Ethical Rings or Blood Diamonds

The jewellery industry is one of the world's most unethical productions. From blood diamonds to dirty gold to sweatshops and child labour, it can be incredibly difficult to know where a piece of jewellery comes from. Times have changed - we can no longer find gold or diamonds at the bottom of riverbeds - and miners need to dig deeper. To do so, many large-scale mining firms use a huge amount of harmful chemicals to mine gold, for instance, without regard for the environment or their workers’ health.

As consumers become more and more conscious of what they buy and how products are produced, there is a rising demand for ethical and climate-friendly jewellery. Today’s guest offers exactly that.

In this episode of Sustainability Matters Today, I speak with David Rhode, CEO and Co-Founder of Ingle & Rhode, and Champion of Ethical Jewellery. His story began in 2006, when David was looking for an engagement ring but couldn’t find a jeweller who could tell him where their diamonds had come from or the conditions under which their jewellery was produced.

Ingle & Rhode take extra care in finding out where their products are sourced so they can be confident that suitable working conditions are in place and the environmental impact of mining is taken into account. As a result, they have a unique offering of ethical and environmentally-friendly jewellery: recycled gold and platinum, gold from Fairtrade mines in South America, diamonds from sustainable companies in Canada, and even lab-grown “cultured diamonds”.

To find out more about the history of precious metals, from gold and platinum to rubies, sapphires, diamonds and emeralds, and how Ingle and Rhode produce their ethical engagement and wedding rings, check out the episode!

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Ingle & Rhode Resources:

• Website: https://www.ingleandrhode.co.uk
• Guide to Ethical Rings: https://www.ingleandrhode.co.uk/ethical-sourcing/your-ethical-ring/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ingleandrhode
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingleandrhode/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingleandrhode
• Fairtrade Gold: https://www.fairtrade.net/product/gold