Whether for budget, humanitarian, or ecological reasons, many people have turned to a lab-created diamond for their engagement ring.
Studies estimate that an average of 1,750 tons of earth must be removed for every one-carat rough diamond. As with coal mining, the result is untold devastation to the soil, water, and wildlife, as well as the native peoples, who can no longer farm or even live around the resulting open-pit mines.
[caption id="attachment_2153" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Erika Delgado Photography[/caption]
Less-destructive solution