One of our listeners is in a pickle. He’s looking to buy an engagement ring but wants to make sure the diamond comes from an ethical and sustainable source. So he sent us an email asking for help.

This is our latest addition of “This, That, or the Other Thing.” It’s a series about the choices we make to try and build a more sustainable world, whether they have any effect, and what we can do instead if they don’t.

Today, host Nate Hegyi looks into the most sustainable ways to source that big, sparkly rock. Should it be a diamond from the ground? A diamond grown in a lab? Or maybe a different gemstone altogether?

Featuring Saleem Ali, Rachelle Bergstein and Anna Provost.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Producer Justine Paradis’ sapphire engagement ring.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

You can find a copy of Rachelle Bergstein’s book here. She was also featured on this episode about diamonds, from 99% Invisible.

The Kimberley Process helped reduce the number of conflict diamonds in the world. Here’s a list of countries that are participants.

Anna Provost features a lot of her really cool Montana-mined sapphires on Instagram.

A recent study in the journal Nature found that mining diamonds produces millions times more greenhouse gas emissions than growing them in a lab.

SUPPORT

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a voicemail. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No question is too serious or too silly.

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CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Nate Hegyi

Mixed by Nate Hegyi

Editing by Taylor Quimby

Our staff includes Felix Poon, Marina Henke, and Justine Paradis.

Executive producer: Taylor Quimby

Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio.

Music by Rikard Frumm, Ben Elson, Daniel Friddel, Out to the World, Signs of Wonder, Sahara Skylight, LoFive, Teeklef and El Flaco Collective. 

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.