Buying jewelry online is a popular option for those who aren’t interested in the traditional retail experience.
Clean Origin and James Allen are two vendors leading the way in selling diamonds online.
I bought my wife’s engagement ring from James Allen, and they earn my full recommendation. But I’m also impressed with the prices and selection from Clean Origin and think it’s a fantastic vendor for lab-grown diamond jewelry.
We’ll compare Clean Origin versus James Allen across the areas most important to your purchase, including an overview of each company, the quality of their jewelry, customer service, and more.
James Allen Overview
James Allen was founded in 2005 by Oded Edelman, James Schultz, Michele Sigler and Dean Lederman.
Their mission was to provide high quality jewelry at a low price and avoid the high costs of traditional brick and mortar stores.
The company boasts that more than 150,000 couples have exchanged its jewelry.
One of the reasons James Allen established itself as a leader in the industry was its image and video technology. A common downside of shopping online was the inability to view the actual piece before buying it.
But by offering high-resolution images and the 360-degree zoom feature, buyers know exactly what to expect from James Allen.
Just check out this image of a pavé cathedral engagement ring setting I created using their customization tool.
Take a minute to rotate it 360 degrees to learn how it appears at every angle.
You can do the same with any piece you create on their website.
It’s how I designed the engagement ring I bought from James Allen (a round-cut diamond in this knife edge setting), and it’s one reason I send all my readers their way when they ask which online jeweler offers the best overall experience.
Even though its most popular products are diamond engagement rings, they offer other types of fine jewelry such as gemstones and tennis bracelets.
James Allen is known as an online diamond store but has locations in Washington, D.C. and New York.
Clean Origin Overview
Clean Origin’s mission is to sell quality lab-grown diamond jewelry.
While many vendors abide by the Kimberley Process to ensure their diamonds are conflict free, and use eco-friendly mining practices, Clean Origin avoids these issues altogether by creating synthetic diamonds.
The company was founded in 2017 by industry veterans Alexander Wiendling, Ryan Bonifacino, and Terry Burman. Their bet was Millennials and Generation Z want lab-grown diamonds at a more affordable price.
So far that bet appears to be correct. I examined search data from Google Trends and found that interest in lab diamonds has consistently increased over the last five years and peaked as recently as December 2022.
Here’s an image showing that trend.
Clean Origin began selling bridal jewelry but has since added bracelets, necklaces, and earrings to their inventory.
They operate primarily online but are headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
As one of the newest entrants into the business of selling diamonds online, they’ve earned their place alongside industry leaders, but Clean Origin distinguishes themselves by focusing on lab-grown diamonds.
What are the Differences Between Clean Origin and James Allen?
The main difference between Clean Origin and James Allen is that Clean Origin sells only lab-created diamond jewelry, while James Allen sells both natural and synthetic diamonds. Each company offers similar lines of jewelry with a variety of designs and styles.
But there is much more to consider in your decision, so let’s dive into the details of what you should know.
Selection of Jewelry
Clean Origin’s selection of jewelry includes:
- Loose diamonds
- Engagement rings
- Wedding rings
- Fine jewelry (bracelets, pendants, earrings)
There are more than 15,000 diamonds in its inventory across the 10 most popular cuts.
Whether you’re searching for a classic round or princess cut, or alternative styles like cushion or emerald cuts, you can choose from a variety of cut, color, and clarity grades.
They also have colored diamonds. Its selection includes pink, yellow, and blue diamonds up to five carats.
Clean Origin also sells close to 300 settings for your diamond. They’re available in 14K or 18K white, yellow, or rose gold. For a sleek, durable option, consider their platinum settings.
There are eight styles of settings such as:
- Solitaire
- Vintage
- Halo
- Classic
- Three stone
Clean Origin’s selection of wedding bands for women includes close to 200 variations in the same metals as their settings.
If you’re interested in diamonds placed along the shank, you don’t have to choose traditional round cuts because they also come with emerald and oval diamonds.
There are fewer wedding ring options for men, with about 33 styles available. Most have a simple design, but some include accents on the band.
The company’s selection of fine jewelry focuses on the lab-created diamonds. From diamond stud earrings to tennis bracelets, small synthetic gems are integrated into the piece for added sparkle.
If you’re comparing Clean Origin versus James Allen, you’ll notice their lines of jewelry are similar. You’ll find the same categories, but James Allen includes natural diamonds.
In fact, you have far more natural diamonds to choose from in comparison to lab-created ones.
James Allen has more than 270,000 natural diamonds in all the popular cuts. There are about 50,000 lab-grown gems in its inventory.
They also have a wider range of colored diamonds. While Clean Origin features three colors, James Allen has eight.
James Allen has nine types of settings, including:
- Solitaire
- Channel set
- Side-stone
- Tension
One of my favorites is their channel-set line, like this stunning setting.
It’s a way to add brilliance to the piece without the cost associated with a larger center diamond.
The two companies have similar styles of wedding rings. Some are simple bands made of gold, while others have diamonds placed on top of the band.
Two areas where James Allen’s selection of fine jewelry stands out from Clean Origin’s is their pearl and gemstone jewelry.
They’re available to be placed in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings as an alternative to diamonds.
Online Buying Experience
James Allen and Clean Origin have mastered the online buying experience.
Their websites have a similar layout and offer intuitive features. If you’re new to buying a diamond online, it’s still a smooth process from start to finish.
Their best feature is the ability to create your own engagement ring by selecting a diamond and setting and pairing them together.
In the top navigation of their websites, select “Engagement Rings”, and choose to start with either a diamond or setting.
There are filters to select the perfect diamond for you. Their sliding scales help show diamonds that have specific carat weight and cut, clarity, and color grades.
For example, if you know you want a one-carat, eye-clean, colorless diamond with strong brilliance, you can set filters to:
- Carat weight: 1.00
- Cut: Very good
- Clarity: VS2
- Color: G
Once you’ve chosen the diamond and setting, you’ll see an image of the final product before checkout.
These images are another reason James Allen and Clean Origin have exceptional online buying experiences.
You can view exactly how the diamond looks in high-resolution before you buy it.
As an example, let’s use a 1.17-carat round cut diamond from Clean Origin. With an SI1 clarity grade, you’d want to know whether inclusions are visible to the naked eye.
The image on their website shows no visible inclusions.
Another feature offered by James Allen and Clean Origin is discovering matching wedding bands and engagement rings. Most buyers want the rings to complement each other but don’t know which styles are the right fit.
When you select a ring on their websites, there’s a section at the bottom of the page that shows a match.
For example, if you choose this 14K white gold pave wedding ring from James Allen, there’s a section showing pave engagement rings.
Customer service is also a critical part of the online buying experience. Both companies earn high marks in this area.
They’re available by call, text, email, and chat. James Allen’s customer service representatives are available 24/7.
Clean Origin’s team is available to contact through the website Monday – Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 12 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.
I bought my wife’s engagement ring online from James Allen. The entire process was smooth, and the ring arrived when expected.
I can attest their customer service is exceptional.
A member of their team helped me decide between two diamonds, and I knew he had my best interests in mind.
You can contact them about any aspect of your order, from walking through a diamond’s grading report to learning about payment options.
These qualities all add up to a world-class online buying experience.
Physical Locations
James Allen and Clean Origin are known as online vendors, but they both have physical locations.
I’ve visited the James Allen location in Washington, D.C., and it’s an impressive setup.
It’s located in Georgetown.
With its display cases full of jewelry, it rivals what you’ll find at many popular brick-and-mortar retailers.
But one of the downsides is its small square footage.
I recommend setting up an appointment before you visit so you’ll have the chance to browse and also connect with their representatives.
Clean Origin has five locations in:
- Shaumburg, Illinois
- Columbus, Ohio
- Frisco, Texas
- Friendswood, Texas
- Woodlands, Texas
They recently announced a new location in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.
So the online jewelers are now competing in the brick-and-mortar business as well, alongside the traditional ones found in many malls.
Prices
The best way to compare prices at James Allen and Clean Origin is to find diamonds with the same grades across the four Cs.
Because Clean Origin only sells lab-created diamonds, we’ll use the same from James Allen.
We assessed prices for diamonds with the following qualities:
- Carat weight: 1.00
- Color: G
- Cut: Excellent
- Clarity: VS2
- Grading Lab: International Gemological Institute (IGI)
At Clean Origin, the average price was $1,403, with a range of $971-$1,734.
James Allen’s diamonds had an average price of $2,128 and a range of $1,770-$2,500.
That’s a 52 percent higher price at James Allen versus Clean Origin.
The same is true if we compare diamonds with the following qualities:
- Carat weight: 1.00
- Color: E
- Cut: Excellent
- Clarity: VS2
- Grading Lab: IGI
At Clean Origin, they sell for an average of $2,187, and at James Allen, the prices are an average of $2,603.
Although lab-created diamonds from Clean Origin are often less expensive than ones from James Allen, their settings generally cost more.
Clean Origin’s begin around $500 for a solitaire setting, while James Allen has options at less than $300. The factors that most determine the price of a setting are its metal and the number and size of diamonds placed on the band.
Clean Origin’s pave settings begin at close to $1,500.
At James Allen, there are pave settings under $700, like this one made with 14K white gold.
So if you’re buying a loose diamond, you could save money by opting for Clean Origin, but the total price for an engagement ring may be comparable.
Quality
Clean Origin and James Allen both sell quality jewelry, but you shouldn’t make this judgment solely on the vendor.
Instead, a diamond should be assessed by an objective third-party organization like the Gemological Institute of America, IGI, or Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL).
Both companies sell diamonds graded and certified by these labs. For natural diamonds, we recommend GCAL and the GIA, but for lab-created diamonds, and IGI certificate is sufficient.
James Allen sells this 0.90-carat round cut diamond with the following grades from the GIA:
- Color: F
- Clarity: VVS2
- Cut: Excellent
These grades indicate it appears colorless and flawless to the naked eye. It’s excellent cut means it has strong brilliance. It’s a quality diamond verified by the GIA.
On the other hand, this diamond earned I1 clarity and I color grades from the GIA. This means its inclusions are noticeable, and it has a slight yellow tint.
You don’t base its value or quality on who sells it but instead by the measurements on a reliable grading report.
But these assessments aren’t available for settings, which is when the name behind it matters. Clean Origin and James Allen offer handcrafted settings with stunning designs.
I recommend Clean Origin’s line of halo settings made with platinum.
Check out the example below, and rotate the image on their website to learn how it looks at every angle.
The circle of small diamonds around the center stone adds sparkle to the piece, and the platinum setting is sleek and durable.
James Allen’s and Clean Origin’s selection of fine jewelry is also some of the highest quality you’ll find on the market at its price level.
Their tennis bracelets are a highlight. Some have simplistic designs while others mix and match different colors of gems.
To illustrate, here’s a tennis bracelet from James Allen in 14K rose gold.
It’s available in carat weights ranging from two to 10, which also means its price can stretch from $3,000-$18,000.
For a lower-priced option, you can explore this design from Clean Origin. Its total carat weight is only 1.5, but the diamonds still appear colorless and flawless to the naked eye.
It’s a quality piece if you’re looking for value.
Shipping, Return Policies, and Warranty
Clean Origin’s shipping policy includes free overnight shipping in the United States and Canada for all loose diamonds and engagement rings.
Other orders are shipped with FedEx 2 Business Day delivery but can be expedited at an extra cost.
James Allen also ships jewelry FedEx Priority Overnight for United States orders, but only if it’s greater than $500. Orders under $500 are shipped through FedEx Two Day Saver.
Clean Origin has a superior return policy compared to James Allen. You can return your jewelry for a full refund within 100 days. At James Allen, sales are final after 30 days.
The item must be in its original condition, and both companies pay return shipping costs.
Their warranties apply to manufacturing defects. Clean Origin and James Allen will repair or replace your jewelry if it’s delivered with these flaws.
This why viewing the diamond through high-quality images and understanding its grading report is important.
If you thought its inclusions wouldn’t be visible, but it turns out there are black spots scattered across the diamond, this type of blemish is likely not covered under the warranty because it didn’t result from a manufacturing error.
For an added fee, Clean Origin offers its Forever Service Plan. It includes annual inspections, resizing, prong repair, and more.
James Allen has a similar plan, where for an additional cost, their warranty can include services like accent stone replacement and repairing a cracked or thinning band.
They’ll also resize your ring for free within one year of your purchase, while Clean Origin only offers this service within 100 days.
Overall, James Allen and Clean Origin have exceptional shipping and return policies and warranties, which should give you more confidence in your purchase.
Customer Reviews
You should also read reviews from customers to know what it’s like to buy from James Allen and Clean Origin. While most jewelry companies have both positive and negative reviews, you can get a sense of customers’ experiences by reading a variety of perspectives.
Reviewers on WeddingWire give James Allen 4.8 out of five stars with high praise in the areas of:
- Quality of service
- Value
- Average response time
- Flexibility
- Professionalism
One of the common threads in customer feedback is the quality and durability of their designs. Others compliment the ease of buying from their website and feel they paid a fair price.
But some customers gave James Allen lower ratings, noting the length of time it took to resize a ring and confusion about overseas shipping times.
There’s also positive sentiment from customers about Clean Origin. They earned four out of five stars from 174 reviews on Trustpilot, with 91 percent rating their experience as “excellent.”
Customers describe their engagement rings as “stunning” and say they “can’t recommend it enough.”
Some who rated their experience poorly said so because the Clean Origin team wasn’t responsive enough or the ring didn’t arrive in the condition they expected.
Both companies have earned an A+ from the Better Business Bureau.
This doesn’t mean every customer has left a positive review but instead that Clean Origin and James Allen have addressed and resolved issues quickly.
How to Decide Between James Allen and Clean Origin
Clean Origin and James Allen are both exceptional jewelry retailers that offer a wide selection and low prices.
On top of that, they’ve mastered other aspects of selling diamonds online like creating intuitive websites and having extensive return policies and warranties.
If you’re considering Clean Origin versus James Allen, here are some guidelines to help you decide.
Choose Clean Origin if:
- You’re interested in a lab-grown diamond at an exceptional price
- You want the ability to return your jewelry for a refund within 100 days
- The designs of their settings and wedding rings are appealing to you
Opt for James Allen if:
- You’re looking for a natural diamond instead of one created in a lab
- You want a huge number of diamonds and settings from which to choose
- You’re searching for jewelry with gemstones or a wider variety of colored diamonds
Whether you choose James Allen, Clean Origin, or another vendor, take the time to view many diamonds and pair them with different types of settings.

Jacob Clarke
Jacob Clarke is the founder of TeachJewelry.com.
He earned an Applied Jewelry Professional Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and now brings you essential information about diamonds, settings, and more.
Jacob has consulted with leading jewelry brands, and his work has been cited in Clean Origin, Diamond Nexus and industry publications.
He's also a member of the International Gem Society.
He enjoys discussing jewelry with readers, so contact him with any questions at jacob.clarke@teachjewelry.com.