Celebrating getting my dream lab grown engagement ring from MiaDonna! Oh and also the engagement!
As a full time solo female traveler/business owner, with a dating record that sounds like a Taylor Swift song, I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be trying on lab grown diamond engagement rings, and especially lab grown wedding bands!
The thought of marriage fluttered across my mind sometimes, but since I wasn’t really expecting it, I never really looked into things like rings! Then one day, BAM! An Italian man is asking me for my ring size, and telling me when we get married he would “Go to Africa himself to find me the biggest diamond.”
My response was: “Don’t you dare!! I would only want a lab grown diamond!”
That’s because I love the Earth and (most of) its people. I’ve seen first hand in Madagascar how gem mining destroys the Earth and lives of miners, and that is what drove my interest in the alternative: lab grown diamonds. At that time, I was nowhere near a marriage, but years later those images of malnourished little kids running to hug me as their parents slaved away at the endless rock pits looking for the tiniest gems, still haunts me.
I didn’t have much experience or knowledge about engagement rings or wedding rings, since most people don’t talk about whether their diamonds are from mines or labs. One can only assume most people want others to think their diamond is earth-mined and expensive. Only a few people I’m close to had gotten engaged recently with massive rocks, and that’s how I started learning more about lab grown diamonds. Because there ain’t no way those men were dropping $10-20k on diamonds!
The main takeaway was — lab-grown diamonds cost a fraction of mined diamonds, and aren’t terrible for the Earth or people who have to mine for those found in the earth.
In this post, I’ll explain how I found my lab-grown diamond engagement ring, how lab diamonds are made, how much they cost, and so much more!
Nearly half of the population of women will get engaged, and I’d really like to spread the information about lab grown diamonds so that we can stop destroying the Earth with this lucrative yet harmful industry of mining.
DISCLAIMER: This post is part of a collab with MiaDonna and includes affiliate links! Pretty please use them if you plan to buy one of their beautiful products! It costs nothing extra for you but helps me be able to keep posting free travel content for you! Thank you!!
Not going to lie, I got a little overly excited when my partner started “sneakily” asking me for my ring size. He told me it was an Italian tradition because “your girlfriend should have the same size finger as your grandmother.” But I obviously googled that and it was BS. He was definitely looking for a ring to get engaged in Italy.
Anyway, the idea of getting engaged hadn’t even crossed my mind in the past, to the point of actually looking at rings! So I did what most women probably do, and I searched for ideas on social media. I wanted something sparkly yet unique. Definitely not just a plain gold band with solitaire diamond, like he was trying to choose.
With one search I immediately saw my dream ring! A stunning oval lab grown diamond ring, with a vintage looking band called the “Precious Engagement Ring“! When I clicked on it, I found MiaDonna. When I clicked on their website, and read their story, I became obsessed!
Most people have only recently heard of lab grown diamonds, but what if I told you that the founder of MiaDonna started pioneering them twenty years ago?
Just now, however, they are gaining more and more popularity, both for their affordable prices, and eco-consciousness!
Anna-Mieke (pronounced “Anna-Mee-ka”), who is from New Zealand but grew up in Australia, has a very interesting story about how all of this came to be! She had purchased an earth-mined diamond, but upon researching where diamonds come from and the process it takes to extract them, she made it her goal to find an alternative to the destruction and create a conflict-free alternative. Even without a background in science, she worked with a team to start testing ways to make the same chemical compositions found in earth diamonds, in a laboratory!
In 2006, the first diamond they made in the lab was small and yellow, weighing a mere 0.25 carats. They’ve come so far since then: today, she and her team are very proud to have produced a 21.06 carat diamond in their private labs!
When I toured the sapphire mines in Madagascar, I was heartbroken. Not only was the Earth getting destroyed — along with the natural habitats of thousands of animals — but the working conditions of the miners, plus living conditions for their families, are atrocious. These people are treated like slaves while the foreign owners of the companies enjoy the luxury of staying in the air conditioned show rooms for tourists. Not to mention, they likely keep most of the profits.
It’s also extremely dangerous for miners in terms of violence. I was told that if miners don’t produce a certain amount of gems, or if they are ever caught selling them themselves, that the consequences are lethal.
Mining also causes an extreme amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, which rapidly contributes to climate change.
Overall, there is absolutely zero benefit to the Earth or the people who find those precious diamonds. The only benefit goes to the corporations who invaded these areas and people, and of course the people who buy these diamonds.
Since we all know there’s no way that everyone would just stop buying diamond engagement rings or diamond wedding rings, we can at least encourage an eco-conscious alternative!
I have seen some doubts on the interwebs about the true level of eco-friendliness of lab grown diamonds, so here’s some facts from MiaDonna about how ethical they are:
Although I am very proud of the biology and chemistry Bachelor of Science degree I received many years ago, I am definitely not a scientist, so the below information is directly from MiaDonna’s website:
“Grown diamonds are made one of two ways — either through High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT), or through Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The majority of MiaDonna’s diamonds are grown using CVD which has been the most successful method in producing higher quality diamonds.”
Click here to read about the full process of HPHT and CVD!
As I’ve mentioned, a very attractive aspect of lab grown diamonds is their affordable cost! For example, the starting price of the setting I chose (MiaDonna’s Precious Engagement Ring) was around $1250, and the 3 carat lab grown diamond I added to it was around $3000!
An earth-mined diamond ring with a similar size and setting sold in a commercial jewelry store would likely be up to 10x more expensive! How ridiculous is that!
With lab grown diamonds, more people can comfortably attain the ring of their dreams, without financial consequences, and most importantly, without causing damage to the environment!
Scientifically speaking, the only difference between lab grown diamonds and mined diamonds, is where they are grown!
Both types of diamonds have the same hardness, and the same SP3 carbon bonds. They have the same quality and characteristics, and they are just as shiny!
Today, there are many companies making lab grown diamonds, but there are so many reasons why I was only interested in MiaDonna.
The first reason was because they pioneered the lab grown diamond with ethics and good will in mind. Their CEO and founder literally researched where her own mined diamond came from and was so appalled by the mining industry, that she dedicated her life work into creating an alternative.
As I’ve mentioned, 10% of profits goes to The Greener Diamond, which supports the areas and people affected by diamond mining!
On top of using lab grown diamonds, MiaDonna also only uses recycled metals, which eliminates the need for mining more gold.
Not only that, but her company is female founded and run, with women in mind in all aspects! Plus, they have a really fabulous boutique and location in Portland! Maybe they’ll even pop up in a city near you soon!
As I mentioned earlier, I chose MiaDonna based on the ring I saw on social media, so that was the easy part! The hard part was when it came time to pick the wedding band! There were so many beautiful options, and I thought I knew exactly which one I wanted, but huge spoiler alert: I still cannot decide!!
The MiaDonna team strongly advised me to come to their beautiful shop in Portland to try the bands on with my engagement ring, and so I did! It helped tremendously because the sizes of rings on the computer screen look a lot different than IRL! Especially since I have tiny fingers!
Here are my top choices so far from the video above, let me know in the comments which one you think looks best!
I’d highly, highly recommend making a little “wedding prep vacay” out of a Portland trip to see your rings, but if you can’t, they also offer virtual consultations no matter where you live!
If you can’t decide between two (or more!) rings, there’s also the option to custom design yours! Since all of the rings are custom made by hand anyway!
Overall, I really hope this post inspires you to make an eco-conscious decision when it comes to purchasing diamonds and other precious gems! Our planet is already in grave danger of destruction, so let’s all do our part to not further harm it by purchasing items that require high amounts of pollution, human labor, and nature destruction!
Please let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions in the comments!
Please don’t forget! I work extremely hard to produce these free travel guides and posts! If it helped you, or you enjoyed it, PLEASE give it a share on social media, and follow me to keep up with more posts! You’re two minutes of effort truly helps keep my business running! Thank ya!
xx, Alyssa
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