It’s amazing, points out Katherine DalPra (owner/designer for Green Diva, an online boutique of eco-friendly bridal jewelry) how uneducated and distanced we’ve become from the goods we buy.  We don’t know where our jewelry comes from, and who has been affected by it. “Behind some of our most beloved purchases… there is a dirty secret involving worker exploitation, toxic pollution and cultural destruction.”

Among the sins that you DON’T want to be supporting are violent conflict and forced labor. Miners and gemstone artisans are often underpaid and work in unsafe conditions. Metal mining is the number one toxic polluter in America, and is also the cause of Acid Mine Drainage, which is destroying our drinkable water sources.

Luckily, there are several options for sourcing ethical engagement rings from people that have made a great effort to get it right. If you’re not into wooden rings, synthetic stones, or rings constructed of your own bone, here are some trusted sources you might want to consider buying from.

CRED Jewellery

The world’s first Fair Trade jewelery retailer, CRED has pioneered the search for transparent, ethical sources of precious metals and stones, delivering the first truly ethical wedding rings in 2003.  Their engagement rings combine classic and contemporary styling with the finest ethically-sourced diamonds and Oro Verde™ Fair Trade metals to perfectly encapsulate your values and your love.

C5 Company

C5 company is a leader in sustainable fine jewelry. They offer beautiful, well-crafted, ready-to-wear pieces and custom jewelry that you can feel good about purchasing, gifting and wearing.

All of their jewelry is made with 100% recycled precious metals and ethically sourced gems and diamonds (both fair-trade mined and lab-created) to ensure that C5 company jewelry has minimal environmental and social impact.

Below: Estate diamonds reset in recycled palladium; Lab-created rubies set in recycled palladium.

Green Karat

Green Karat has a mission, to provide an ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternative to those who seek change. If you want to become part of the solution, they want to help you.

Did you know that there is enough gold above ground (already mined) to satisfy all demands of the jewelry industry for the next 50 years? Much of it sits in bank vaults and in the form of old and unused jewelry.  Green Karat believes that buying recycled gold is one of the most ecologically and socially responsible choices a consumer can make.

Artisan Wedding Rings

These unique wedding rings and engagement ring sets are heirloom quality and made by artisans with recycled gold, silver and platinum. Artisan use the most ethically sourced diamonds and gemstones available anywhere.

Brilliant Earth

“Luxury with a Conscience” brings you uncompromisable ethics and meticulous craftsmanship. Their jewelry is created with the highest quality Canadian Conflict Free Diamond Jewelry™ made with renewed gold and platinum. They also supply Ethical origin Namibian diamonds, and 5% of all profits are donated in Africa.

To learn about fair trade, conflict-free diamonds, eco-friendly, recycled metals and responsibly-made jewelry, visit any of the websites mentioned here! For a list of more ethical jewelry suppliers, visit this page at the natural wedding company.

Although everyone yearns for a strong, healthy marriage, sometimes couples feel torn. It’s impossible to please everybody all the time, so when there’s a conflict between the needs of a spouse and the needs of a parent, you need to know who is top priority.

“Focus on making your spouse your first priority,” says Barry at Hitched, “Even if it upsets your mom and dad. If your parents have healthy behavior, they will gracefully step aside and encourage you to make your spouse a top priority. They will value your needs as a couple and be respectful about their phone calls, visits, etc. If, however, your parents have destructive behavior, they will manipulate you with guilt to keep you in the role of an obedient child instead of allowing you to be a loyal spouse. They will feel entitled to call or visit whenever they want, and they will act offended whenever you try to draw healthy boundaries with them.”

Being committed to building your marriage is all about mindset. Learning to think the right way will help you make the right decisions.

4 harmful things to say (or imply) to your spouse:
* “I don’t have the courage to say ‘no’ to my parents, so I’m saying ‘no’ to you.”
* “My parents’ behavior is perfectly fine; your behavior is the problem.”
* “Let’s not do anything to upset my folks.”
* “My parents’ needs are more important than yours.”

4 great things to say to your spouse:
* “You are my first priority. Your needs are important to me.”
* “I want to support you, but I’m not sure how to do that. Please tell me.”
* “Let’s try to figure out a compromise we can both live with.”
* “Can you help me figure out a tactful way to tell my parents what we’ve decided?”

Choosing to be a loyal husband or wife is the first step toward a stronger marriage and a more adult relationship with your parents. Your behavior will have multiple benefits. For example, when your mom knows that your wife comes first, you will have eliminated the need for them to compete over you, and mom may give you more privacy. Your spouse, who knows that you value your marriage over your relationship with your parents, will likely try harder to please you by becoming more reasonable about issues involving your parents.

Becoming truly independent from our parents is one of the best gifts we can give our spouse. That doesn’t mean we should cut off contact with our parents or start being hateful toward them. It just means that pleasing our spouse should take priority over pleasing our parents.

Info from Hitched. Image from the daily mail and rexburg counseling

While some movie-goers are looking forward to a fun flick with some talented stars, others predict that it will be “annoying” and harp on the “Bridezilla stereotype.” One blogger goes so far as to call it an “idiotic waste of time” that’s an insult to female intelligence: Because I never get tired of lighthearted comedies about how stupid and petty women are supposed to be, and how much best friends really hate each other, especially when they’re both chicks.

So I guess the question is, does such a thing actually happen in real life? WeddingBee poses the questions, “Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Or heard stories of this happenening to other people?” Are you curious? Read the answers here!