Bridal Style: Ingle & Rhode – The rise of bespoke and ethical wedding jewellery

I think it’s fair to say that pretty much every female likes shiny things, especially jewellery. Our fixation with the shiny things start at the engagement ring and work their way into the wedding ring and wedding jewellery, but have you ever thought about where the shiny things come from? This afternoon I wanted to cover a topic I haven’t discussed on the blog before; Ethical wedding jewellery. I have invited along my good friends at Ingle & Rhode to explain a bit more about it.

‘At Ingle and Rhode we are proud to have been pioneers of ethical engagement rings. We use only ethical diamonds, ethical gemstones, fair-trade gold and ethical platinum in our
engagement rings, and our ethical policies mean that all of our jewellery is conflict-free and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. 
Not only that but it is beautiful and bespoke. In addition to Fair-trade & Fair-mined Ecological gold and platinum, we also offer the option of having our jewellery made using 100% recycled gold and platinum.’

‘At Ingle & Rhode, we are delighted to be amongst the first jewellers in the world licensed to offer jewellery made with certified Fair-trade & Fair-mined gold and platinum.’

The perfect engagement or wedding ring is totally subjective and depends entirely on a bride-to-be’s taste and preferences. Some people will know exactly what they want and others will feel overwhelmed at all the choice. But even if you have a rough design in mind, there are many other things to also consider before making a final purchase.

When you talk to a jeweller about engagement rings, they will tell you about the 4 cs, but apart from all those decisions you have to make about the cut, clarity, colour and carat weight, there is one more ‘c’ to consider: is the diamond or other gemstone conflict-free?
Although this subject is a hot topic at the moment, it has been an issue for years and will be for some time to come. If you and your partner consider this issue important, it is essential to find a diamond or other gemstone that can be guaranteed to be conflict-free. But what is meant by conflict-free? If the issue is an important one for you, you need to source stones that were never originally mined in conflict or war zones, and which are often then sold to finance an army’s war efforts. Easier said than done. Not only that, but you will need to consider that many diamonds, even those that are considered conflict-free, are then cut and polished in sweatshop conditions, often by children, for very low wages before they enter the market. Nobody wants a blood diamond, but the only way to make sure you don’t get one is to trace where the stone has come from. If you want to be sure, make sure your jeweller can tell you where the diamond is from. Most diamonds cannot be traced back to source. At the moment Canada is the only country in the world to operate a system to monitor and track diamonds from the mine. In addition, some Australian and a few Namibian diamonds can also be traced back to source.
Larger Canadian diamonds (above about 0.25ct) will often have a unique serial number laser inscribed on them which is invisible to the naked eye but can be viewed under a jeweller’s loupe. But it’s not all about diamonds: other gemstones such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds are becoming very popular in engagement and wedding rings. If you want to be really thorough about things, make sure your gold or platinum is also as ethical as possible.
When it comes to gold, consumers can now buy fair-trade and fair-mined gold as well as recycled gold. Remember, if your jeweller doesn’t know its exact origin, it is unlikely to have been ethically produced. Finally, when it comes to the design, there are so many options, but if you want something unique, go for a bespoke design. That way you can personalise the ring and get exactly what you want. Ingle & Rhode is passionate about creating beautiful bespoke jewellery. They are also committed to the highest ethical standards and use Canadian conflict-free diamonds and certified fairtrade fairmined gold from Bolivia and Peru.

Luxury, bespoke and ethically sound. For engagement, wedding and eternity rings, Ingle & Rhode is the only jeweller you will ever need.

For more information,
visit www.ingleandrhode.com
call 02034112591

The Evening Standard said “Now diamonds can be a girl’s best friend without it tainting your conscience”

Vogue said: “Combining unlimited bespoke possibilities with all the right ethical motivations, Ingle & Rhode is one of London’s number one jewellery destinations.”