Alternative Wedding Ring ideas… HELP!!?
Okay, so I'm kind of weird. I'll just put that out there, lol. 
I'm most likely going to get engaged soon, but here's the thing... I don't like precious stones. I especially hate diamonds, because of the whole "blood diamond" thing, and because diamond miners typically get paid sub-poverty wages. I don't want to contribute to that industry. I don't even know if I want something that LOOKS like a diamond.
Some people have suggested using other gemstones (rubies, sapphires, etc) for my engagement ring, but the problem is, many other stones are mined in similarly awful conditions, and I don't really want a wedding ring with a colored stone anyway.
Does anyone know of a pretty ides for an engagement ring/wedding band combo... that DOESN'T feature precious stones in the design?? I don't want a totally plain band... maybe something Celtic?
ugh, I don't know... help!!
US $9.99
There are socially responsible diamonds out there. Ones that are mined in a way that conforms to fair trade standards and are certified to not be “blood diamonds”
You could also get a synthetic precious stone.
Here’s an example of a synthetic diamond ring:
http://shopping.carat.cc/cgi-bin/carat/01101.html
it’s beautiful and socially responsible and affordable!
ive been looking at rings recently to…ive really liked the ones on these cites.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.celticmerchant.com/images/largeitems/tr114g.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.celticmerchant.com/celtic-knot-ring-with-gem.html&usg=__SYssKhK6bPDF-qmRC-v2COfEI7U=&h=366&w=329&sz=18&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=Oo51RsrDw8RHzM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dceltic%2Bknot%2Brings%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.silverringsandbands.com/images/CK08-Purple.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.silverringsandbands.com/&usg=__FzsikgLrq04C3KGZ44Tv6A47z7g=&h=844&w=643&sz=39&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=kL9a_1SJa9H0GM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmens%2Bengagement%2Brings%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
the second site has AMAZING designs!!!!
Good Luck
Wood rings are becoming popular! They sound kinda weird, but they really don’t look that awful! Take a look,,,
http://www.simplywoodrings.com/
a Claddagh ring is a Celtic Wedding Ring. I love mine i wear it everyday. its very simple and has no stones.
the hands stand for friendship
the heart stands for love
and the crown stands for loyalty
i highly suggest it, and it comes in all different styles, from being on a simple band, to being on with celtic knotting (mine has the knotting)
picture and more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claddagh_ring
I know it doesnt sound very good but maybe you shouldnt do a ring with a stone. find something that you and your boyfriend/girlfriend have in common that would look great on metal band! Or if he or she said something to you or you to them that totally stands out (in a good way) get that engraved on the ring!
I don’t know a lot about engagement and weddings, but my friend has a ring like this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/2200329016_3e83177b93.jpg?v=0
and if you turn it one way it means that you’re single, and if you turn it another way, you are taken. I think it has more meanings too. It would make a neat wedding ring, and I’m sure you could find a band that goes with it too.
I hope that was somewhat helpful.
go to a jewellers that designs engagement rings specifically for that person. go there and they will have professional people there that will help you along in designing your own ring [and it will also be completely unique!]
hope this helps xx (:
the machindes at the grocery store is alwya good
wow there chill girl are you seriously that crazy? are you against silver, gold, or platinum? try cubic zirconium or how about a family heirloom like your or his great grandmother’s? so it was in the past something borrowed, something new, something blue? and its not an whatever issue you have! just shut up and be happy that you are getting married
If you don’t want any gemstones that are mined, what about man made or lab made stones? Cubic Zircona isn’t mined as well as many “genuine” stones. So there are really many choices out there.
The Celtic ring or others with a heart design used to be ‘promise’ rings or pre-engagement rings.
I know you said that you don’t want precious stones, but what about a 100% simulated, lab-created stone? And not like the cheap ones you sometimes see on HSN and at Claire’s and other places like that.
Something I’ve been looking into are Life Gems. They can create a stone using the carbon from a loved one’s ashes (a little creepy) or a lock of hair, pretty much anything that contains carbon, which means they can make a stone out of anything living really.
You can get the stones loose or set in a simple band, so if you really want you could just get a little gem and set it into your own band, if that is very important to you. And it’s nice to know that your ring is more than just a dumb old rock that someone dug out of the ground.
There is a state park somewhere where you can dig up your own diamonds (I saw it on that show with the 18 kids on TLC). You just pay to get in and then dig away. That way it could be something speical that you do together and way cheaper than buying from a store.
Something Celtic would be a nice choice, I also really like when you blend yellow and white gold, you can make some beautiful rings that way.
Another choice might be for your engagement ring, to have a band but with some word/s engraved or cut out in it (ever see The Lord of the Rings? the ring they show at the beginning? like that)
Hope you find something you really like
My engagement ring is thick banded, non-ornate London blue topaz in white gold. My matching band and my husband are both filagree and scroll work. You can also look at some tri-gold (pink, green, yellow gold) leaf work with tiny emeralds. Go here…
http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/r1114.html
their stuff is quality. I’ve had my rings for 8 years and they are still in really good shape and I’m tough on jewelry that’s why I ordered thick banded rings cuz little petite stuff always gets bent. A friend of mine recently married and ordered for them some Irish Celtic Cross bands, which I thought were cool but then I’m half Irish. So…congratulations on your upcoming engagement. Think of the money you will save on not buying a diamond. I don’t care for them either…I do love blue and green colored stones and rainbow colored gemstones…God bless. ~J~
As some others have suggested, you should definitely consider going with a synthetic gemstone, like Cubic Zirconia (CZ). It will also give you a great opportunity to explain more to people who are unaware of the ethical issues involved in the mining of precious gemstones. You can find beautiful rings with CZ at very affordable prices (for example, http://www.my-wedding-space.com ), which is yet another good reason to consider an alternative to diamonds.
Good luck and congratulations – I hope you get engaged soon!