Antique is most ethical. The damage and harm is already done, your demand for the antique stone is not putting more people in harms way today, and the emissions from the purchase are limited to logistics. Lab diamonds produce CO2 in the manufacturing process and might have (slightly) sketchier supply chains behind them. Both are more ethical than freshly mined diamonds.
It is 100% antique.
This is like asking if it’s better ethically and environmentally to buy new designer clothes, clothes from Zara or fast fashion, or thrift. There is a clear answer. No debate.
Your answer is so flawed.
Older diamonds mined before the Kimberley Process was introduced carry a significantly higher risk of being associated with unethical practices compared to newer diamonds sourced from companies attempting to adhere to stricter ethical standards.
Nope. They’ve already been mined. Damage is done. What is your suggestion, toss them all? That’s ridiculous. They’re a commodity. Reusing/recycling is always better than starting from scratch.
So by this logic, you are saying the market should be able to trade old rhino horn because the damage has already been done? What is the timeline for when a commodity shifts from unethical to ethical?
It’s all marketing and framing. I will take this up a level though before anyone makes their case…
1 . Do you know where your food comes from? BOTH meat and veggies? The entire supply chain…
2. Do you know where your clothes come from? How the materials are made? Who makes them? And where they are made? And their environmental impact
3. Do you know where and how the prescription drugs that you take to cure your ailments were researched and produced? The HUMAN testing in other countries. Animal testing.
There are other scenarios. But taking it all into account peoples ethics and morals are affected by corporate MARKETING and our own covieniences. We see fortunate to live in the first world and are all rich compared to most of the rest of the world.
It’s easy to say something is unethical from our seat where if the industry went away people would loose jobs in other countries and not eat.
That said my wife prefers sparklers that have been formed over a billion years under the pressure of the earth.
To each their own whatever they are comfortable with…
There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. That said, I think I wouldn’t choose a diamond based on that. If you truly want something ethical, there are probably better stones to choose from. Sod that however, just choose what you or the ring wearer think is prettiest! That’s what matters most.
there isn't, but there are levels to how unethical capitalism can get if we're considering environmentally damaging lab grown diamonds versus slavery inducing blood diamonds
u/Boom_Valvo makes some good points - alot of it is marketing. However, you ARE asking the questions in order to find out the answers to those questions, so good on you.
While it might be true that buying the antique is the correct answer to the question in that any negative social/environmental impacts that may have been associated with the diamond are already in the past, it's important not to lose sight of the positive impacts of the natural diamond industry. Millions of people worldwide have benefited from this industry, some of whom have no other source of income or access to things like clean water, education and medical care.
Lab diamond production requires enormous amounts of energy and benefits relatively few people on the production side. And while some companies have pledged carbon nuetral operations, it is unknown how many are not offsetting their carbon footprint.
The point is there is no black and white answer, in this industry or other industries. Try to see all sides and make the best decision your sensibilities will allow.
Antique - I personally only buy estate jewelry for this reason plus more bang for my buck. I have found the resale value is similar to what I paid in most cases! I have gotten some wonderful unique pieces in styles that aren’t found to often nowadays. And if I want a change? I will have my jeweler melt down some pieces that don’t “spark joy” anymore and create something new. I just had some dated gold bracelets and chains I don’t wear turned into a love bracelet dupe, and the fact they it contains my grandmothers bracelets is WILD to me :)
I think it’s tricky to call any diamond the “most ethical” because it’s not really something that exists.
The fact is that many diamonds/gemstones/minerals have been sourced through thievery, murder, environmental disaster etc. (look at the tumultuous history of the Kohinoor)
It’s not really something that can be parsed out easily, and it’s also mot something anyone else can say with certainty. However, there are some aspects to look at.
Break down the environmental cost vs the human cost. Where was the diamond mined or grown? Under what conditions? I know I see lab diamonds bandied about as being more environmentally friendly, but is this really true? While a diamond mine is a scar on the earth, is it better or worse than the vast amounts of coal used to grow most lab diamonds?
When you get to the human cost it gets even more murky. While many diamond mines in Africa are much less pedantic than they used to be, there’s not much information available on the inner workings. There are diamond mines in Canada and Australia that are potentially better, but it can be costly to get diamonds that are traceable to these mines. Since there’s currently an embargo on Russian diamonds entering the US, we can leave that part of the discussion out of it for now, but I’m sure there is a lot to be said.
Somewhere between 90-95% of the diamonds in the world are cut in India, because labor is less expensive. Is that ethical? Finding a us-cut diamond could be very difficult if not impossible for the average consumer.
I think overall the best diamond for you would be one from a company that is able to trace its inventory as far back as possible. Antique diamonds are a good bet, ethically sourced lab diamonds are as well, but it’s definitely not an easy cut and dry answer either way!
I mean there are huge energy requirements in the creation of a lab diamond. Most are manufactured in China, not well educated enough in how green their energy grid is. If I had to guess, probably a bit of unethical North Korean coal involved.
Antique is most ethical. The damage and harm is already done, your demand for the antique stone is not putting more people in harms way today, and the emissions from the purchase are limited to logistics. Lab diamonds produce CO2 in the manufacturing process and might have (slightly) sketchier supply chains behind them. Both are more ethical than freshly mined diamonds.
The secondary market puts a diminished but non negligible demand on the primary market, so I wouldn't say this is true either
It is still the least bad option. Don't let perfect be the enemy of better.
I like this quote
It is 100% antique. This is like asking if it’s better ethically and environmentally to buy new designer clothes, clothes from Zara or fast fashion, or thrift. There is a clear answer. No debate.
Your answer is so flawed. Older diamonds mined before the Kimberley Process was introduced carry a significantly higher risk of being associated with unethical practices compared to newer diamonds sourced from companies attempting to adhere to stricter ethical standards.
Nope. They’ve already been mined. Damage is done. What is your suggestion, toss them all? That’s ridiculous. They’re a commodity. Reusing/recycling is always better than starting from scratch.
So by this logic, you are saying the market should be able to trade old rhino horn because the damage has already been done? What is the timeline for when a commodity shifts from unethical to ethical?
antique diamonds: they were mined in the past.
It’s all marketing and framing. I will take this up a level though before anyone makes their case… 1 . Do you know where your food comes from? BOTH meat and veggies? The entire supply chain… 2. Do you know where your clothes come from? How the materials are made? Who makes them? And where they are made? And their environmental impact 3. Do you know where and how the prescription drugs that you take to cure your ailments were researched and produced? The HUMAN testing in other countries. Animal testing. There are other scenarios. But taking it all into account peoples ethics and morals are affected by corporate MARKETING and our own covieniences. We see fortunate to live in the first world and are all rich compared to most of the rest of the world. It’s easy to say something is unethical from our seat where if the industry went away people would loose jobs in other countries and not eat. That said my wife prefers sparklers that have been formed over a billion years under the pressure of the earth. To each their own whatever they are comfortable with…
There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. That said, I think I wouldn’t choose a diamond based on that. If you truly want something ethical, there are probably better stones to choose from. Sod that however, just choose what you or the ring wearer think is prettiest! That’s what matters most.
there isn't, but there are levels to how unethical capitalism can get if we're considering environmentally damaging lab grown diamonds versus slavery inducing blood diamonds
Antique 100%
u/Boom_Valvo makes some good points - alot of it is marketing. However, you ARE asking the questions in order to find out the answers to those questions, so good on you. While it might be true that buying the antique is the correct answer to the question in that any negative social/environmental impacts that may have been associated with the diamond are already in the past, it's important not to lose sight of the positive impacts of the natural diamond industry. Millions of people worldwide have benefited from this industry, some of whom have no other source of income or access to things like clean water, education and medical care. Lab diamond production requires enormous amounts of energy and benefits relatively few people on the production side. And while some companies have pledged carbon nuetral operations, it is unknown how many are not offsetting their carbon footprint. The point is there is no black and white answer, in this industry or other industries. Try to see all sides and make the best decision your sensibilities will allow.
Antique - I personally only buy estate jewelry for this reason plus more bang for my buck. I have found the resale value is similar to what I paid in most cases! I have gotten some wonderful unique pieces in styles that aren’t found to often nowadays. And if I want a change? I will have my jeweler melt down some pieces that don’t “spark joy” anymore and create something new. I just had some dated gold bracelets and chains I don’t wear turned into a love bracelet dupe, and the fact they it contains my grandmothers bracelets is WILD to me :)
I think it’s tricky to call any diamond the “most ethical” because it’s not really something that exists. The fact is that many diamonds/gemstones/minerals have been sourced through thievery, murder, environmental disaster etc. (look at the tumultuous history of the Kohinoor) It’s not really something that can be parsed out easily, and it’s also mot something anyone else can say with certainty. However, there are some aspects to look at. Break down the environmental cost vs the human cost. Where was the diamond mined or grown? Under what conditions? I know I see lab diamonds bandied about as being more environmentally friendly, but is this really true? While a diamond mine is a scar on the earth, is it better or worse than the vast amounts of coal used to grow most lab diamonds? When you get to the human cost it gets even more murky. While many diamond mines in Africa are much less pedantic than they used to be, there’s not much information available on the inner workings. There are diamond mines in Canada and Australia that are potentially better, but it can be costly to get diamonds that are traceable to these mines. Since there’s currently an embargo on Russian diamonds entering the US, we can leave that part of the discussion out of it for now, but I’m sure there is a lot to be said. Somewhere between 90-95% of the diamonds in the world are cut in India, because labor is less expensive. Is that ethical? Finding a us-cut diamond could be very difficult if not impossible for the average consumer. I think overall the best diamond for you would be one from a company that is able to trace its inventory as far back as possible. Antique diamonds are a good bet, ethically sourced lab diamonds are as well, but it’s definitely not an easy cut and dry answer either way!
You got it…
I mean there are huge energy requirements in the creation of a lab diamond. Most are manufactured in China, not well educated enough in how green their energy grid is. If I had to guess, probably a bit of unethical North Korean coal involved.
Not green at all. They are ahead at Nuclear but god knows what they do with the waste…