As more and more people become aware of the terrible price paid for "blood diamonds" they are becoming more educated about the stones they are buying for themselves or their loved ones. One option is to 'recycle' family heirloom stones, but that is not an option for all. Another is to get their stones from smaller mines that do less damage to the environment - or so it seems on the surface. And yet another option, synthetic stones that have all the same properties as natural stones - to the point that many trained gemologists can't tell the difference. Even the synthetic stones still require some of the same materials as the natural stone to be created. Saleem Ali, a professor at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, at the University of Vermont, has studied the social and environmental impacts of gem mining, and notes that those materials are already being mined in large quantities for other applications. So the relatively tiny demand for synthetic jewels isn't driving mining activity, unlike the way demand drives mining for natural gems. And he does acknowledge the energy demand necessary to create the synthetic stones must be accounted for - but of all the options, these are so far the least damaging to the earth.