Alternative or Ethical Diamond Wedding Rings

Even though the technological development never stands still, some people aspire for ethical options rather than modern ones. Not only super up-to-date devices are meant, but it also concerns engagement and wedding rings.

Diamond mining is one of the most devastating procedure that has a global influence. No matter what most of the miners say, the destructive results of diamond extraction are evident. With that people are prone to steady traditions and it seems there is nothing to break one when a man has to propose with a diamond ring. No one can say where it came from but surely no one is going to put an end to it. Even more, with time it became cluttered with myths and legends about a meaning of a diamond in a ring. So to find the balance between these two ideas there are 3 alternative ethical diamond rings options for environmentally conscious people:

Green Wedding Jewelry Options

Once you browse through the bride's guide to green wedding (needless to explain what it is) you will definitely spot such points as attire, makeup, flowers to name the few. Yet this is jewelry that crows the whole list. And when it concerns eco-friendly wedding there should be the eco-friendly gems instead of those that should be mined in a very harmful way. Undoubtedly, you should turn your look towards man made diamonds if you are on the path of having a green wedding.

It's wrong to think that non-natural diamonds are simply cubic zirconia that can't stand the test of time as well as durability and luster. In no way! There are man made, synthetic or better say laboratory grown diamonds we are talking about. They will help you obtain the look of a traditional bride with a diamond ring on her finger yet to make no harm to nature. Man made diamonds are created by men following strict demands and requirement by accurately imitating the condition natural diamonds can't be formed without. This allows to get absolutely identically diamonds most people are used to. What is more, similar to natural diamonds man made gems can be grown of different colors: red, pink, blue, green, canary and their shades. For instance, lab diamond wedding ring of green color can be a nice sign of your devotion to each other as well as to the nature – a good color choice for the green wedding. Or you can consider the option of Heart in Diamond which help you keep a part the person you love close to you. If that helps you to miss him or her less, you can see the information about such jewelry here.

Upon the whole, man made diamonds are gradually flooding the market and getting more popular due to customer's deep concern about the nature to help to avoid irreversible harmful processes. That said, green wedding is not simply the union of two loving people but also their contribution to the Earth's health.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are Officially Engaged!

There is a stir in show business sphere with headlines screaming about Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's marriage. Though a couple claimed that an act of marriage is just a formality for them with nothing that can change their lives and relationships but still people all around still were anticipating that moment when they announce the date of a solemn day. Frankly speaking, the date is still unknown but there is already a diamond engagement ring sparkling on Jolie's finger. This is exactly an item we are going to focus on.

While the majority of celebrities are boasting their extremely expensive diamond rings, whose is the best and priciest, Angelina turns her head to conflict-free man made diamonds. Her affection for the latter was noticed about 10 years ago when she came to the decision to wear non-natural diamonds. In 2010 she started to work with Robert Procop, a skillful jeweler creating one-of-a-kind jewels for each customer individually. They then designed a line of fine jewelry to raise funds for Jolie's charity fund, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict. Each one of jewels were privately sold amid Procop's clients the majority of whom are honorable personalities. So when it came to the engagement ring there were no doubts Brad Pitt will order it from Procop. It took a whole year to create and design the ring in a way to fit Angelina's ring finger the best way possible. The final product is an elongated tablet-shaped diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds which looks amazing on fiancee's hand.

It is often claimed that man made diamonds are usually a nice option for average budget-minded customers and Angelina Jolie was surely out of the list. But now she became a vivid example of an eco-minded customer who is looking for high-quality alternative to conflict diamonds. And she found one. And you?

Is This A Start For A New Tradition?

There is already a tradition to present a diamond engagement ring to a fiancé. The tradition that was started by royalty and was spread over the common people, now there are celebrities who dictate new trends in fashion as well as in jewelry.

Nick Lachey, a television personality, has recently fell off the list of most eligible bachelors by having married Vanessa Minnillo, a model, actress and television personality too. Both coupled together to become a family and the confirmation is seen on Lachey's and Minnillo's ring fingers. Traditionally, there is an engagement ring with a diamond inside seen on Vanessa finger, with her this is a square-cut diamond on a platinum band ring. But later Nick Lachey asked David Bader, a celebrity jeweler, to assist him in creating one more ring for his loved one. After a little bit of debates about the ring design (Vanessa is in favour of traditional styles but Nick insisted on the ring to match her engagement ring) a couple stopped on a band of 24 asscher-cut diamonds.

Actually, Vanessa and Nick are not the first couple to have two rings (engagement and wedding) but this is definitely becomes a solid tradition with celebrities to present two rings, actually two diamonds ring. For common people it still remains a very expensive whim, but who knows maybe it will turn to be a norm in the near future, not too cost-effective one frankly speaking.

Think About Your Wedding in Advance

Do you know what is the favorite place for wedding destinations? It appears to be Las Vegas, where there are about 100,000 weddings hold every year.

Actually, this is not the only amusing fact about wedding. With thoughts about marriages I came across some wedding statistics. Not to confuse you with a lot of number, I tried to focus on most practical aspects connected with wedding expenses, the problem which bothers each person who is going to marry. Off we go! Do you know that:

- newly married couple has an average household income of $60,000 per year
- nearly 75% of first-time brides and 67% of repeated brides receive a diamond engagement ring
- an average American traditional wedding costs around $22,000
- men usually spend from 2 to 3 months worth of their annual salary for diamond engagement ring
- there are about 175 guests on an average American wedding party
- 99% of newly married couples have a honeymoon, and 55% of couples choose to spend it abroad
- an average engagement ring will cost you about $4,500
- 77% of all weddings are paid by bride and groom

Add to these the fact, that the majority of couples opt to have a wedding rehearsal dinner that leads to additional outlays, which, even though you don't want to, still create an adverse impression of the wedding. With all that gay, gorgeous look of a fiancée, pleasant bustle and guests, there are some 'backstage' moments that may spoil the atmosphere of insouciance of the event. One of them is the bill for all wedding expenses you will have to pay afterwards. There are some pieces of advance to help you reduce your costs in order to enjoy your wedding completely:

1. Invite only your close friends and relatives – apart from friendly, close atmosphere it will also cost you less to have a smaller wedding party;
2. Wedding rehearsal is not obligatory to have – minus about $2000;
3. Do not hire a wedding consultant – it will save you about 15% of your wedding costs;
4. Spring for man made diamond engagement ring – it usually costs minimum 30% less than mined one;
5. Choose wedding destination wisely – Las Vegas is great, but is too expensive.

Let nothing spoil your wedding and the atmosphere of happiness!

Little Thing That Can Turn a Nightmare Into the Happiest Event of Your Life

How many girls and brides know the price of their wedding rings? If asked not many of them know how much it costs while an engagement ring can seem to be a real nightmare for fiance because of its sky-high price.

There is a tradition to present diamond engagement ring but no other ring substituents for wedding event and most of the girls are not going to change this old custom. In this case men have every reason to fear wedding with all its fuss and expenses. Still there is something that can turn wedding fear to wedding fun and this is a created diamond wedding ring – a little thing that makes great changes.

What is it?
Created diamond wedding ring is the ring with a man made diamond inside instead of mined diamond. Created diamond is a real diamond which is grown in the laboratory by competent specialists. It takes several days to cultivate such a diamond as compared to naturally occurring diamonds which take thousands of years to be formed deep inside the Earth mantle. Despite the fact that the process of growing diamonds is rather complicated it still takes less resources comparatively to mining process, thus lab grown diamonds are less expensive than mined diamonds – up to 15% cheaper per carat. This gives an opportunity to save on diamond engagement ring and to have some money left for romantic honeymoon trip – a Huge plus in favor of man made diamonds.

What are the wearing qualities of man made diamonds?
The known phrase “diamonds are forever” refers to mined diamonds as well as to created diamonds. Man made diamonds possess absolutely the same physical properties of natural diamonds because of their identical-to-mined-diamonds chemical composition. Lab grown gems are ideal for everyday wear as they are wearproof, solid, tough and scratchless. In addition such diamonds are fadeless what makes them best choice for hands down gifts.

Nowadays created diamond rings are available in a wide range. There is a possibility to choose any shape, color and size of the ring as well as to make special order to your taste. Let man made diamond engagement ring turn your wedding into happy and most pleasant event.

Be Eco-stylish With 'Green' Wedding Rings

First, it seemed to be an oddity, then a strange but acceptable event, now it is a kind of tendency. We are speaking about green wedding. And what a wedding is without a wedding ring?!

Though being rather small a ring is a very important part of the whole wedding event as the party ends, the guests leave but a ring remains for the whole life. Moreover, it serves as a symbol of endless love - with no beginning and no ending on the band.

When exchanging the rings the couple affirm their marital union by vow and promise to love each other unconditionally, to support in all goals, to honor and respect and to cherish each other for as long as they both will live. What if amplify this vow to "help to change this world and make it better"? Small wedding rings can do a great thing to alter the world for better. Think about the material they are made of. If it does not imply human rights abuse or bringing harm to environment this is the very ring that makes you and the planet feel happy. Here is a list of most common engagement rings used for green wedding:

1. Hammered silver rings. They are made of recycled sterling silver. These rings are perfect choice for eco-conscious couples which help to make no harm to nature and to save money at the same time. They are usually handmade and can be of various designs, weight and width.

2. Wooden rings. Can you imagine such a ring? First of all, it is absolutely unusual and unique. Be sure your ring-finger will be paid attention to. Moreover, it is very comfortable to wear and is said to be rather practical. In addition, it is very beautiful. A wooden ring is just a perfect alternative to precious gems and metals.

3. Created diamond wedding rings. Those who believe that engagement ring should be only diamond and do not want to experiment with other gems have a great chance to try a wedding ring with created (man made) diamond. It is a known fact that diamond mining has devastating impact on flora and fauna and the Earth's climate upon the whole. Man made diamonds in turn are created to avoid this harmful impact on the ecosystem. With created diamond you will get everything you expect from naturally-occurring diamond: durability, longevity, wearproofness and of course incredible shine and luster. Unlike mined diamonds, man made diamonds can boast affordable price.

So, let nothing darken your wedding and prevent you from making better changes for this world.

Will you marry me?

Have you ever thought where the traditions come from? People are used to follow various traditions like celebrating St. Valentine's Day with giving heart-shaped presents, or put a candle inside a hollow pumpkin on Hallowing, or keep family most favourite recipes in a Recipe Box. The list of traditions is endless, though today let's cover only one of them: what are the roots of giving diamond wedding ring tradition?

After some investigations three basic reasons can be distinguished:

1. Diamond is considered to be the most solid stone in the world, so it serves a kind of symbol of everlasting, solid relationships of the couple, where a bridegroom gave a diamond wedding ring to his beloved fiancé.
2. It is dated 1477, when Archduke of Austria (later King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor) Maximilian I gave his fiancé Mary of Burgundy a wedding ring, which was diamond. Since that time it became a kind of tradition for giving diamond rings.
3. Economic marketing ploy made by De Beers, the largest world Company specialized in diamond mining, trading and manufacturing. During the 30s, when a whole world was in depression, De Beers managed to organize a huge advertisement campaign and create a real diamond boom, which has not ended yet.
Well, to follow the tradition whatever its roots are, a bridegroom has to pay a real fortune (about 3 month's salaries) to buy a tiny sparkle ring. Does not it sound awkward? Moreover, if a ring could tell a story how it was mined, and how much rock had been destroyed to find a gem, how hard people worked to find it, how it was transported (hope not smuggled), then grind - wow, a long story it could be, sometimes "bloody". Do you think a bride would like to get such a ring for the happiest moment of her life? If you really want to make your sweetheart happy without bringing any sacrifice, either financial or ecological, you may choose a ring with created diamond, which is of the same solidity, beauty, shimmer and longevity as natural one. But the main advantage of created diamonds is that they are grown in a laboratory and considered to be eco green diamonds, which are cheaper and conflict free. Let nothing darken your wedding!