Put A (Better Ring On It)

A search for conflict-free diamonds led one jeweler to rethink the engagement process.

- Kim Lightbody

Last year, Vanessa Stofenmacher wanted to expand her three-year-old direct-to-consumer fine jewelry brand, Vrai & Oro, to include engagement rings. But she couldn’t stand the thought of buying traditionally mined diamonds, which are often unearthed in war-torn countries and sold to fund conflicts. Here’s how she found a stone with no skeletons, and modernized the engagement-ring shopping experience along the way.

1 Romancing the stone