7 Brilliant Earth Competitors & Alternatives

Brilliant Earth is a popular online jewelry retailer that promotes their high standards for sourcing diamonds and how they impact the environment.

My wife and I bought her wedding ring from Brilliant Earth, a half-eternity band, and I’ve visited their locations a few times to shop around. They earn my full recommendation.

But there’s also several other quality vendors I’m familiar with that might have the right piece for you.

Here are seven Brilliant Earth alternatives and competitors to explore.

1. James Allen

James Allen is a Brilliant Earth competitor that sells many of the same lines of jewelry, including:

• Loose diamonds
• Engagement rings
• Wedding rings
• Diamond studs and earrings
• Anniversary rings

They’re my number one recommended online jeweler. When a reader asks me where they should buy an engagement ring or another piece of jewelry, I send them James Allen’s way.

In fact, it’s where I bought my wife’s engagement ring (a round-cut diamond in this setting), and I was fully satisfied with the experience.

Since its establishment in 2006, James Allen has consistently led the industry in addressing a significant challenge inherent to online jewelry retail: the need for advanced imaging and video technology.

In traditional brick-and-mortar stores like Kay, Jared, or Zales, customers have the advantage of closely inspecting jewelry pieces before making a purchase. This tactile experience is especially crucial given the substantial financial investment that jewelry often represents. Many potential buyers remain wary of stock images, fearing that they may not accurately represent the product.

Recognizing this concern, James Allen has set itself apart by offering exceptionally high-resolution images of its entire jewelry collection. This commitment to transparency and quality ensures that customers have a clear and detailed view of their potential purchase, closely mimicking the in-store experience. By investing in cutting-edge photography and videography equipment, James Allen provides a level of detail and clarity that helps build trust with customers, making the online shopping experience as intuitive and reassuring as possible.

For example, check out this image on its website of a one-carat diamond.

You can even rotate it to view the stone from every angle.

Once you’ve matched it with a setting, they’ll show the complete ring.

The quality is the same for their line of wedding rings.

Here’s the image they provide of a traditional 14K white gold ring.

With James Allen, you can be certain that the product delivered to your doorstep will align perfectly with your expectations.

The platform offers a user-friendly tool for designing your own engagement ring, ensuring a seamless experience even for those who may be new to the world of jewelry.

I personally navigated through this process when purchasing my wife’s engagement ring, and I found the entire journey from selection to purchase to be straightforward and uncomplicated.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to engage with their customer service representatives at one of their physical locations, where I received invaluable advice and insights that further informed my purchasing decision. Their expertise and guidance played a crucial role in ensuring that I made the best choice for such a significant moment in our lives.

2. Blue Nile

Blue Nile was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The company was one of the first to enter the online jewelry space by offering customers a wider selection than what they could find in a retail store. 

Blue Nile has become known for their emphasis on customer education, transparency, and competitive pricing, which disrupted the traditional jewelry retail model and appealed to a generation of digital-savvy consumers.

Now, they’ve opened physical showrooms in addition to their online experience.

I’ve visited Blue Nile in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. 

It’s located in a large mall, and the store itself is small. There are display cases of jewelry and representatives available to answer questions. If you’re exploring Blue Nile, you should check out a location if there’s one nearby.

You can place your order there, or if the piece you’re looking for isn’t available, you can have it shipped.

One of the hallmarks of the Blue Nile experience is the ability to create your own engagement ring.

In the main navigation of the site, click “Engagement Rings,” and then start with a loose diamond or setting. Find the combination that matches your taste, and Blue Nile will display an image of the completed ring.

The image below is of an engagement ring I customized with a round-cut diamond and French pavé setting.

And although they don’t promote sustainability to the same degree as Brilliant Earth, their diamonds are conflict-free and abide by the Kimberley Process.

Blue Nile also offers wedding rings and other types of jewelry.

One of my favorites is their line of eternity wedding rings. Small diamonds wrap around the ring, and you can adjust its total carat weight (CTTW) and the type of metal.

Or if you’re interested in tennis bracelets, you’ll find them between one and 10 CTTW and in six different metals, like this design.

Blue Nile is a one-stop-shop for your jewelry needs no matter the occasion.

3. Clean Origin

Clean Origin, established in 2017 by industry veterans, aspires to lead the jewelry industry towards a brighter, ethical future by designing fine jewelry that aligns with their values. The company is recognized for its customer-centric policies including a 100-day return policy, free two-way shipping, and an exclusive focus on 100% lab-grown diamonds, reflecting its commitment to ethical and sustainable jewelry production.

In this way, they’re an alternative to Brilliant Earth because of a similar mission, although Brilliant Earth still sells natural diamonds.

If you’re searching Clean Origin’s selection of jewelry, you’ll find familiar product lines.

For example, you can customize an engagement ring by starting with a diamond or setting.

I recommend choosing from their line of halo settings, like this grand classic design.

But if you’re intrigued by a solitaire, you can pair it with a diamond and choose your metal type.

One of the advantages of lab-grown diamonds from Clean Origin is their affordability.

You’ll often pay less than half the cost compared to a natural diamond.

To illustrate, we’ll compare costs between Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth.

This lab-created diamond from Clean Origin has the following qualities:

• Carat weight: 1.00
• Color: G
• Cut: Ideal
• Clarity: VS2
• Lab: International Gemological Institute (IGI)

Its price is $1,080.

This natural diamond from Brilliant Earth has the same grades from the IGI. It costs $6,480.

You’ll find the same pattern when assessing the prices of lab-grown jewelry like earrings, promise rings, and bracelets.

4. Ritani

Ritani is an online jewelry retailer founded in 1999. Customers can have up to two custom rings or loose diamonds shipped free of charge to a local partner store to view the items in person without any obligation to purchase. This model facilitates a seamless transition between online browsing and in-store purchasing, providing a comprehensive and flexible shopping experience. 

Their selection is similar to what you’d find at their competitors, such as natural and lab-grown diamonds, wedding rings, and fashion pieces.

They stand out in the market by offering price transparency. Their tool provides a cost breakdown for each phase of the supply chain, from the wholesalers to operational costs and Ritani’s margin.

They even offer a price match guarantee. If you find a diamond from Brilliant Earth or another jeweler that has the same qualities, they’ll find one that matches it at a lower price.

If you’re searching for an engagement ring from Ritani, you’ll find the process is similar to others in the industry.

For example, I browsed their round-cut diamonds and filtered for an ideal cut with G color and VS1 clarity grades. 

Ritani indicated which of those diamonds offers the best value. These have the combination of traits that help you avoid premiums for higher grades but still mimic the appearance of a colorless, eye-clean gem.

I paired one of those diamonds with a three-stone setting, pictured below.

It has tapered baguettes on each side to create an elegant ring with a softer glow.

5. With Clarity

With Clarity opened their doors in 2013.

On their website, you’ll find the traditional lineup of jewelry: engagement rings, loose diamonds, wedding rings, gemstones, and fine jewelry.

But what causes With Clarity to stand out among Brilliant Earth competitors is their home preview program.

Here’s how it works.

You select two rings and customize them for carat weight, shape, and metal.

The company will ship them to your home so you can try them on for three days.

It’s a helpful way to combine the online and in-person experiences, so you can purchase your ring with confidence.

In terms of their specific selections, you’ll find them similar to James Allen, Blue Nile, and others in their industry.

With Clarity lists nine diamond cuts, including round, princess, cushion, and radiant, and seven styles of settings.

Once you’ve paired the diamond and setting, you can view a high-quality image of the piece.

The same is true of their fine jewelry like diamond stud earrings. 

The pieces are often customizable, so you can select your preference in carat weight and type of metal.

6. VRAI

VRAI is a jewelry retailer that brands their mission in a similar way as Brilliant Earth. Their website explains how the diamond industry has been plagued by a reputation involving practices that aren’t eco-friendly.

So VRAI promotes how their diamonds “help save the climate” with the tagline “No mining. No emissions. No guilt.” 

In fact, they promote how they know the origin of every diamond they sell, which is similar to how Brilliant Earth allows you to track the source as well.

Founded in Los Angeles, California in 2014, the company is the direct-to-consumer line of Diamond Foundry.

Its selection mimics other online diamond stores. You can choose from 10 cuts and eight styles of engagement ring settings.

One unique offering from VRAI is a trillion cut diamond.

It’s shaped like a triangle. The style isn’t a popular choice for engagement rings, which makes it appealing to some buyers. 

Instead, you often find them as side stones.

Outside of diamond rings, VRAI includes the usual lineup. 

Most options are customizable, like this halo necklace offered with a round-, oval-, emerald-, or pear-cut diamond.

One of my favorite features of their online experience is the ability to filter jewelry by occasion, such as:

• Graduation
• Mother’s Day
• Valentine’s Day
• Bridal

It’s a helpful way to narrow down your selection of VRAI’s pieces that are fit for the celebration.

7. Keyzar

One area where Keyzar stands out is its images. They provide a close-up still image of the diamond as you’re browsing the options. When you select it, it’ll rotate 360 degrees.

On the other hand, Brilliant Earth’s images are high-resolution, but the picture and video are incredibly close to the diamond. Here’s a comparison.

You’ll find most of the same types of settings at Keyzar, such as:

• Solitaire
• Vintage
• Hidden halo
• Side stone
• Pave