I got engaged last month, bursting with joy when my partner of four years popped the question on a sunny day in Brooklyn, New York.
The ring he gave me when he asked me to marry him wasn't a shock to me, because my fiancé and I picked it out together a few months before he proposed.
We wanted to make sure we both liked the ring since I would be wearing it forever, and my fiancé made sure that was the case. I love everything about my ring: the cut, the clarity, the color, and of course the carat size.
But what is most important to me about it - aside from the fact that the love of my life bought it for me - is that the diamond stone that makes up the ring was lab-grown.
I'm a wedding reporter, so I frequently speak to jewelers about what couples should keep in mind when they shop for engagement rings.
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I also talk about the latest engagement-ring trends with experts, and over the last year or two, I started hearing more and more about lab-grown diamond engagement rings.
To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when I initially learned of lab-grown diamonds. I was already familiar with moissanite rings, so I figured this was just another diamond look-alike.
But as I learned from speaking to experts, lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to their mined counterparts, meaning they're not only beautiful but durable. Looking at a lab-grown and mined diamond, you can't tell the difference between the two.
Plus, lab-grown diamonds are a slightly more ethical purchase than a mined diamond. Lab-grown diamonds are also friendlier to the environment.
"The manufacturing of lab-grown diamonds uses exponentially less water, energy, carbon emissions, land and earth mineral disturbance than mined diamonds," Janie Marshall, the head of brand at Clean Origin, told The Knot. Marshall added that the practice also "eliminates ethical labor concerns reported through mining practices."
The outlet reported that there's a zero chance lab-grown diamonds are conflict or blood diamonds, which has been an issue in the traditional diamond market in the past. Most diamonds today, mined or not, aren't conflict diamonds, but there's extra assurance when it comes to lab-grown rings.
The more I researched, the more it seemed like buying a lab-grown diamond or a vintage ring was the most moral way to buy an engagement ring, which appealed to me as I thought about wearing a piece of jewelry for the rest of my life.
But arguably the best thing about a lab-grown diamond is the cost. According to The Knot, a lab-grown ring typically costs 20 to 50% less than a similar mined ring, making them more accessible. That's partly because their resale value is also lower compared to a mined diamond, but my fiancé and I weren't concerned about that when selecting a ring.
When it was time to shop for my own engagement ring earlier this year, I told my partner I wanted to look at lab-grown diamond rings.
It seemed like the logical choice based on everything I had learned about them through my work, though my now-fiancé told me he was happy to look at both mined and lab-grown options to ensure I got my dream ring.
We made an appointment with a jeweler in Manhattan's diamond district that specialized in lab-grown rings, and I fell in love with a round-cut, solitaire diamond set in a gold band.
It was everything I wanted out of an engagement ring, and I felt better about selecting it because I knew it was more ethically made and that my partner wouldn't be going into debt to purchase it, giving us more financial security as we walk into marriage.
As I've gotten used to the strange sensation of a ring sitting on my finger every day, I've become more and more confident that picking a lab-grown diamond was the right decision.
It's also fun to see the shock in people's eyes whenever I tell them the ring wasn't mined and explain how lab-grown rings work.
I hope seeing my ring will encourage some of my loved ones to make whatever decision is right for them when it's their turn to buy an engagement ring, even if people expect them to buy a "traditional" ring. I know I'm glad my job led me to the only kind of diamond ring I'd want to have.