Monique Pean

When I'm not writing for Novelty Bride, I'm studying to become an archaeologist, and I found Monique Pean when searching for rings incorporating fossils in their design (because every bride needs something that's uniquely her, no?) and what I found was so incredible I had to share it with the bridal world at large. Anything a girl could ask for, from art deco to organically shaped fossil-and-diamond-paves rings, can be found in the Monique Pean collection— and is almost certainly more stunning here than anywhere else.

Even more alluring is the fact that Pean markets pieces that can't be replicated, like her art deco-esque ring set with a 1.87 antique white oval rose cut diamond.

 Pean's rings are crafted in New York and around the world by the best artisans on earth, and— sealing her fate as my favorite ring designer— she uses only the finest sustainable and socially conscious materials. She also practices philanthropy abroad and at home, donating wells in Africa and trees in nearby communities.

Just as magnetic as her socially conscious philosophy is her fearlessness with materials. She uses anything from Kyanite to dinosaur bone to fossilized walrus ivory, and all of her bands are made from recycled metals and conflict- and devastation-free stones and fossils to avoid subsidizing the mining trade. Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend has never been more right.