Greg Valerio, founder of Cred Trading Company /Jewellery, based in Clerkenwell London, has been instrumental in pioneering the use of fair trade gold since 1996, and as a founding member of the Alliance for Responsible Mining advocates sustainable precious metal mining and jewelry production, and therefore uses only conflict free diamonds and ethically sourced gemstones in all Cred’s fine jewellery collections.

Why Choose Cred Diamond and Ruby Wedding Rings?

With so much controversy over blood diamonds, unethical gold mining practices, and the Burmese rubies that finance a dictatorial regime, many people are choosing to buy ethical jewellery. Where does Cred fit in?

Cred was the first European jewellery store to offer pieces made exclusively from fair trade gold that was independently certified. They were the first specialty boutique on the famous High Street to make ethical jewellery available to the public.

For the past eight years, Cred has been one of a handful of fine gold and gemstone jewelers to retail a collection of engagement rings and wedding bands that are certified as ethical. What does that mean? It means that all the gemstones and gold utilized in creating the collections of bridal jewelry / engagement rings/ bands /wedding sets, are made from precious gems and metals that have precisely known origins and therefore come with a guarantee that they have been obtained from environmentally / socially responsible mining operations and sources that do not support war by funding armaments or financing corrupt regimes.

What About Craftsmanship, Quality and Design Originality?

Cred has a design team that incorporates a variety of professionals, both seasoned jewelers with established names, as well as craftspeople with innovative ideas who offer fresh perspectives and contribute to making ruby wedding rings, bridal jewellery and distinctive gemstone and precious metal creations that exceed industry standards in terms of quality and design.

Every piece of jewellery, including their exclusive ruby wedding rings and bridal sets, come with an individual assurance of high ethical standards. How? Each piece has a history, a story of how it was created, where the metals and gems came from and how it was produced. Cred is happy to provide customers with a copy of their “jewellery history”.

The distinctive design of each item is obvious. The attention to detail is a direct reflection of an appreciation for nature that provides us with sparkling gems and tantalizing metals.

Examples of Cred Ruby Jewellery Collections

It’s easy and fun to shop for ruby jewellery at Cred because there’s no need to study the fine print searching for hidden terms that might mean Burmese rubies were used. All their collections (the Eden Wedding Rings, Eden Engagement Rings and diamond and gemstone ready to wear lines, as well as bespoke pieces), are crafted with fair trade precious metals such as gold and platinum by a company called Oro Verde, which is a community of Colombian miners who follow a strict criteria of environmental consciousness.

All the ruby wedding rings, platinum and yellow / white gold ruby rings (and other gemstone rings that comprise their collections) are all available in different band widths and precious metals. Choose engraving, specific sizes and qualities of gemstones, and customize pieces to suite your needs while working with talented designers.

Designer Annabel Panes Designs

In the Eden Engagement Ring series, there are several ready to wear ruby wedding rings – with and without diamonds. For example, the ruby wedding ring called Brilliant Ruby Trilogy, by Cred designer Annabel Panes, features a series of three stones – two Canadian diamonds on either side of a (almost) half carat Tanzanian ruby, set in Oro Verde 18ct white / yellow gold or platinum. This piece costs from £970 to just under £1,700, depending on the metal chosen. The most expensive rings are platinum.

Another of the Cred ruby wedding rings, also from designer Annabel Panes, is the Oval Ruby Trilogy Ring, which has three gemstones – an oval Tanzanian ruby gem in the center and two ethical diamonds from Canada on the sides. The ring can be customized using Oro Verde white / yellow gold or platinum. The price ranges from £1,300 to about £1,670.

Pink Sapphire Gemstone Ring

As we’ve mentioned in other ruby jewellery posts, sapphires and rubies are the same except for color, and therefore pink sapphires may be what some call pink rubies. However, to be a genuine ruby, a stone must be red – the deeper the better, nevertheless there are variations that have blue, lavender and pink undertones, and deeper ones with almost purple-red coloring, traditionally labeled pigeons blood rubies – or blood red rubies. These pigeon blood rubies were primarily mined in Asia, especially Burma (Myanmar), but as savvy buyers know, Burmese rubies are not an ethical choice. Tanzanian mines now provide conscientious jewelers a good selection of colored gems. .

Pink gemstone rings, which make lovely feminine wedding / engagement rings, are available in the Cred Eden collection.

One is called the Pink Sapphire Princess Gallery Ring, which features a .75 carat cushion-cut Tanzanian ruby gem in a gallery setting that uses a series of 4 claws to hold the stone in place. It’s available in fair trade white / yellow gold, and costs £1,250 – £1,500 depending it’s purchased within the EU or outside Europe.

Small Ruby Stone Stacker Ring by Christian Cheesman

For something really affordable, the ruby wedding rings designs by Christian Cheesman, sold through Cred, are a fantastic buy. One that stands out for being surprisingly cheap, is the piece with a small Tanzanian ruby in what Cred calls a Stacker Ring.

These ruby gemstone rings can be stacked to create a set or worn alone. The bands are finely crafted with 18ct yellow gold and each piece costs around £200 This is a bargain ethical ruby gem ring that can be paired with one of the fair trade gold bands in the Cred Eden Wedding Band collection.

For more suggestions on where to shop for fine ethical ruby jewelry and gemstone rings, please consult related posts that provide information on jewelers, designers and suppliers of ruby gems and ruby stone jewelry.

There are a variety of independent international and UK designers / jewelry houses that specialize in making ruby bracelet designs that use only ethically sourced stones. Artisans and jewelers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of using fair trade gems in their creations and are offering distinctive ruby necklace and ruby pendant creations for sale online, at affordable prices.

In an attempt to provide buyers with information on where to purchase specific items, we offer a series of posts that deal with individual items such as ruby stud earrings, ruby eternity ring bands for custom bridal sets, and yellow and white gold ruby ring options that do not use Burmese rubies or conflict diamonds in the settings.

If you’d appreciate more information on why Burmese rubies are no longer a sound choice as a gemstone in jewellery, please consult the information presented in the article about Ruby Gems, and find out a little more about Greenland rubies in the articles about Ruby Stone Suppliers. Find out why we recommend buying jewelry crafted from RubyFair in the post about Ethical Ruby Eternity Ring Creations by Small Designers.

While we continually research ruby and gemstone suppliers, we appreciate comments from professionals and/or buyers who may have up-to-date news or details on gemstone, gold or jewelry related topics.