Most shoppers have grown used to checking where their food comes from and how their clothes are made before anything goes into their shopping cart. And over time, those same habits have followed them into beauty products and even care purchases, according to a Blue Yonder survey of more than 5,000 consumers across six countries.
Jewelry, however, has not always received the same attention to sourcing, a change Modern Gents says it has noticed over the years as couples ask about a stone’s origin alongside its price.
Much of that comes from what a ring stands for, since it marks one of the biggest promises two people will ever make, and tradition has usually kept the focus on that moment instead of where the stone was mined.
Even so, couples are now asking those questions, with The Knot’s 2019 study finding that more than half of people receiving an engagement ring said an ethically sourced stone was important to them.
How Buyer Expectations Shifted
Over the years, falling in love with a piece of fine jewelry usually started with how it looked, but McKinsey reports that many buyers now begin by finding a brand they feel connected to. And much of that connection comes from what a brand stands for, with McKinsey’s Tyler Harris saying in 2021 that jewelry shoppers cared more about values and ethics than they had a few years earlier.
Millennials take those values especially seriously, as McKinsey partner Alexander Thiel said a brand without sustainability credentials “will just not be viable” for many of them.
In fact, now, before settling on a brand, many shoppers look for answers online, with Harris noting that Google searches pairing fine jewelry with sustainability had “skyrocketed.” Even Thiel recalled an earlier example of public concern about diamond sourcing, when the film Blood Diamond left the industry worried shoppers might stop buying diamonds altogether.
The Problem With Traditional Mining
Perhaps the biggest issue with traditional mining is how much it takes from the earth and from the people who live closest to it. Just one carat of diamond requires moving about 250 metric tons of earth, according to estimates from McKinsey and The Business of Fashion.
Digging on that scale exposes rock that reacts with water, and the U.S. Geological Survey explains that the acid runoff it creates carries metals like lead and mercury into streams and drinking water. Not to mention, mercury also escapes into the air from small-scale gold mining, with Human Rights Watch estimating that those mines release about 1,400 tons of it each year.
Most of the world’s miners work at these smaller sites, as the group estimates that about 40 million people work in artisanal and small-scale mines with little or no machinery. Among them are at least one million children, many of whom dig in deep, unstable pits where some have been injured or killed.
To make matters worse, nearby communities have suffered as well, with Zimbabwe’s government accused of forcing villagers out to make way for diamond mining. Some of the most serious concerns about diamonds, however, came from their ties to armed conflict, and those concerns eventually led to the industry’s best-known certification.
"Conflict-Free" and the Limits of Certification
Not many shoppers realize how little the “conflict-free” label actually promises. Under the Kimberley Process, a conflict diamond is a rough diamond sold by rebel groups to pay for wars against legitimate governments.
To stop those sales, governments created the system in 2003, and the U.S. State Department explains that each shipment of rough diamonds must travel with a certificate showing it did not help rebel groups. Even so, Human Rights Watch points out that the definition leaves a lot out, including abuses carried out by governments or private security companies.
However, the paperwork has limits too, with the group noting that the certificate names the country a diamond came from but not the actual mine. Many shipments are also mixed at large trading centers, making it nearly impossible to trace a single stone back to its origin.
These problems led Global Witness, which helped create the Kimberley Process, to leave it in 2011, with founding director Charmian Gooch saying, “Consumers have a right to know what they’re buying, and what was done to obtain it.” So without a clear way to trace a natural stone from mine to store, many buyers are now looking at stones made another way.
The Rise of Alternatives: Simulants and Lab-Grown Stones
Given how mainstream sustainability has become, shoppers now need to know exactly which type of stone they are buying. Natural diamonds are mined from the earth, while lab-grown diamonds are grown in laboratories, and the Gemological Institute of America explains that both share the same chemical makeup and crystal structure.
Simulants offer couples a third choice, made from materials like cubic zirconia and moissanite, and GIA describes them as stones created to capture the look of a diamond.
Those differences also show up in price, with The Conversation reporting that lab-grown diamonds let buyers choose a larger stone for less money, while The Bridal Journey describes moissanite as brilliant and highly durable at a price well below both.
Since natural and lab-grown diamonds look alike, the FTC’s Jewelry Guides call for clear disclosure that lab-grown stones are not mined diamonds. And couples are already acting on that distinction, with The Knot’s Real Weddings Study finding that 61% of U.S. couples married in 2025 chose a lab-grown center stone.
But a ring’s stone is only one part of its sourcing, since the band raises its own questions about where the metal comes from.
Recycled Metals and Responsible Manufacturing
Where there is sustainability, there is also responsibility, and much of that responsibility starts with metal that has already been mined. Recycled gold now makes up about one-third of the world’s gold supply, according to World Gold Council figures cited by Human Rights Watch.
So melting down and reusing that metal means less digging for new supply, and Unsustainable Magazine notes it also helps limit water pollution and energy use. Even so, most of the world’s gold still comes straight from mines, with the Responsible Jewellery Council auditing member companies on labor rights and environmental impact.
Among smaller mines, Fairmined offers a separate certification, approving artisanal gold mines only after outside auditors confirm they meet labor and environmental rules. And responsibility continues well after the metal leaves the mine, as Unsustainable Magazine encourages shoppers to look for brands that use recycled paper or plastic-free packaging.
But with a ring sitting on the finger every day, comfort also plays a part, and the American Academy of Dermatology estimates that more than 18% of people in North America are allergic to nickel, with dermatologists recommending nickel-free or hypoallergenic jewelry. And with all of that in mind, couples are better prepared to decide how much they want to spend on a ring.
Sustainability Meets Affordability
When talking about jewelry, it is hard not to address the common myth couples are expected to follow regarding the three-month salary rule. But most women no longer buy into it, as Modern Gents surveyed 1,000 women and found that 79% see the old salary rule as outdated.
And with fewer couples holding on to that rule, ring budgets have come down too, with The Knot reporting that couples married in 2025 spent an average of $4,600 on an engagement ring.
Not to mention, many women would also rather put that money toward their future, with the same survey finding that 73% prefer an affordable ring if it means saving for a honeymoon or a down payment on a home.
Owning more than one ring is also catching on, with Axios reporting that more people are buying travel rings to wear on vacation.
But switching between rings for travel and everyday wear also raises questions about how long each one lasts, especially since McKinsey’s Tyler Harris has pointed out that jewelry worn every day goes through enough wear and tear to need repairs over time. And as more brands talk about values and price together, it becomes harder for shoppers to tell which claims hold up.
The Greenwashing Risk
Choosing responsible jewelry isn’t always black and white, especially once words like “ethical” and “eco-friendly” start showing up on product pages. Those words sound reassuring, but the FTC has warned that broad claims like “eco-friendly” suggest wide-reaching environmental benefits that very few products actually have.
Regulators have also spotted the problem firsthand, with the FTC sending warning letters to jewelry companies that described their products as “sustainable” or “eco-conscious” without backing it up. Its Green Guides tell companies to avoid general environmental claims they cannot fully prove.
But guidance like this still leaves shoppers in a tough spot, as former FTC Chair Lina Khan has said it is impossible for the average consumer to verify these claims. A few direct questions help, starting with where the materials come from and whether the metals are recycled.
Shoppers should also ask which certifications apply and how exactly the stone is described in writing. And once brands have to back up every claim, buyers start judging fine jewelry by more than how it looks.
Conclusion: Sustainability as the New Standard of Quality
The beauty of an engagement ring is that it has always been about the future, even as more couples now want to know about its past.
And caring about a ring’s past has also given the industry a more hopeful way to talk about sustainability, with McKinsey partner Alexander Thiel saying the strongest case for sustainability today is a positive one that gives shoppers a reason to feel good about a brand.
Thiel also believes most fine jewelry brands already care about these issues, and he encourages shoppers to keep asking how their pieces are made. Years from now, the rings couples treasure most will be the ones that marked a promise between two people without costing anyone else along the way.