Fitness / December 20, 2023

Ethical Engagement Rings: Best Conflict-Free & Lab-Grown Diamonds

Picking out an engagement ring is the first step in a life-changing process. No pressure, right? While there’s a certain gravitas to finding a ring fit for your future partner, if you’re armed with the right information, it’s possible to find something that suits your budget and your partner’s style that doesn’t fall into the trappings of the diamond industry’s dark side. That means shopping for ethical engagement rings that are conflict-free.

Historically, mined diamonds were the popular (and only) option when choosing a stone, but the diamond trade’s long history involved many atrocities. You’re probably familiar with the term blood diamonds. These are stones mined in war zones controlled by forces in conflict with the government and sold to finance war efforts, terrorism, insurgencies, or a warlord’s activity, per the United Nations.

Today, there are ways to ensure the jeweler you choose has ethical origins and you’re buying conflict-free diamonds. There’s also the advent of lab-grown diamonds, a much newer option, but one that’s grown in popularity because of its lower price point.

Over the last few years, consumers have shifted their focus to more heavily weigh the environmental and social impacts of their purchases. With an engagement ring being among the more expensive ones you’ll make, it’s important to be informed.

Ahead, we’re diving into the two main categories of ethical engagement rings: lab-grown diamond engagement rings and conflict-free mined diamond rings to help you settle on the right one for you and your partner.

The best overall lab diamond engagement ring goes to Vrai Five-Stone Heirloom Round Brilliant Engagement Ring. The company’s lab-grown diamonds are created in a zero-emission foundry with the added bonus of cutting out middlemen from its supply chain to keep prices more affordable. And our favorite ethical mined diamond engagement ring is the Aaryah 1.01ct. Nebula Ring, which comprises an oval diamond that adheres to the Kimberley Process and an upcycled, conflict-free platinum or 18K yellow gold band. It’s ethical and sustainable while offering a silhouette that stands out from the rest.

Why You Should Trust Us

I’m a writer, editor, and brand consultant with over a decade of experience working in the fashion industry. I have a B.A. in political economics and was most recently the senior fashion editor at The Zoe Report; my work has been featured in The Cut, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and more. In this article, I interviewed The Clear Cut founder Olivia Landau, a diamond expert, GIA graduate gemologist, and fourth-generation jeweler with experience at Tiffany & Co., plus the diamond wholesale industry; Antoine Borde, the CEO of Lightbox, an online retailer of lab-grown jewelry and loose diamonds; and Akshie Jhaveri, founder and creative director of Grown Brilliance, which specializes in lab-grown jewelry and engagement rings

Below, shop our favorite ethically sourced mined diamond and lab-grown diamond engagement rings. If you’re just beginning to research, scroll down to review what’s unique to each of these offerings.

Best Overall Lab Diamond Engagement Ring: Vrai Five-Stone Heirloom Engagement Ring Five-Stone Heirloom Emerald Engagement Ring

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To make its engagement rings, Vrai converts greenhouse gasses into lab-grown diamonds in a zero-carbon-emissions foundry powered by the renewable energy of the Columbia River in Oregon. For a show-stopping number, go for the brand’s Five-Stone Heirloom Engagement Ring. You can select the metal (platinum, 18K yellow gold, 18K white gold, and 14K rose gold) as well as the center stone’s size (1, 1.5, and 2 carats) and shape (round brilliant, oval, emerald, radiant, cushion, marquise, asscher, and princess). Four baguette-shaped side stones frame the center diamond.

Best Lab Diamond Engagement Ring Under $500: Ritani Modern 6-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring Ritani Modern 6-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring

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Classic styling doesn’t have to break the bank. Ritani’s 6-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring boasts a round stone of your choosing (mined or lab-grown) secured with six prongs for security as much as style. Opt among 18K yellow gold, 14K white gold, 18K white gold, 18K rose gold, and platinum. To keep it under $500, spring for a .43-carat round lab diamond set in 14K white gold. Since its founding in 1999, Ritani has upheld the Kimberley Process and its strict ethical diamond sourcing standards. In 2012, Ritani partnered with Julius Klein Group (JKG), an American diamond manufacturing powerhouse, to sell its conflict-free diamonds online as part of its e-commerce platform. JKG has made substantial efforts to improve the diamond industry throughout Africa. In 2008, it invested $5 million to build a factory in Nambia’s capital city of Windhoek to sort and cut rough diamonds to provide stable, well-paying jobs for locals and foster a more holistic economy.

Best Brilliant Earth Engagement Ring: Lissome Ring Brilliant Earth Lissome Ring

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Aside from offering lab-grown diamonds, Brilliant Earth provides buyers with what it calls “beyond conflict-free” natural diamonds. These stones uphold mining practices and standards that protect against human rights abuses, minimize environmental degradation, maintain safe labor practices, support community development, and don’t finance rebel movements. Should you be in the market for a lab-grown diamond engagement ring, we love the Lissome Diamond Engagement Ring. Choose the setting first, then select lab-grown diamonds of different sizes and shapes, including round, oval, cushion, princess, emerald, asscher, and radiant.

More Lab Diamond Engagement Rings We Love

Best Engagement Ring With a Warranty: Peace Jewelers Solitaire Diamond Ring

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Peace Jewelers offers a 10-year warranty on its rings, so you can always change your mind (hopefully just on the ring). The brand uses cultivated diamonds for its Solitaire Diamond Ring. Choose between a 1- or 2-carat stone and 14K yellow or white gold.

Best 2-Carat Diamond Ring: Grown Brilliance 2.25ct. Three-Stone Engagement Ring

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Grown Brilliance 2.25ct. Three-Stone Engagement Ring features a center stone of your choosing bookended by tapered baguette-shaped lab-grown diamonds. Like other engagement rings on this list, you have the choice of 14K white gold, 14K yellow gold, 14K rose gold, and platinum. The center lab-grown diamond can be round, oval, cushion, pear, emerald, radiant, princess, marquise, asscher, and even heart-shaped in carat total weights from .8 to 2.3 carats. Grown Brilliance’s lab-grown diamond supply chain is carbon-neutral, thanks to offsets purchased from the United Nations carbon offset platform.

Best 3-Carat Diamond Ring: Jean Dousset Elle Antique Cushion Solitaire Lab Diamond Engagement Ring

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If you’re looking to splurge on a big rock without dropping tens of thousands of dollars, head to Jean Dousset. The brand’s Elle Antique Cushion Solitaire Lab Diamond Engagement Ring is a whopping 3.57 carats set in 18K yellow gold. If her style is minimal but you want a ring that makes a statement, this is the one. Bonus: The ring is designed by the great-great-grandson of Louis Cartier (yes, of that Cartier).

Best Overall Ethical Engagement Ring: Aaryah 1.01ct. Nebula Ring Aaryah 1.01ct. Nebula Ring

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Aaryah offers artful designs for those who think outside the box. The brand has an in-house diamond wholesale team with the ability to source rare, exceptionally cut diamonds that aren’t widely available on the market. Those diamonds also happen to be ethically sourced, embracing the United Nation’s Kimberley Process to prevent conflict diamonds. When possible, the team uses recycled and certified fine metals to create pieces that are consciously made and intentionally designed. If you want antique diamonds, unconventional stone shapes, and distinctive bands and settings, shop Aaryah online or visit the flagship store in NYC’s diamond district. Our top pick is the Aaryah Nebula Ring. An oblong oval diamond is set in an upcycled, conflict-free platinum or 18K yellow gold band meant to mimic the amorphous shape of a nebula.

Best Catbird Jewelry Engagement Ring: Catbird Violette The Swan Ring Catbird Violette The Swan Ring

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All of Catbird’s diamonds adhere to the Kimberley Process, but the brand also uses recycled brilliant cut diamonds in some of its pieces that are reclaimed from vintage and deadstock jewelry. This keeps Catbird from having to utilize newly mined diamonds. In the case of Violette The Swan Ring, all three stones are recycled diamonds: There’s a .70-carat brilliant cut recycled white diamond and two .14-carat brilliant cut pear recycled white diamonds set in recycled 14K gold.