Blue Nile vs. Brilliant Earth (2023 Comparison)

Buying a diamond online has grown in popularity as retailers have improved their image and video technology, the user-friendliness of their websites, and reduced prices.

Two of the most prominent jewelry vendors are Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth.

The bottom line is you’ll find an exceptional selection at a lower price compared to traditional in-person jewelry stores, so I recommend an online vendor like Blue Nile, Brilliant Earth, or James Allen.

In fact, I bought my wife’s wedding ring from Brilliant Earth, and she and I are both satisfied with the experience and jewelry.

Let’s compare Blue Nile versus Brilliant Earth across the areas most important to your purchase, including an overview of each company, their selection of jewelry, prices, packaging, and more.

Blue Nile Overview

Blue Nile is an online jewelry retailer founded in 1999 and based in Seattle, Washington. 

They pioneered the experience of buying a diamond online by connecting directly with wholesalers and manufacturers.

Since then, many of the biggest players in the jewelry industry have caught up and offer their pieces online to cut out the brick and mortar stores.

Physical retailers weren’t the only ones who mimicked their model. Online competitors such as James Allen and Clean Origin joined the industry as well.

Although the vast majority of their sales are online, Blue Nile has showrooms in locations such as:

• Scottsdale, Arizona
• San Jose, California
• Garden City, New York
• Tysons, Virginia

I’ve visited their Virginia location, and the setup is simple yet sophisticated. The showroom is much smaller than what you’d find at a traditional jewelry store, so there aren’t as many pieces on display.

I’d view it more as a place to ask questions and get a sense for the brand rather than customizing your own engagement ring with hundreds of different settings.

You can personally connect with their jewelry experts at the showrooms or online, but their website also provides extensive educational information on purchasing a diamond. 

For example, you can learn about how the four Cs of color, cut, clarity, and carat affect price, the different types of settings, and how to find the right wedding ring.

Blue Nile abides by the Kimberley Process and sells conflict-free diamonds, which means they haven’t been used to fund civil wars.

They also aim to work with suppliers who have high standards toward human rights, social, and environmental criteria.

Read my full review of Blue Nile, and check out all the details of their history on Blue Nile’s website here.

Brilliant Earth Overview

Brilliant Earth is a jewelry retailer founded in San Francisco, California in 2005. It primarily sells online but has 32 showrooms across the country.

The company promotes its pieces as “Beyond Conflict-Free.” In fact, its mission is to raise the ethical standards in the diamond industry by going above and beyond the Kimberley Process.

While those standards focus on avoiding diamonds that finance wars against legitimate governments, Brilliant Earth also seeks to protect against human rights abuses and support mine operators that maintain responsible labor practices.

Their partners must source diamonds from specific mine operations and countries that demonstrate they abide by internationally recognized trade, environmental, and labor standards. These suppliers have a robust chain custody protocol for diamonds and can separate them by origin.

The company details their responsible sourcing methods on their website here.

It also minimizes its impact on the environment and offsets its carbon emissions by contributing to Tropical Rainforest Conservation in Brazil.

If you want to learn more about diamonds and jewelry before making your purchase, Brilliant Earth has quality educational content. 

You can learn about the differences between lab-created and natural diamonds, why you should buy a certified diamond, and what to know about each diamond cut.

Check out my complete review of Brilliant Earth.

What are the Differences Between Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth?

Jewelry Selection

The two companies are most known for diamond engagement rings, but they offer a wide selection of jewelry such as:

• Loose diamonds
• Wedding rings for men and women
• Necklaces
• Bracelets

Blue Nile has one of the largest inventories of loose diamonds in the world, with more than 600,000 available across 10 cuts. 

They range in carat weight from 0.23 to more than 20 carats, with every cut, clarity, and color grade.

You can access their full selection here.

Blue Nile used to partner with Lightbox Jewelry to sell lab-grown diamonds, but now they sell them under their own brand. There are more than 18,000 in their inventory.

At Brilliant Earth, they boast more than 100,000 natural diamonds but also have more than 75,000 lab-grown diamonds in their inventory. 

They’ve led the way on offering blockchain-enabled diamonds so customers can trace it’s origin and ownership. There are more than 20,000 of these diamonds on available on their site.

You can check out the full selection on this page of their site.

Whether you’re considering a natural or synthetic diamond, they also have 10 cuts including round, princess, Asscher, and cushion.

Blue Nile has close to 800 styles of wedding rings ranging from platinum to yellow, rose, and white gold. 

Some are the classic style without smaller diamonds placed along the shank, but others are shared prong or pave styles.

Some have other gems on the shank instead of diamonds. This French pave sapphire wedding ring has alternating sapphires and diamonds cascading down the ring.

This Riviera pave wedding ring is similar but instead has rubies.

Brilliant Earth has close to 400 unique wedding rings. The metals are the same as Blue Nile, and many of the styles are too.

Another advantage of Brilliant Earth versus Blue Nile is they sell loose gemstones. Blue Nile only offers them as part of complete pieces such as rings, bracelets, and earrings.

Brilliant Earth sells loose morganite, moissanite, emerald, aquamarine, and more.

Quality

Don’t decide on the quality of a diamond based on the vendor. Instead, validate it with a certificate from a credible third-party. 

For natural diamonds, I recommend:

• The Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
• American Gem Society (AGS)
• Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL)

For lab-grown diamonds, I add the International Gemological Institute (IGI) to this list.

Blue Nile sells GIA diamonds.

Brilliant Earth sells GCAL, IGI, and GIA diamonds.

Both often include the full report on the website.

You can also have confidence in the quality of other jewelry from Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth. Not only are their designs stunning, many are handcrafted.

For example, Brilliant Earth has partnered with Tacori, who manufacturers some of the highest quality settings in the market. 

You can choose their signature crescent setting, where diamonds are placed on the inside face of the ring.

This petite crescent engagement ring setting is one of my favorite designs from Brilliant Earth.

The way accents are placed in the shank is unlike what other vendors offer.

The quality of Blue Nile’s pieces is also shown by their handcrafted fine jewelry. 

Whether you’re considering a pearl pendant, a diamond tennis bracelet, or diamond stud earrings, Blue Nile has proven they only sell the best.

Prices

If you’re comparing prices for jewelry at Brilliant Earth versus Blue Nile, the latter is generally less expensive, but there are plenty of exceptions.

The best way to understand the differences in price between Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth is to compare the cost of diamonds that earned similar grades across the four Cs.

I assessed prices for diamonds with the following grades from the GIA:

• Carat weight: 0.90
• Color: G
• Clarity; VS2
• Cut: Very good

At Blue Nile, the average price was $4,241, with a range of $3,999-$5,018.

At Brilliant Earth, the average cost for a diamond with those traits was $4,228, and the range was $4,120-$4,480.

That’s within one percent of Blue Nile’s prices on average, but Blue Nile does offer the lowest cost options. This concept plays out across many price comparisons between the two.

While the average price is similar, Brilliant Earth’s diamonds usually start at a higher price.

Wedding rings are also generally more expensive at Brilliant Earth. 

For example, this 18K white gold band costs $390.

This comparable band from Blue Nile costs $300.

Brilliant Earth’s pieces are often at a premium because of their Beyond Conflict Free sourcing.

But they continually monitor and update pricing to be on par with competitors.

Online Experience

Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth have mastered the online jewelry buying experience. Specifically, their websites are intuitive, easy to navigate, and have a similar design.

The stand-out feature on both is the ability to design your own engagement ring. In the top navigation, click “start with a setting” or “start with a diamond” and begin building your ring.

Or you can access them directly by clicking here for Brilliant Earth and here for Blue Nile.

You can pair almost any diamond and setting, and they’ll show you the final product.

It’s an effective way to view the style of your ring without having to visit a physical store. You can check out the 360-degree views and often zoom in to examine the details up close.

One of Brilliant Earth’s best online features is the ability to choose a wedding ring that matches your engagement ring. They’ll present the “Perfect Match” in addition to several other recommended options.

As an example, if you’ve selected this 18K white gold petite shared prong engagement ring, they’ll recommend you pair it with the same style as a wedding ring, without the center diamond.

Both sites have other features that provide an easy online buying experience. For inspiration, check out Blue Nile’s and Brilliant Earth’s top 20 engagement rings. On Blue Nile’s list, they include:

• Classic six-prong solitaire engagement ring in platinum
• Petite solitaire in 18K yellow gold
• French pave ring in 14K white gold

Whether you begin the process knowing what piece of jewelry you’re looking for, or you’ve recently started the search, both retailers provide an exceptional online purchasing experience.

Jewelry Packaging

The jewelry’s packaging is part of the experience as well, especially if it holds an engagement ring. Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile have quality packaging but distinct aesthetics.

Brilliant Earth uses responsibly sourced wood ring boxes. They’re crafted from Forest Stewardship Council certified forests, which means they’re responsibly managed.

Here’s a close-up image of their engagement ring box.

The packaging is high-quality, so you can use it to store the ring. Out of all the online diamond stores I’ve covered, Brilliant Earth has my favorite packaging. It’s even 100 percent recycled sustainable in order to reduce emissions.

The package is subtle and sleek, with the brand name etched into the top.

It arrives unmarked, so you won’t have to worry about ruining the surprise. It includes the essential documents like the grading report.

Blue Nile also has distinct packaging for diamond rings and other jewelry. Rings come in a simple dark blue or white box that has the brand name on the inside and top. 

Other pieces of jewelry often arrive in white or blue rectangular packaging.

Depending on what piece you’ve purchased, it can come with the GIA report and appraisal to verify its quality.

Returns and Warranties

Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile have similar return policies and warranties.

At Brilliant Earth, you have 30 days to return your jewelry for a full refund. This includes rings and loose diamonds and gemstones.

The exceptions on their return policies are items that have been modified, engraved, or resized. Custom jewelry is also excluded.

Blue Nile has similar exclusions on their return policy.

The two brands also offer lifetime warranties for manufacturer defects.

Brilliant Earth’s warranty excludes coverage for normal wear and tear, the loss of the gemstone, or theft. 

Instead, it focuses on issues caused during the manufacturing process that result in the piece not looking or performing as expected.

This also doesn’t include:

• Discoloration caused by chemicals or immersion in water
• The prongs snagging during everyday wear, which causes the diamond to fall out
• Restoring prongs that have loosened due to wear and tear

You can read more about Brilliant Earth’s warranty here.

Blue Nile has a similar warranty that focuses on manufacturer defects. You can return it for an inspection. Depending on the assessment, they may repair or replace the item.

If they decide it isn’t covered by the warranty, they’ll provide a quote for its repair.

You can learn all the details of Blue Nile’s warranty here.

Customer Service

A diamond ring or another piece of jewelry is often one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make. Ensure the vendor has helpful customer service to guide you through the purchasing process.

Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth both pass the test in this area.

They have teams of experts available to walk you through assessing a diamond.

If you’re wondering about the differences between French pave and petite pave, which clarity grades are eye-clean, or the pros and cons of certain diamond cuts, their team will talk you through it during a virtual appointment.

Brilliant Earth’s customer service specialists are available 24/7, where you can call, chat, or email them at any time.

The same is true at Blue Nile.

Both companies allow you to set up an appointment at their showrooms where you can view their products in person before you buy.

I’ve connected with members of Blue Nile’s and Brilliant Earth’s teams and have confidence in their customer service experience from start to finish.

Customer Reviews

Don’t simply trust what a company says about their products and services on their website.

Instead, also take into account the experiences of real customers.

There are many customer reviews for Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth.

Some of the most prominent ones in the wedding industry are The Knot and WeddingWire, and many of their users have purchased from Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth.

On The Knot, Blue Nile has 4.8 out of five stars through 280 reviews. Users compliment the company’s easy buying experience through the website, their wide selection of rings, and the peace of mind provided by the return policy.

Not everyone has had the same experience, and some poor reviews note confusion with whether products are in stock and receiving a ring that had defects.

Blue Nile reviews on WeddingWire tell a similar story, with the company earning 4.7 out of five stars from 1,166 reviews.

Customer reviews on the Knot for Brilliant Earth are also positive. They’ve earned 4.4 out of five stars from 418 reviews. 

Reviewers note their exceptional customer service, the ease of resizing a ring, and the educational content on the website.

You’ll find similar reviews for the company on WeddingWire, where they’ve earned 4.5 out of five stars from close to 500 reviews.

But there are some customers who haven’t had a positive experience. Some experiences include:

• Difficulties during the process of resizing
• Needing to replace prongs
• The center stone becoming loose

There’s no company that has perfect reviews across the board. What’s most important is how the company responds to them. 

Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth have both demonstrated the ability to address customer issues. That’s why they’ve earned an A+ from the Better Business Bureau.

I’m also confident that if your experience with them has shortcomings, their teams will properly address the challenges.

How to Decide Between Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth

If you’re deciding between Blue Nile versus Brilliant Earth, know that you can’t go wrong with either. They’ve proven to be exceptional jewelry retailers with a wide selection of quality diamond rings, gemstones, and more. 

Here are some guidelines to help you decide between the two.

Consider Blue Nile if:

• You’re looking for the largest selection of diamonds, settings, and wedding rings
• Finding the option with the lowest cost is important to you
• You’re only considering natural diamonds

Brilliant Earth might be right for you if:

• It’s important the diamond meets some of the highest standards of eco-friendliness
• You’re interested in a synthetic diamond
• You’re searching for a ring with a vintage style

Explore a variety of diamonds, settings, and other pieces of jewelry using their high-quality image and video technology.

When you’re purchasing jewelry, it’s important to have confidence along each step of the process, and Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile provide that to buyers.