Brilliant Earth Review – Conflict Free & Eco-Friendly Jewelry
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Over the years, I had reviewed hundreds of jewelry companies and I have yet to come across a vendor who markets themselves as a source of ethical and eco-friendly jewelry. Well, that changed when I came across BrilliantEarth.com and decided to do an indepth review of their services.
A Brief Overview Of BrilliantEarth.com
Brilliant Earth is founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco. Compared to well-established online vendors like BlueNile or James Allen, they can be considered a new kid on the block.
With well-placed marketing campaigns (that was done with the help of professionals from https://ful.io/ site) and eco-products to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Brilliant Earth brands itself as a company with a noble cause in the jewelry industry.
They pledge to donate 5% of their profits to help communities who were victims of unfair diamond mining operations and support the development of a fair trade gold system; both of which are applaudable practices.
In this review of Brilliant Earth, we are going to take a deeper look into the business and show you our first-hand experience of ordering diamond jewelry from BrillantEarth.com.
A Review of Brilliant Earth’s Policies
Unlike many other online retailers, BrilliantEarth.com offers free two-way FedEx shipping for customers based in US, Canada and Australia. This is a really nice gesture as it covers any costs you may incur in the event of a return within 30 days.
For customers based in US, BrilliantEarth provides an option for you to enjoy interest-free installments. Besides that, they also offer flexible financing plans like layaway plans and payments via multiple credit cards. For people who are making large purchases, these options are particularly useful to help pay for the item.
Brilliant Earth also provides 2 types of lifetime guarantees. Firstly, they offer a lifetime upgrade on all diamond purchases which gives you the option to do a trade up in the future.
Do note that there are certain terms and conditions which are applicable here. For example, the new diamond must be at least 50% higher in value and the diamond being traded-in must be in good condition.
The second aspect of their lifetime guarantee covers manufacturing defects for all their purchase. If your jewelry is found to be damaged due to manufacturing issues, you can get it repaired for free.
Brilliant Earth’s Main Selling Point – Ethically Sourced Jewelry
I know some readers may not take this the right way, but I am going to be brutally honest here.
If you are really serious about being “socially responsible” and want to minimize the impact of diamond mining on the environment, you probably want to think twice before buying engagement rings made with naturally mined diamonds.
Instead, you might want to explore other options like buying cubic zirconium jewelry or synthetic diamonds that are made in the lab. That way, you will have a 100% assurance that you won’t purchase unethical diamonds and also minimize your “environmental footprint” caused by mining activities.
In this aspect, I think Brilliant Earth really shines compared to other online vendors. They are one of the largest online suppliers of lab grown diamonds in the United States and they offer an extensive inventory of Canadian diamonds – a country with extremely strict environmental laws for the mining industry.
Lastly, because Brilliant Earth is committed to eco-friendly practices, their packaging consists of a handcrafted wooden ring box made in New Zealand. In my personal opinion, the ring boxes are among some of the best in the industry (and they smell great too!).
The wooden box looks great and feels good to touch.
Ring box that showcases a loose diamond purchase from BrilliantEarth.com
Brilliant Earth’s Search Interface And Loose Diamond Browsing Features
To begin with, let’s take a look at the search tool for buying loose diamonds. Like many other online vendors, their user interface is pretty standardized and you can narrow down selections based on your budget or other 4Cs requirements.
A screenshot of Brilliant Earth’s diamond search interface.
For shoppers who are interested in buying round diamonds at Brilliant Earth, here are some tips to help you navigate the search interface.
1) Choose the diamond shape, color and carat size accordingly.
2) Shift the bar slider to show only “Ideal” and “Super Ideal” cut.
3) Shift the bar slider to show only “IF” to “VS2” clarity.
4) Weed out diamonds that don’t fall with the ideal proportions found in this article.
5) Read our step-by-step guide to buying diamonds and take note of the key pointers.
Note: If you have a special request or need to buy a diamond from a certain origin, you can adjust the filters to include blockchain diamonds or country of origin according to your requirements.
Buying Blind Is a Problem When Shopping Online
I want to be absolutely clear about this. It is in your best interest not to make blind purchases unless you are a habitual risk-taker who won’t bat an eyelid about huge expenditures.
Let me tell you why…
First of all, diamonds are not made equal; especially those found in the lower clarity ranges. For example, if you are buying an SI1 diamond, you need to know that some are eye clean and some aren’t.
When shopping online, the best way to determine eye cleanliness is to make use of videos and/or magnified images.
Here’s an example to illustrate what I mean:
These 2 examples from James Allen clearly illustrate the benefits of having videos. As you can see above, the diamond on the right is eyeclean while the one on the left isn’t.
Currently, Brilliant Earth provides 360° HD videos and additional diamond imagery on more than 80% of their listings. They also provide a useful image of the actual diamond size on a size 6 hand. The screenshot below is what you would expect to see in a typical listing:
Videos help you to see exactly what you are buying in real life.
I would recommend checking the “REAL VIEW AVAILABLE” function so that you will not waste time looking through listings without tangible data. This is especially important when it comes to fancy shapes like ovals, pears or emerald cuts because shopping based on numbers alone is a really bad idea.
Unlike round brilliant cuts, there is no way to judge how a fancy shaped diamond will look like or perform unless you have tangible data like magnified photos, videos or ASET images.
Advice For Consumers Shopping For Diamonds at Brilliant Earth
Once you shortlisted and narrowed down some diamond options, it would be a good idea to place a “hold” request for them via “live chat” or customer support.
The rationale behind the “hold” is to guarantee the diamond’s availability and to avoid disappointment. This is because diamonds do get snapped up really fast in the online world.
Next, you should place in a request for additional information like magnified images/videos. This will help you visualize the diamond’s appearance and allow you to see what you are buying.
An image of an SI1 diamond was sent to me upon request.
Also, it is a good idea to get a physical evaluation performed on your shortlisted diamonds. Depending on where the diamonds are physically located, this may or may not be possible. Finally, when you have the detailed information in hand, it will put you in a better position to make educated decisions.
Review of Petite Twisted Vine Diamond Ring From The Nature Collection
Besides the center diamond, the engagement ring setting plays an equally important role in the ring’s overall appearance. Given Brilliant Earth’s reputation for being an eco-friendly jeweler, I had high expectations for their nature-inspired ring designs.
And let me tell you, they didn’t disappoint.
The settings in their Nature collection blew me away with their carefully designed motifs and curved outlines. More importantly, I wanted to inspect their settings in person in order to see how well they are made. And so, I placed an order for the Petite Twisted Vine setting…
If you had been a long time reader of Beyond4Cs.com, you would know that I’m a no-nonsense guy and I emphasize on product quality when buying jewelry. Fortunately, this is an aspect where Brilliant Earth excels.
When it comes to settings, it is relatively straightforward (even for a layperson) to tell the standards of craftsmanship by looking at details under magnification. Check out the images below…
Under a 10X loupe, I was pleased to find that every single melee stone had been carefully selected and matched. You see, not every jeweler is willing to put in the extra time and effort to perform this step correctly.
Pay attention to the consistent appearances of the melee diamonds.
The prongs holding the accent stones are neatly arranged and made with delicate skills.
In the side profile view of the ring, every single accent diamond is perfectly aligned and set with extreme precision. The standards of their craftsmanship show up in the smooth, continuous curved outline of the ring’s shanks.
Review of Brilliant Earth’s Reverie Diamond Ring
The Reverie ring is part of Brilliant Earth’s Classic collection and features a solitaire design which exudes feminine elegance. The center stone is held securely in place with split claw prongs.
For the purpose of conducting this review, I had a 0.50 carat, F color, SI1 clarity, super-ideal round brilliant cut diamond set in the 18k white gold Reverie ring.
Check out photographs of the actual ring below…
Side profile of the Reverie ring with a 0.50 carat center diamond.
Close up view of split claw prongs.
The Reverie ring features a ribbon-looking shank and sleek curves.
* Note: the ring settings at Brilliant Earth typically take between 2-3 weeks to be created. Compared to other online jewelers, the fabrication process is relatively longer. But, as the saying goes; good things are always worth the wait.
ASET and Idealscope Images Of Brilliant Earth’s Super Ideal-Cut
When buying diamonds, I always emphasize that CUT is KING because it directly impacts the amount of sparkle the stone has. For your reference, this is the corresponding GIA grading report for the center stone.
ASET image indicating a bright and brilliant diamond.
Idealscope image with saturated reds; indicating strong light return.
Based on the images above, both the ASET and Idealscope data indicate a diamond with excellent light performance. For people who want to learn more about interpreting ASET and Idealscope images, you may want to check out the ASET reference charts I compiled here and the reference chart for Idealscope images here.
Conclusion: Our Verdict on Brilliant Earth
I’ve separately purchased a vintage style engagement ring and reviewed it here.
Overall, Brilliant Earth is a legitimate and trustworthy company to do business with. While they may not offer the lowest prices compared to other online vendors I had reviewed, they do offer certain niche products which aren’t readily available elsewhere.
Most notably, Brilliant Earth is one of the largest online providers of lab grown diamonds in the US (no mining footprint). For more details, you can read the blog post I had written here. They are also the go-to place for one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry collection that stands out.
To wrap up the review, if being socially and environmentally responsible is your thing, BrilliantEarth.com is probably the best company where you can shop for quality jewelry with a cause.
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49 Comments
Thank you for the comprehensive review of Brilliant Earth. I read somewhere that BrilliantEarth.com is a vendor that specializes in Canadian diamonds that are exclusive to them and can’t be bought elsewhere. Is that true? I’m looking for a made in Canada engagement ring for symbolic purposes.
I’m sorry, your source of information is wrong. There might be certain diamonds which might be exclusive to Brilliant Earth but I know the bulk isn’t.
Here’s an example of a Canadian diamond listing which you can find somewhere else:
https://beyond4cs.com/go/be-841745/ – $4,940
Here’s the same exact diamond at B2CJewels at a fraction of the price:
b2cjewels.com/dd-6283257-1.00-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-VS2-clarity.aspx – $3,862.70
If you do the math, you can buy a Canadian diamond at 22% less at other places and that’s a lot of money!
Thanks for the clarification and the links. I obtained my information from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brilliant_Earth
It’s unfortunate but sometimes the people editing Wikipedia pages can have access to outdated or wrong information.
p.s.: Today, over 99% of the world’s supply of diamonds is from sources free of conflict. Even if you wanted to buy a conflict-diamond, you’ll have an extremely hard time in finding one. This means that every other jewelry store (and not only BrilliantEarth.com) you come across only sell conflict-free diamonds because of the custom regulations and laws in place.
seems like these green companies are just an elaborate scam so that they can charge consumers more. There plenty of brilliant earth criticism floating around on the Internet as well.
From the way I see it, Brilliant Earth is just a gimmicky website who makes a big hoo ha out of ethical sourcing. Other vendors sell the same exact inventory too. Following the line of thought, people can get the same “conflict free” and “eco” diamond at other places that don’t make a big ruckus just to sound noble.
Thanks for your comment, William.
Well, going green is the “in” thing now. If you look at cars, electricity and many other daily products we use, you can see a definite market trend of companies promoting green and eco-friendly items. Anyways, Brilliant Earth’s intentions of helping the community are good and you don’t see big companies like Tiffany & Co or Harry Winston (who charge an arm and leg for their jewelry) doing the same.
Well, one thing’s for sure I would rather pay more for a Tiffany & Co diamond ring than to buy at BrilliantEarth.com.
First of all, great website, Paul. You’ve done a lot of beneficial and thorough research, and I just wanted to let you know how much it is appreciated.
William, I understand – and partially agree with – your concern. Green is, indeed, the latest bandwagon; but surely that’s a good thing? I really like Brilliant Earth for their website, and their sustainable policies, but I’m non-plussed at what seems to be a rather large premium in price.
As for Tiffany & Co, I used to really like them, but then I realised that I didn’t want my fiancée’s ring to be one among millions of other carbon-copies, despite the (perceived?) quality. They also charge at least 30% premium just for the name. At the same time, I value their quality, and I can’t say I’ve found that at many other places. Just look at the perfect lines in their Lucida setting, for example, and try to compare it to knock-offs. It’s so easy to tell the real thing.
In the end, I am going for a vintage ring, and I really like the selection over at Brilliant Earth. It’s second-to-none, in my opinion. The thing that concerns me is that I found a ring with an old-European-cut diamond, and when I price similar diamonds separately, they only comes to about half the price the ring is being sold for (~$6k vs $12k). The platinum setting would cost maybe $1000, being generous (around $196 for the metal, the rest for labor). So the question I have is: Should one really expect to pay nearly double, just for a vintage piece?
It’s really hard for me to offer any advice without knowing details of the rings you are considering. You need to compare apples to apples when it comes to buying diamonds. Every little detail matters and can cause differences in prices.
You probably want to read this webpage in full to get a better idea of diamond pricing: https://beyond4cs.com/diamond-prices/
Please see my comments on Yelp for my dealings with this company. Satisfied with the center stone, but workmanship and customer service were unfortunately lacking.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/brilliant-earth-san-francisco
I’m looking for a conflict free engagement ring for my wife. How legitimate is Brilliant Earth’s claims of being conflict free?
Between Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth, which is the better vendor to buy from? BlueNile seem to offer better pricing but I do prefer the Brilliant Earth wedding rings designs.
Also, would you happen to have any coupon codes that I can use to enjoy some form of discount?
In my opinion, Brilliant Earth’s claims of being conflict free is just as legitimate as the majority of other vendors you see in the diamond trade.
https://beyond4cs.com/best-place-to-buy-engagement-ring/
The problem with Blue Nile is that you are expected to buy blind. This is not how I recommend readers to buy diamonds. You can read more about Blue Nile here: https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/blue-nile/
To some extent, Brilliant Earth also poses a similar problem of buying blind but that is slowly changing. They do offer some additional details like magnified images and ASET for a minority of their listings. In terms of wedding ring designs, the comparison of BlueNile vs BrilliantEarth is a no brainer to me. I find that BrilliantEarth.com does have better designs especially if you love designs inspired by Nature.
With regards to coupon codes, I don’t have any. As far as I know, there are currently no promo codes available.
Hi Paul, thanks for sharing your expertise and knowledge. I’ve been checking out Brilliant Earth’s lab-created diamond collection, and almost all of those loose diamonds (I’m looking at 1 carats) were IGI certified…red flag? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
At the moment, commercial synthetic diamonds are graded by IGI. If you are adamant on a man made stone, you’ll just have to roll the dice.
I tried to order the twisted vine engagement ring setting (alone without a diamond as I already have one that I wanted to reset) and they would not allow it. I am so sad, it is for my 25th wedding anniversary.
Hello Paul,
I am having trouble deciding on 3 things:
1. The type of diamond I should go with:
Round, Princess cut, Cushion cut or Emerald.
I love the uniqueness and classic style of a Emerald cut diamond, however I know that brilliance is usually an issue with those.
2. The type of ring setting:
I love the pave style as I want a solid wedding band, but u heard that the stones have a tendency of coming loose and fall?
3. I am trying to decide on James Allen or Brilliant Earth. Is brilliant earth reputable or james allen better when it comes to after sales services. I want a company that is reputable and will offer free repair if any of the aforementioned issues arise (loose stones, fallen stones…..)
Also I am open to any other suggestions for websites.
Thank you in advance and have a great one.
1) Shape is largely a personal preference of choice.
2) Well made pave settings don’t have this issue. Both Brilliant Earth and James Allen offer good craftsmanship on the rings. Between James allen vs brilliant earth, I do have a lot more experience with James Allen and they are speedy in their support. With pave stones coming loose, they are usually a user induced problem (e.g. hard knocks) rather than a manufacturer issue.
3) Both vendors offer what you need and are reputable. Let the choice of setting design be the factor that decides which vendor you want to work with.
Hey Allen,
I recently got engaged and my fiancé got my ring from Brilliant Earth. I have just recently found reviews on how others got their rings from BE and somehow their smaller diamond accents got loose within a few months. And it said that BE wouldn’t cover the cost and that they aren’t a good company that stands behind their products.
I am so paranoid about wearing it now, thinking that I might lose mine… What should I do to relieve some anxiety about it? Should I get my ring checked? Also, should I insure my ring, and do you recommend any companies that does good insurance coverage?
Prongs may get loose for a number of reasons (whether the user is abusive to the ring, whether the ring is made properly etc…) and this problem isn’t isolated to Brilliant Earth alone. It’s not that hard to check for loose stones and this is something you can do yourself.
https://beyond4cs.com/care-and-maintenance/loose-prongs/
https://beyond4cs.com/care-and-maintenance/insurance/how-to-choose-the-best-policy/
Paul- I appreciate the info you have provided here. I am considering a synthetic diamond engagement ring but I am a little wary because the other reviews I have seen on reddit etc from consumers indicated that while the diamond is nice (as advertised), the settings were disasters and BE refused to own up to their obligations to make things right. In particular everyone seems to agree that the small diamond accents tend to fall out quickly and BE claims that the customers abused the ring. Do you have any thoughts on this or have you heard anything similar since writing the original review?
Also, did BE know that you are a professional who was going to post a review when they filled your order or did they believe they were simply filling an order for an ordinary customer?
One additional question if I could: If I wanted to buy a high quality setting from somewhere else and simply source the diamond from BE (since they seem to be the place to go for synthetics) do you have any recommendations as to who has the best value for settings? Are there any reasons I would not want to go this route since I am a novice with very little knowledge about this sort of thing?
Thanks in advance for any additional info!
Brilliant Earth did know I’m a blogger when I placed the order. I did run into some issues with them during the shipment but that’s a long story and they resolved it satisfactorily. Based on my own data collection and correspondences with other readers who bought from Brilliant Earth, these cases of craftsmanship issues are really quite rare.
The truth is, melee diamonds coming loose isn’t an issue that’s specific to Brilliant Earth. Customers from other vendors also face this issue even with the big brands. I would highly recommend getting the setting and diamond from the same vendor.
https://beyond4cs.com/questions-people-ask/
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your open and honest thoughts on diamonds. I’ve been looking at diamonds from Tiffany’s, Costco and Brilliant Earth. What are your thoughts on value and quality between lab created versus mined.
I know Tiffany’s has their reputation, but like you said you’re also paying a 30% premium which I don’t care to do. I’d rather spend that 30% on a diamond that has more c’s to offer. I’ve seen vintage Tiffany engagement rings sell for half their value, so is that “reputation” holding its value? I suppose I’m concerned about the retained value between mined and lab created.
Thanks so much!
If you buy diamond jewelry with the mindset of having “retained value”, you are looking at the wrong place. You should be spending your money in the stock market or bullion. For second hand market, you can expect natural diamonds to be easier to offload but the dismal margins you get back are very similar to lab created diamonds.
Great write up on BE, this is so far the most sincere and moderated discussion I’ve come across aside from reddit.
My woman is looking at this ring and matching band:
https://gerrythejeweler.com/engagement-rings/moissanite/gtj3604-fo-w/
She likes the version of the ring with the 2 carat moissanite, but I’d like to surprise her and have the center stone set with a cushion cut diamond from BE instead.
I can definitely get the setting and band from Gerry The Jeweler, and they’ll make the head custom fitted to the diamond I purchase…
Do you recommend buying the components and having them set locally?
Or should I ship the Brilliant Earth diamond to the guys making the ring?
Keep up the awesome work here!
If you are set on the ring setting (which by the way is a pretty common design that BE has as well) by your jeweler, the best step would be buy the diamond from BE and send it to them directly for mounting.
I generally encourage readers to buy the setting and diamond from the SAME vendor to reduce hassle and liability. Brilliant Earth makes excellent settings with good craftsmanship. So, that’s something you want to consider.
I am a bit disappointed with the customer service of brilliantearth. They are very quick with their first response, but as soon as I asked for ASET images or pictures there was … nothing. Tried it with several diamonds – never got an answer when asking for images.
Hi Paul,
do you know any other reliable online shop offering lab grown diamonds? I looked at brilliant earth, but the cut of their diamonds is not really top of the notch. I was hoping to save some money when buying a lab grown diamonds but it’s basically impossible to find one with a really good cut…
Thank you,
Jan
The problem doesn’t lie with Brilliant Earth. The issue here is that the companies polishing synthetic diamonds don’t have a high standard for cut quality. It’s going to be the same everywhere across the board.
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks a lot!
I just purchased a ring from Brilliant Earth. I visited their showroom in LA, since I wanted to try on the settings and actually see the diamonds. The diamond I ended up with is .90ct, D, VVS2, and what BE calls “super ideal” cut. The GIA has it as 3 excellents. I paid $6990. I did a comparison with James Allen and Blue Nile, and I am really confused about what you can call ideal vs super ideal. On the other websites, stones with all the other matching 3 Cs but with ideal cut came in slight below the 7k price, but super ideal gets higher. I wonder if each website has a different standard for ideal vs super ideal?
Also I got the plain twisted vine ring which is $890, which I thought was already overpriced. But i need a size 10.5 and they charged me $150 for it. This I thought was ridiculous.
I still have a chance to stop this order, I wonder if I should?
Brilliant Earth is a little pricier compared to other vendors but they do offer unique ring designs that you can’t get elsewhere. I usually pay no heed to labels like super ideal from most vendors because the standards they use vary and differ. I look at tangible cut data like ASET/Idealscope to perform an analysis for myself. The onus is on the vendor to back up their claims for their labels.
As for the charge on the ring sizing, I’m actually not sure about details. You should get Brilliant Earth to clarify it. As far as I know, some jewelers may charge an extra for larger size because of the increase in raw materials used.
Thanks Paul! I clarified with the sales person. Brilliant Earth call any GIA triple excellents as super ideal, and 2 excellents as ideal. I guess that’s a lower standard than Blue Nile or James Allen. I see on those websites many diamond that meet triple excellents are still just called ideal.
My diamond does not meet your super ideal guidelines.
Table 58%, Depth 62.7, Crown angle 36%, pavilion angle 40.8%, medium to slightly thick girdle.
I must say I was disappointed with Brilliant Earth’s showroom experience. They didn’t offer any image of the diamonds, they just showed us 3 sample diamonds. I had to ask for a loupe. I really want to cancel and purchase from James Allen now, but I am just not comfortable buying something so expensive without seeing it.
Anyway, thank you for the great info! you do great work. Happy New Year!
Thanks for the update. If that’s the case, you should consider James Allen or Brilliant Earth instead.
Hi Paul,
I’m going to visit their showroom as well, but like many others, am really worried about some people’s experience with their customer service and stones falling out. I love the willow setting, but as it has small stones as you mentioned, am concerned about what kind of upkeep I would have to do to make sure that stones don’t fall out or the metal doesn’t crack. Did you ask them about their additional warranty at all? Do they let you use a specific diamond that you see in their showroom?
Thanks very much for your help!
I’m actually very confident about BrilliantEarth’s craftsmanship. If the melees were to fall out because of craftsmanship issue and not because of accidental knocks, BrilliantEarth will cover it under their warranty.
Hi Paul,
First, thank you so much for this website! I am looking at some Canadian sourced diamonds on the BE website. I do have a question for you – it looks like the diamond you used as an example above did really well in light tests but also appears to be outside of some of your ideal recommendations for various parameters (like table percentage)?per the Gia report, if I’m reading it correctly. Can you please help me understand the difference? I’m getting confused! :)
Also, are brilliant earth rings good quality?
Thanks!
Mary
This is a special case whereby the table % doesn’t negatively impact the diamond’s brilliance. Generally, I would stick to table sizes below 57%. I find their ring workmanship to be of good quality and they have a range of unique designs that are inspired by nature.
Brilliant Earth is a Scam and since you’ve written a glowing review, I assume you are on their payroll…
Largest online supplier of Conflict-free diamonds is a scam
https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/67prfv/largest_online_supplier_of_conflictfree_diamonds/
I see the comment I made a couple of weekends ago has not been posted so i’ll comment again.
I have also been doing research into lab grown diamonds. I appreciate your explanation of what lab grown diamonds are, but I wish you have looked into other lab grown companies besides Brilliant Earth because this sounds more like an advertisement for Brilliant Earth than an actual review of lab grown diamonds. Just my observation. Also, I did not notice you talk about the amount of electricity/energy it actually takes to make a lab grown diamonds. I recently spoke to someone in the diamond industry and he told me one of the largest companies making lab grown diamonds paid $12 million for his electric bill last year, that just doesn’t sound very earth friendly to me?
Google, Youtube and Tesla spend millions of dollars in electricity bills and procurement of raw materials. Does it make them less green? There’s a reason why Brilliant Earth is reviewed. That’s because they are the biggest player in the industry selling man made diamonds. No one else comes close to the scale of diamonds they have in their inventory and business transactions. If you wanted to, you can use the same knowledge that I have taught here on Beyond4cs.com. It’s not that hard to assess other vendors that aren’t worthwhile to write about. You will quickly see the amount of mediocre goods other vendors carry and the misrepresentations of diamond quality to the public.
SCAM BEWARE!!!
Charged my visa card $25,000 then told me i have to pay via ANOTHER METHOD and they have not refunded me yet!!
Bank is investigating this FRAUD COMPANY. It is definitely not a legit business.
Do not let them scam you and take your hard earned money BEWARE!
Just as you are afraid of fraud, Brilliant Earth is wary of frauds from consumers as well. In cases where big amounts of money is charged to a credit card from an international customer, Brilliant Earth (as do many other online vendors) will not accept the payment via credit card. The money should be refunded to you in a couple of days. If it doesn’t, get in touch with me and I should be able to bring this up to the correct authority there.
Hi Paul, I’m looking at BE for a lab-created round diamond that meets my requirements (round, D-F, SI1+, .8carats+) and your ideal cut proportions, and their just aren’t any. Is it common for lab-created diamonds to not be cut as ideally as natural diamonds? Am I going to have to wait forever for the right lab-created diamond to come around?
Julie, you are right in your observations. Cutting a round diamond to truly well cut standards require both time, money and know-hows. Lab created diamonds are typically not as well cut as vendors don’t specialize in them like their natural counterparts do (i.e. White Flash, Brian Gavin).
It is possible to find well cut lab grown diamonds. You just have to be patient and know what to look out for.
There is a big difference between the diamonds and metals used in different engagement rings. Even diamonds used that are Kimberley Certified cannot be guaranteed to be conflict-free. Likewise gold used in the bands for a single wedding ring can have created 20 tons of waste. There are better alternatives like, Canadian diamonds, recycled & Fairtrade gold.
You are right about that. Here’s my advice for people who are concerned about the environment. Don’t even buy jewelry to begin with. Don’t even eat meat, don’t use electricity, don’t drive and basically do every other thing that others are doing. That will cut down waste and carbon footprint.
Buying from Brilliant Earth was the biggest disappointment in my life. The buying process was very easy. Problem is when the ring comes in and the gemstone is a different color than the one you bought. After weeks of phone calls and all I get back from Brilliant earth is either, the color change is due to the lighting the photographer used versus natural light at home. Or that their records indicate that I received the correct stone. I’m sorry but stones don’t change color, my advice is never buy expensive jewelry online.
That is quite surprising to hear because most of Brilliant Earth’s photography actually offers a good representation of what you see in real life. But here’s the thing, if you don’t like what you see, just return the ring for a full refund. Brilliant Earth is good that way and there’s actually no risk on your purchase. Does buying offline offer you the benefit of returning a product for a full money back guarantee if you don’t like what you received?