jewellery as well as recycled platinum where possible. Brilliant Earth too is known for its ethical sourcing practices and in fact goes beyond the Kimberley Process to source its Beyond Conflict Free Diamonds, which fewer than one per cent of the world’s natural diamonds are able to meet. What’s more, every one of the brand’s natural diamond suppliers has been audited for safe working conditions. An alternative to natural stones is lab-grown diamonds, which are often considered innately ethical due to the lower environmental impact involved in their creation as opposed to traditional diamond mining. And the good news is, they’re generally more affordable. As a result, there’s a common misconception that lab-grown diamonds are fake or poor relations to natural diamonds, but this isn’t the case. They are, in fact, identical in every way. Alexis Antoine on Unsplash Tahlia Doyle on Unsplash Sam Lashbrook on Uunsplash YOUR SHOPPING ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST Find a reputable jeweller you can trust Check out reviews and recommendations and look out for qualifications and accreditations such as the National Association of Jewellers crest. Make sure the jeweller’s wedding rings bear a hallmark Hallmarking is a legal requirement in the UK ensuring gold, silver, palladium or platinum items are of the required purity to be declared as such. Allow time There are no hard and fast rules surrounding timelines for your wedding rings. Just bear in mind that if you’ve opted for bespoke rings rather than something from a ready-made collection, you’ll need to allow plenty more time for them to be designed and made. At least six months ahead of the big day should allow time for the design and creation of your perfect rings, so the earlier you can make enquiries the better. For off-the-shelf options, three to four months should suffice allowing for potential resizing. Ask about your jeweller’s after-sales care Including guarantees, warranty, alterations, cleaning and repairs. The more they’re prepared to look after you once they’ve made their sale, the more trustworthy they likely are. beaverbrooks.co.uk JEWELLERY & ACCESSORIES 33
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