8 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.

They aim to have a positive social impact while offering many of the same types of jewelry found at their competitors, such as engagement rings, gemstones, necklaces, and bracelets.

Founded in 2005, the company started selling jewelry online but now has opened physical stores, where customers can browse products and connect with sales representatives.

But if you’re interested in other jewelers, 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

By a long shot, 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 opening in 2006, James Allen has been at the forefront of solving a challenge associated with selling jewelry online: images and video technology.

One of the benefits of buying jewelry in a store like Kay, Jared, or Zales is the ability to examine the pieces up close. Because it’s such an expensive purchase, many buyers are skeptical of stock images.

James Allen excels in providing high-resolution images of its jewelry.

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.

You’ll know exactly what to expect when it arrives.

The tool on their website to create your own engagement ring is intuitive, even if it’s your first time browsing jewelry. 

I bought my wife’s engagement ring from James Allen using that feature, and the process was simple from start to finish. 

I even had the chance to connect with their representatives at one of the physical locations, and they provided helpful advice on my purchase.

In addition to a seamless buying experience, their assuring return policies and warranties are comparable to the ones from Brilliant Earth.

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.

The industry had relied on a personalized sales experience but earned a reputation for pushing in-store visitors into pricier pieces.

Blue Nile flipped that model upside down and instead allowed buyers to explore jewelry on their own at lower prices. By working with wholesalers and manufacturers, the company cuts out middlemen and avoids high markups.

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

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 is an online retailer specializing in lab-created jewelry.

They began in 2017 with the goal of selling lab-grown diamonds in a way that dodged the reputations of the industry related to the human and environmental conflicts resulting from the trade.

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.

Although Brilliant Earth sells jewelry with lab diamonds, Clean Origin is one of the leaders in that space with a wide selection and easy online experience.

4. Ritani

Ritani is an online jewelry retailer founded in 1999.

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.

Whether you’re interested in an engagement or anniversary ring or a diamond bracelet, you can expect a variety of options from Ritani at a lower price than in-store retailers.

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.

You then decide what you like or don’t like about those pieces and make any adjustments for your final purchase.

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.

From mining to greenhouse gas emissions, many consumers are weary of spending thousands of dollars on a piece that damaged the environment.

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. Whether you’re browsing for wedding rings, bracelets, or necklaces, you can find several options within each category.

Most 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. Lightbox

Lightbox sells lab-grown jewelry. The company was founded in 2018 amid the rise in popularity of these types of stones.

While Brilliant Earth was one of the jewelers leading the way in promoting their diamonds and socially conscious and eco-friendly, that messaging is now at the forefront of many brands such as Lightbox.

One distinction between Lightbox and other jewelers that sell lab-grown diamonds, like Brilliant Earth and Clean Origin, is they guarantee their stones are at least VS clarity. VS, which stands for “very slight included,” generally means the flaws are only visible with magnification.

To the naked eye, it’ll appear flawless.

Their diamonds are also $800 per carat.

This is significantly less than Brilliant Earth.

For example, I filtered their one-carat diamonds for VS1 clarity and F color grades. Prices start at $1,500 and reach as high as $2,570.

Even if I reduce the color grade to G, prices are still more than $1,400.

The catch is that Lightbox’s price limit doesn’t apply to their “finest” collection.

In fact, this one-carat diamond costs $1,500, which is in line with Brilliant Earth’s pricing.

A major difference between Lightbox and many Brilliant Earth competitors is they don’t sell engagement rings. Instead, they focus on other types of jewelry like pendants and earrings.

So if you’re searching for an engagement ring or a natural diamond, you’ll have to opt for another jeweler.

8. Keyzar

If you’re shopping for an engagement ring, you’ll have the option to start with a diamond or setting.

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.

I find I’m able to get a better sense of the stone when there’s some space around it and I don’t have to rotate it on only one axis.

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

Which Alternative to Brilliant Earth is Right for You?

Since their founding, Brilliant Earth has been one of the leaders in selling jewelry online. They’ve paved the way in promoting their diamonds as ethical in terms of their impact on areas where they’re sourced.

But there are many alternatives offering similar lines of jewelry and conflict-free diamonds.

If you’re considering other jewelers, I recommend James Allen for their quality selection, low prices, and exceptional experience.

But by assessing Brilliant Earth and its competitors, you’ll land on the right choice for you.