Their selection of male ethical engagement rings and wedding bands are available in various widths, accents, finishes, metals, and karats depending on durability needs.
If you’re looking for ethical engagement rings under $500, you’ll love Ring Bear’s affordable pricing.
Ring Bear’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Choose tungsten, recycled platinum, or 10k, 14k, and 18k recycled gold for these non diamond sustainable engagement rings.
The tungsten isn’t recycled but it does provide superior durability for guys who are rough on their hands.
Being nickel-free, all rings are hypoallergenic and feature Superior Comfort Fit™ crafting.
Supply chain & labor practices:
We’ll be reaching out to inquire where this small family-owned business crafts their male ethical engagement rings.
Green business practices:
Ring Bear is a certified Carbonfree® partner.
Aside from offering the “first carbon neutral assortment of men’s wedding bands”, each one comes in an FSC-certified wooden box and recyclable outer packaging.
By using recycled metals, their production requires only 3% of the energy and 1% of the water traditionally mined gold does—along with emitting only 1% of the CO2.
Community & charitable giving:
Ring Bear plants a tree with each purchase of an eco friendly engagement ring.
Available: Ring Bear
6. ELLA STEIN
About Ella Stein
“Real. Raw. Radiant”.
Sounds expensive, but fear not, Ella Stein won’t burn a Diamond-sized hole in your pocket.
Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings make up their collection of demi-fine jewelry, “a new concept that bridges the gap between fine jewelry and modern jewelry”.
With most prices pitched under $100, these affordable ethical engagement rings are designed to be inclusive, steering away from the expectation that you spend several pay cheques on a ring.
From delicate, diamond-studded bands to clustered settings, these simple ethical engagement rings represent the beauty of mindful mining and waste-reducing cuts.
Ella Stein’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Each affordable sustainable engagement ring features a band and setting made of 100% recycled sterling silver, which can either be kept in sterling silver or plated with 14k gold.
Small though they may be, their VS1 colorless diamonds are real, conflict-free, Kimberley Process compliant, and Responsible Jewelry Council Certified.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All jewelry is ethically handcrafted by a team of mostly women in Mumbai, India.
Green business practices:
Wondering why Ella Stein’s alternative ethical engagement rings feature diamond studs over large stones?
It’s because, when rough diamonds are cut for rings, up to 60% may be trimmed and thrown away. Ella Stein takes these scraps and turns them into petite bling.
Products are packed and shipped in reusable, recycled materials.
Available: Ella Stein
7. VRAI
About VRAI
VRAI means truth in French, as reflected in the brand’s commitment to transparency and use of Certified Carbon Neutral diamonds.
Their simple ethical engagement ring collection combines distinct styles and elegant settings.
From classic white diamonds to ethical black diamond engagement rings, VRAI is proposal-worthy to say the least.
VRAI’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
They offer both white and black lab grown diamonds in various stone sizes and cuts.
For setting, they use recycled white, yellow, and pink gold, as well as platinum.
Supply chain & labor practices:
VRAI’s diamonds are grown in America via their partnership with Diamond Foundry—the lab grown diamond startup backed by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Green business practices:
VRAI has a zero carbon footprint because their synthetic sustainable engagement ring diamonds are produced using the zero-emission hydropower of the Columbia River in America’s beautiful Pacific West.
That means they save 250 tons of earth, 120 gallons of water, and 143 pounds of carbon dioxide.
They send their ethical engagement rings in recyclable and compostable packaging and their diamonds are backed by a lifetime warranty.
Community & charitable giving:
VRAI has donated to multiple give-back partners over the years, including No Kid Hungry, Equality Now, and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Available: VRAI
8. SHOP CLEMENTINE
About Shop Clementine
Shop Clementine is as sweet as the fruit in the name.
Have a look at their simple ethical engagement rings for men and women—alongside earrings, necklaces, and bracelets—and tell us you don’t agree!
Owner and maker Cassie spent her childhood collecting rocks, a love she eventually turned into professional metalwork and jewelry making.
Her bespoke, nature-inspired designs carry the spirit of this whimsical childhood hobby.
While some styles are more pricey, you’ll still find ethical engagement rings under $500.
Shop Clementine’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Recycled silver, reclaimed 14k gold (in yellow, rose, and palladium white colors), conflict-free diamonds and gemstones make up the conflict free engagement rings.
Specifically, the diamonds are CanadaMark diamonds complete with GIA grading certification.
All products, including the palladium white gold, are nickel free.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All recycled metal is sourced and refined from an environmental-award-winning plant in the US and Cassie makes all rings in her Massachusetts studio.
Green business practices:
Despite each style being made to order, Cassie has an astoundingly fast 2-3 week processing time for most designs.
She also uses eco friendly studio practices, tools, and packaging, on top of Etsy’s carbon neutral shipping.
Available: Etsy
9. AURATE
About Aurate
Let’s take a journey back to high school chemistry… remember AU?
It’s the chemical symbol for gold, which, for Aurate, is what their conscious jewelry is all about.
Aurate offers a range of rings, from conflict free diamond studs to novel eye-catching designs.
For those seeking ethical non diamond engagement rings, they offer 14K solid gold bands in beautiful designs.
Aurate’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their minimalist ethical engagement rings only use 100% recycled gold.
They track every single diamond and gemstone to ensure mining strictly adheres to the Kimberley Process.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Saying “yes” to both recycled engagement rings and an ethical supply chain, Aurate only works with mines that ensure safe working conditions, fair pay, and respect for local and indigenous communities.
Green business practices:
Aurate keeps non-mining operations local by manufacturing in NYC and recycles any excess materials.
They also design their jewelry with longevity in mind—that ring can be used to pop the same question for generations.
Community & charitable giving:
They regularly contribute to a local organization that supports literacy and for every purchase, Aurate donates a book.
Recently, they contributed 20% of monthly sales to Black Lives Matter.
Available: Aurate
10. VALLEY ROSE STUDIO
About Valley Rose Studio
Valley Rose Studio takes inspiration from nature and the cosmos in their craft.
Traditional techniques like lost wax casting with cast-in-place gemstones reveal an earthy, organic sheen.
Shop their nature-inspired range of stackable rings, constellation rings, wedding bands, diamond rings, sapphire rings, and ethical opal engagement rings in timeless silhouettes, or opt for something custom.
Valley Rose Studio’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Gemstones include lab-grown, certified recycled, and artisanally mined diamonds, ethically sourced Montana sapphires, rubies, and opals.
Their lab made sustainable engagement rings are made possible through WD Diamonds, the first sustainably-rated and carbon neutral diamond lab. SCS Global Service audits them for ethical and sustainable practices.
The CVD creation process also yields diamonds that mimic the rarest and most expensive natural engagement ring diamonds.
Settings for these fair trade engagement rings consist of 14k rose or yellow gold, which is 100% Fairmined from artisanal mines.
Supply chain & labor practices:
VRS prefers to support small-scale mining operations that utilize primitive mining equipment, rather than relying on the large-scale operations under the Kimberly Process.
Any new natural diamonds come from Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners, who receive additional funds for community and lifestyle betterment.
Source Certain International spectrometry technology ensures each diamond is traceable to its source.
These ethical engagement rings are then made in California.
Green business practices:
Each of their ethical gemstone engagement rings or diamond rings are backed by a lifetime warranty.
Shipping packaging consists of compostable, post-consumer materials. The ring boxes feature a polyester suede lining but are designed to be reused for storage.
Community & charitable giving:
At least 1% of profits go toward planting trees in North America through One Tree Planted.
Another 1% is donated to Gem Legacy who support vulnerable global gemstone mining communities.
Other organizations they support on a rotating basis involve BIPOC rights, women’s rights, animal rights, and environmental protection.
Available: Valley Rose Studio
11. GARDENS OF THE SUN
About Gardens of the Sun
Gardens of the Sun grows conflict free eco friendly engagement rings, wedding rings, and all other kinds of jewelry.
Feeling burnt out from studying tropical forestry in Borneo, founder Meri Geraldine started this brand to be a “vehicle to help indigenous people feel a part of the global economy.”
Custom-made options are their specialty but if you can’t wait to propose, you can shop their ready-to-ship collection instead.
Gardens of the Sun’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their sustainable engagement rings contain only ethically sourced 18k gold, recycled silver, and conflict free diamonds.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Having full traceability to the country of origin—either Canada, Australia, or Indonesia—means their diamonds don’t fund war economies, child/forced labor, or other “shady kerfuffle”.
The recycled silver comes from an RMI-certified Conflict Free Smelter that’s also ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, and Chain-of-Custody certified.
Rather than source Fairmined certified gold, Gardens of the Sun prefers a holistic approach to the corrupt mining industry in Indonesia by partnering exclusively with artisanal, small-scale indigenous women miners (all of whom they know personally).
They pay a 20% premium to ensure cyanide and mercury-free mining practices are maintained.
Across the supply chain, they prioritize healthy working conditions.
Workers receive fair pay, maternity/paternity leave, health insurance, flexible hours, veggie office lunches, weekly yoga classes, volunteer days, and sick leave.
Green business practices:
Certified Carbon Neutral, this ethical engagement ring brand publishes all past years of impact reports.
Their mercury-free mining practices have prevented 44kg of mercury pollution.
All jewelry is shipped in Banana Paper Bandung’s recycled, hand-crafted paper made from banana stems.
Community & charitable giving:
Gardens of the Sun promotes a garden by planting at least five trees per purchase on Biak Island through the Eden Reforestation Project.
They also create biannual collections from which 100% of proceeds go to a certain charity and otherwise donate when they “feel called upon”.
Available: Gardens of the Sun
12. OMNEQUE
About Omnēque
Omnēque is a female-founded luxury online marketplace for pre-loved rings, pendants, earrings, and bracelets.
Their selection is carefully curated and professionally authenticated.
Each product includes all details about materials and features, including stone cut, size, condition, period, and country of origin.
Alternatively, if you have a setting but are simply seeking the perfect stone, peer into the Stone Vault.
In addition to selling antique and vintage sustainable engagement rings, they offer services like jewelry remodeling, bespoke commissions, gem buying, and personal shopping.
Omnēque’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Since these are all vintage sustainable engagement rings, the materials vary across many types of precious metals, diamonds, and other gemstones.
Supply chain & labor practices:
While most jewelry is antique and pre-loved they also encourage their suppliers to buy from conflict-free areas when necessary and adhere to ethical Codes of Practice.
In support of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Omnēque does not sell items with ivory, tortoiseshell, or non-antique coral.
Green business practices:
They currently use recyclable packaging materials but are considering reusable options, too, in addition to reducing the energy used in vetting and transportation of the preloved pieces.
Available: Omnēque
13. MIADONNA
About MiaDonna
MiaDonna is a social enterprise and to be blunt, their responsible ethical engagement rings are stunning (inside and out).
Take your time to appreciate their stackable, vintage & antique, solitaire, modern, halo, two-toned, diamond accent, celebrity-inspired, and three stone ethical engagement ring styles.
Each ring comes with a Diamond Hybrid® Authentication card from the Global Gemological Lab so you can prove its authenticity.
If you already have a diamond or stone with sentimental value, they’ll add it into one of their settings for a nominal fee.
MiaDonna’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
MiaDonna only offers 100% conflict-free diamonds and gemstones (either recycled or lab-grown) combined with recycled materials like solid 14k or 18k gold (white, rose, or yellow), pure platinum, or pure palladium.
Supply chain & labor practices:
This Certified B Corp manufactures their NYC and guarantees your unique sustainable engagement ring to be conflict-free.
They write, “In order to ensure the highest level of quality and integrity, we will never go overseas to craft our jewelry.”
Green business practices:
MiaDonna has also been awarded the Green America Seal of Approval for its high environmental and social justice standards.
They partner with One Tree Planted to help offset the carbon emissions of shipping and recycle all water used in production.
Community & charitable giving:
Through The Greener Diamond Foundation, 10% of MiaDonna’s profits fund agricultural, mentorship, educational, and relief programs in communities impacted by diamond mining.
Available: MiaDonna
WHY PROPOSE WITH A SUSTAINABLE ENGAGEMENT RING?
Diamonds may sparkle like the sun, but the process of extracting them deserves to be buried underground… forever.
The planet sure won’t be happy with your proposal if those 2 carats required the displacement of 250 tons of earth to mine per carat of diamond.
Add in the air pollution, water contamination, greenhouse gases, biodiversity loss, and just plain waste associated with moving earth for gemstones and precious metals… suddenly that ring is no bling.
Large mines not only destroy the environment around mining communities but often displace them entirely.
Mines are also (unsurprisingly) dangerous places to work, shown by the 20% increase in mortality rate among South African diamond miners. Some of whom are part of the 1 million children estimated to work in mining operations.
That only accounts for on-site deaths, not later ones caused by daily exposure to toxic chemicals like cyanide and mercury.
Diamond and precious metal industries are also heavily linked to violent conflict and sexual violence in many countries. Within the decade, Angola’s government exterminated civilians lives for control of their diamond mines.
That’s why it’s also critical to seek conflict free eco friendly engagement rings.
One major difficulty in crafting responsible ethical engagement rings is the near impossibility of gaining full traceability over long supply chains that span multiple steps: exploration, mining, sorting, cutting, polishing, crafting, inspecting, and selling.
Even the most well-intentioned brands might miss something, but as these companies selling ethical engagement rings show, (full) traceability is not a completely lofty goal.
HOW WE FOUND THE MOST ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT RINGS
But, what are ethical engagement rings you ask?
The considerations that go into sustainable and ethical jewelry are extra tricky because of the lack of traceability that plagues the mineral mining industry.
To find companies selling ethical engagement rings, we look at the following:
Materials:
You can’t judge a ring by its sparkle, but you can judge it by looking past that bling.
We say “yes” to recycled or fair trade metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) along with vintage, recycled, repurposed, lab-grown diamond, or conflict free ethical gemstone engagement rings.
While we didn’t leave out brands offering natural ethical engagement rings using mined diamonds (despite Blood Diamond‘s impact), we did treat these with extra scrutiny in terms of sourcing of mining practices.
Supply chain and labor practices:
It’s important to have a supply chain with just as much clarity as the rock in that ethical diamond engagement ring.
This means safe and comfortable working conditions, employee benefits, fair pay, and opportunities for professional development.
You might be excited to show off your new fair trade engagement ring—and we’re excited to see brands show off the certifications that back up their supply chain transparency and conflict free sourcing.
The Kimberley Process serves as a good baseline for fair trade ethical engagement rings, but it’s not a one-ring-size-fits-all answer. The Kimberly process excludes smaller, artisanal mines that utilize sustainable practices but can’t afford the certification.
- Certifications: Kimberley Process, No Dirty Gold, International Gemological Institute (IGI), Gem Certification and Assurance Lab, American Gem Trade Association, Council of Fashion Designers for America (CFDA), Source Certain International (SCI), Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), Certified B Corporation, and Fair Trade
Green business practices:
Our eyes light up when we know that a ring has been produced with practices that use renewable energy (like hydropower), repurpose/recycle resources, rely on primitive mining equipment, and avoid chemical mining processes.
Since diamonds are forever, we love lifetime warranties ensuring they truly will be.
Community & charitable giving:
There’s obviously a spirit of giving that comes with ethical engagement rings.
Even more so when that ring comes from a brand that supports their local/global community with initiatives like tree planting or donating to negatively impacted mining communities, charities, and other social/environmental justice organizations.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ETHICAL & ECO FRIENDLY ENGAGEMENT RINGS
Choosing a ring should be like choosing someone with whom we want to spend the rest of our life: not a decision taken lightly.
Sustainable engagement rings are an expression of love for our special someone, the people who made it, and the planet.
May we all say “yes” to increasing awareness around environmental and ethical concerns in the jewelry industry.
For the best ethical engagement rings, consider supporting one of these sustainable jewelry brands to ensure your love (and our planet) isn’t tainted.
