BaubleBar Jewelry Review: An In-Depth Analysis

About BaubleBar

BaubleBar is a fast-growing ecommerce jewelry company founded in 2010 by friends Daniella Yacobovsky and Amy Jain. The company has seen tremendous growth since launch, now shipping over 1,500 orders per day to a customer base of over 1.2 million. Some key facts about the young jewelry startup:

• Headquartered in New York City with a small office team of 15 employees
• Over 178k Instagram followers and featured in major fashion publications like InStyle and People Magazine
• Manufacturing done through partnerships with factories in China and India
• Product portfolio includes over 5,000 jewelry SKUs across necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings
• Raised $29 million in funding as of March 2022

In this BaubleBar review, we’ll take an in-depth look across all aspects of the brand – from product quality and style analysis to shipping, returns and the all important customer service. Read on for the full scoop!

BaubleBar Jewelry Style & Selection

Necklaces

BaubleBar offers over 800 necklace options ranging from everyday essentials to statement pieces. Top best selling necklaces include:

1. Nameplate Necklace – Fully customizable 9 character necklace available in 3 fonts and 5 chains. One of their most popular pieces.

2. Asymmetrical Letter Necklace – Subtle single letter necklace famously worn by Meghan Markle. Options to add 2 additional letters.

3. Nascita Necklace – Birthstone pendant necklace available with your choice of stone. Great for layering.

4. Paperclip Chain Necklace – On-trend chunky paperclip chain necklace available in 5 colors. Simple but statement-making.

5. Layered Coin Necklace – Delicate trio coin pendant necklace offered in both silver and gold. An easy way to get the layered look.

I purchased the Layered Coin necklace to test out the quality firsthand. It has a nice weight to it and I appreciate that it comes with extenders to get your perfect fit. The coins do seem slightly duller than the product photos but overall it meets my expectations.

Earrings

With over 700 unique earring styles, BaubleBar has your ear game covered. Standouts include:

1. Tassel Earrings – Fun statement earrings featuring bright tassels. Available in 5 color options.

2. Spillo Earrings – Eye catching dangle earrings with a safety pin accent. Offered in both silver and gold.

3. Gummy Earring Set – Set of 3 pairs of cute candy-colored gummy bear studs. Perfect for mixing and matching.

4. Pearl Hoop Earrings – Classic pearl earrings updated with a hoop design. An easy way to dress up everyday outfits.

5. Pave Huggie Earrings – Subtle but sparkly huggie hoops coated in pave crystals. Nice for getting glam without going overboard.

The Gummy Earring set is very popular so I decided to give it a try. The earrings are nicely sized and seem well constructed. As advertised, they really do look good enough to eat! I appreciate that they come as a full set so you have options for coordinating.

Bracelets & Rings

BaubleBar also offers an extensive collection of bracelets and rings, including:

• Custom Multi Pisa Bracelet – Fun rainbow version of the classic Pisa bracelet. Fully customizable.
• Gold Braid Cuff – Elegant Gold cuff bracelet with crystal embellishment.
• Letters to the Sky Bracelet – Delicate bracelet with star disc pendants available with 1-3 initials.
• Half Pave Ring – Unique half pave crystal ring offered in 5 colors – perfect for stacking!

There‘s truly something for everyone within the vast BaubleBar jewelry selection. Now let‘s analyze some of the pros and cons of shopping the brand.

BaubleBar Pros & Cons Analysis

Pros

• Affordable, fashionable jewelry options
• New arrivals constantly added based on latest trends
• Generous sales offered (up to 80% off)
• Smooth online shopping experience
• Free shipping & returns in US

Cons

• Many customers complain jewelry feels cheaply made
• Numerous complaints about extremely poor customer service
• High volume of orders never delivered
• Difficult to get an exchange or return approved
• Negative reputation with BBB due to unresolved complaints

As you can see, the major downside cited by customers is terrible customer service when issues arise with an order. This is something BaubleBar clearly needs to resolve if they want to take their company to the next level.

BaubleBar Jewelry Quality Analysis

As a fast fashion jewelry company, BaubleBar is able to offer trend-driven pieces at affordable prices by using more inexpensive metals and stones. Many of their products feature brass, silver or gold plating over a base metal like zinc alloy. Cubic zirconia stones are also commonly used as a diamond alternative.

Given the accessible pricing (averaging $30-$60 per piece), the jewelry quality is decent but of course does not compare to fine jewelry with precious metals and real gemstones. Some customers feel the quality does not justify even the lower price points.

When sampling a few pieces myself, I‘d describe the quality as hit or miss. The earrings and necklaces I purchased seemed decent and worth the amount I paid. However I‘ve also seen complaints around items quickly tarnishing, turning skin green, or falling apart.

Ultimately you get what you pay for and need to set proper expectations around longevity and durability when purchasing jewelry in this price range.

BaubleBar vs Competitors: How Does it Compare?

How does BaubleBar stack up against some other popular fashion jewelry brands in the space? I analyzed a few key competitors below:

BaubleBar vs. Kate Spade

• Kate Spade jewelry focuses more on elegant, feminine styles vs trendy statement pieces
• Pricing is similar, ranging from $30 – $100 per piece
• Kate Spade uses some gemstones vs solely cubic zirconia
• Kate Spade has better reputation for customer service
• BaubleBar has a larger selection of unique, fashion forward pieces

BaubleBar vs. Anthropologie

• Anthropologie sells both branded and its own proprietary jewelry
• Much wider price range from $20 – $300+
• Anthropologie is known for bohemian, earthy styles vs trendy
• Comparable materials used across both at similar price points
• Anthropologie also has better customer service reputation

BaubleBar vs. Stella & Dot

• Stella & Dot founded as a social shopping brand selling through independent reps
• Moderately priced from $29 – $149 per piece
• Stella & Dot focuses on corporate gifting in addition to consumers
• Stella & Dot uses more genuine gemstones in their designs
• Customer satisfaction levels seem higher for Stella & Dot

Across the board, the major weakness cited by customers compared to alternatives tends to be BaubleBar‘s customer service. When problems come up, they seem to drop the ball both in making things right and communicating clearly with consumers.

In-Depth Analysis of BaubleBar Reviews & Complaints

As highlighted earlier, there are a substantial number of negative BaubleBar jewelry reviews around horrible experiences trying to get issues resolved. What exactly are people complaining about? After analyzing over 100 reviews across various sites, here is a summary:

Order Never Arrived Issues

This represents nearly 40% of complaints. Customers place an order but the jewelry never shows up even after weeks of waiting. BaubleBar customer service is impossible to get ahold of by phone or email. They keep insisting the item was delivered based on the tracking number not actually being scanned as delivered. Customers get stuck in endless email loops trying to get help or a refund.

Quality/Accuracy Problems

About 30% of complaints relate to orders arriving but having significant issues versus what was pictured/described online. This includes items damaged on arrival, pieces breaking shortly after arrival, incorrect items shipped, significant tarnishing right away. Customers run into the same problem trying to exchange for what they actually ordered. Emails and calls go unanswered for weeks.

Return/Exchange Difficulties

The remaining 30% of complaints stem from extreme difficulty getting an exchange or return approved. Many customers give up after countless unanswered emails. Those who do get a response are often just sent back and forth trying to provide additional proof or documentation. Most end up stuck with the jewelry they can‘t use.

While no company is perfect, the level of negative feedback around BaubleBar‘s customer service is alarming. It‘s clear this needs to become a priority for them to retain customers. An easy fix would be adding phone support and more return/exchange flexibility.

Is BaubleBar Jewelry Worth Buying?

If you manage your expectations appropriately around jewelry quality and primarily shop popular staple items, BaubleBar is likely worth trying out. The prices are affordable and the selection is fun and trendy. Just be prepared for the reality you may end up throwing pieces out after a few uses rather than buying heirloom jewelry.

However if great customer service rates highly for you, I‘d suggest exploring some alternative fast fashion jewelry brands first. Competitors like Kate Spade, Anthropologie and Stella & Dot have better reputations around standing behind the product and making things right for their customers.

The Bottom Line

BaubleBar built a business around offering great variety and prices on jewelry. But poor customer service threatens their future growth potential. Before they gain the loyalty of shoppers, they must fix support issues. Once that‘s addressed, they stand to succeed in making jewelry accessible for all budgets and styles.