Go Green with Your Wedding Rings!

Recently, pop singer Beyonce, was trashed for wearing over sized gold earrings. Not because they were visually over-the-top, but because there is a growing sentiment that gold is bad for the environment. This is not true for all gold, but much of the mining occurs in biologically rare places of the world, such as threatened rain forests. Not only does the act of mining tear apart the landscape and threaten poor animal homes, but hazardous materials like mercury can seep into the ground water poisoning everything in the region. Good news does exist though, if you have heard the anti-gold buzz and want to keep your wedding environmentally friendly, you do have another option! You can forego the gold and buy stainless steel wedding rings!

Most people don’t realize that jewelry made from stainless steel is Green! The truth is, that the production of stainless steel is less harmful to the environment than gold, sterling silver, platinum, and (especially) Tungsten (in another post I will tell you why I detest Tungsten!). This is due to many factors, but most importantly, the materials used to manufacture the metal and the manufacturing process.

Not to get too nerdy on you here, but the base component of stainless steel is scrap iron, which is readily available and not as rare as the precious metals (gold, silver, and platinum). Also, many manufacturers that make stainless steel use scrap metals, giving the final product about 70% pre-consumer recycled content. Stainless steel wedding rings are recycled!!! In addition, stainless steel is also very easily recycled, after it has served its purpose (not that I am presuming you will toss your stainless steel wedding bands into the recycle bin some day).

The manufacturing process of stainless steel is a very important aspect of it's environmentally friendliness, and has come a long way thanks to advancements in technology that reduce the strain on the environment. The truth remains that stainless steel wedding rings have less embodied energy than rings made of other metals...ehem...especially Tungsten. Okay, so what does this mean??? Embodied energy refers to the amount of juice it takes to produce something. Stainless steel is relatively low on the scale, but alternatively, because Tungsten requires intense heat to forge, special conditions and environmental precautions are necessary. This means that in comparison, Tungsten wedding bands use an incredible amount of energy in production.

So, go Green for your wedding! There are many beautiful options for stainless steel wedding bands on the market. They can be etched in unique patterns, designed with stones, and inlaid with rubber. Make your wedding a beautiful day for you while contributing to a healthier planet.