The materials that go into making a fine engagement or wedding ring almost invariably come from the earth and require serious mining efforts to extract them, diamonds and other gemstones, the metals for the rings and settings including gold, platinum, silver and palladium.
Mining is a seriously invasive process which not only can irretrievably damage the immediate environment rendering the land unfit for humans and animals to live on or nearby, but the byproducts of mining and refining can be extremely toxic and persistent. Acids and highly corrosive agents are used to separate out the precious metals from the rest of the excavated materials.
Now without putting anyone off the idea of buying a wedding or engagement ring, or any form of jewelry for that matter, now is the time to consider what you can in fact do to reduce the environmental impact in the planet.
The maxim used by environmentalists is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
You can now buy an engagement or wedding ring which has been made from reclaimed materials; old jewelry is constantly being sold and traded (just take a look at some of the TV commercials asking if you want to sell your owl unwanted jewelry) and consider what is happening with all that metal!
Old gold items are melted down and refined to produce new gold of a desired purity and ready for working into new jewelry pieces.
The impact on the environment of these refining operations is minuscule in comparison to the effort required from a full scale mining operation to get the metal extracted from the tons of earth and ore within which it naturally occurs.
Another increasing popular method is to use old heirlooms having special significance to be melted down and used as the raw material for a new set of rings for the happy couple. Indeed, some couples actually stick with the heirloom intact but this does not convey the fresh start which an engagement and marriage demonstrate and in fact are.
The quality of the materials used in these reclamations is extremely high, and given the reduced costs compared to extracting new materials there are cost savings involved which are passed on to the consumer. In effect, you can have a purer quality metal band and setting together with a better used diamond indistinguishable from a brand new cut and polished on for less money.
With green issues becoming more important as the realization sets in that we have a planet with finite resources and more people are adopting ecologically sound practices in their lives, it makes a great deal of sense to ensure you can not only demonstrate the provenance of your diamond with a grading certificate, but also the environmental credentials.
Ensure you are able to obtain certification as to the materials used in the manufacture of your rings which along with a diamond certificate will show you really care about the environment and the people who live in the places where diamonds, gold and other materials are produced.
By Lawrence Reaves - This article is provided by DanforthDiamond.com your online store source for wedding bands, diamond engagement rings and other fine diamond jewelry. Danforth Diamond gives honest advice to help you select the right engagement ring at the best price. Visit DanforthDiamond.com or call 877.404.RING
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Reaves
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2396671
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق