How do you really make two month’s salary last forever? By putting your money where your mouth is.

For eco-minded folks who cruise the organic produce section, drive hybrids and opt for Fair-Trade roast when they order their morning Starbucks, low-impact, Earth-friendly wedding bling is a must-have.

Eco-friendly jewelry is becoming more sought out by the socially conscious consumer. Fair-trade mining practices ensure that the stones and metals used in the jewelry are produced in an environmentally responsible manner, providing fair wages and safe conditions for the workers. Many pieces also are no-impact, since they’re made with recycled metals.

For her September 2006 wedding, Sally Giles, an art therapist from Chicago, purchased a white gold wedding band made from reclaimed metals for her husband-to-be.

“We wanted to keep the tradition of exchanging wedding rings but didn’t want to contribute to the exploitation of people that is so common in the production of jewelry,” says Giles, whose engagement and wedding bands also are made from recycled metals. “Buying these rings was a positive action we could take in the world – supporting a fair and ethical market for jewelry. Knowing this enhances their value for me.”

Fair-trade jewelry “once was a fringe concept and now is moving toward the center,” says Emily Anderson, author of “Eco-Chic Weddings,” a guide to planning elegant nuptials with the environment in mind, due from Hatherleigh Press this spring. More jewelers are interested in becoming involved with responsible jewelry practices, she says.

So far, independent designers and jewelers have led the way in working with recycled metals and fair-trade stones, but large jewelry retailers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Zale Corp. are among the active parties in promoting responsible ethical, social and environmental practices in the diamond and gold industry; all are members of the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices.

One trendsetter in the fair-trade vanguard is Leber Jewelers, Western Springs, Ill., where Giles and her husband purchased their rings. Leber makes wedding and engagement rings from gemstones like sapphires and rubies supplied by fair-trade African co-ops and from Canadian diamonds set in bands made from reclaimed gold or platinum. The metals are derived from old jewelry, electronics and sometimes even car parts and the Canadian diamonds come with a certificate of origin, ensuring that they’re conflict-free.

“Consumers want something that’s more mindful and something that does show there is a social and environmental [concern],” says Brian Leber, who runs the business with his wife, Joanne Aono. “I think it’s just a growing movement of people wanting to know about the products they buy. People like knowing the farmer who grew the dinner.”

Like any engagement ring store, the diamond solitaire ring is a mainstay of their collection, says Leber.

Don’t expect to pay much less for a fair-trade ring than you would for the non-PC versions. Prices range from around a thousand dollars for some solitaires to a few thousand for multi-stone rings.

One thing you can’t do, though, is put a price on actively supporting your cause.