Hello friend! My name is Jane and I was recently ring shopping for my own engagement. I learned a lot in the process that I want to share with you all here.
I’m not affiliated with any jewelry company – I’m just a consumer like you looking for ethical, high-quality products that express what’s most important to me and my partner. This article has what I wish someone told me before I started hunting for the perfect ring!
An Overview of Brilliant Earth
One brand that kept popping up in my search was Brilliant Earth. They‘re an interesting company that seems to really try to do things the right way.
Some key facts:
- Brilliant Earth was founded in 2005 by Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg to provide fine jewelry through ethical and environmentally responsible practices
- They are one of the global leaders in offering both natural and lab-created diamonds that are certified to be conflict-free and socially responsible
- The company gives back 5% of its profits to support mining communities and rainforest conservation efforts around the world
So from the beginning, Brilliant Earth has made ethics and social responsibility core to their brand. As someone who cares deeply about human rights and environmental issues personally, this really appealed to me right away!
How Brilliant Earth Sources Diamonds and Gemstones
Brilliant Earth has invested heavily in being able to trace where its gems come from through what’s called chain-of-custody certification. Each diamond is tracked from the mine it was sourced from all the way to being set in your ring design.
They partner primarily with mines that have independent certification proving both conflict-free and socially responsible practices. For example, the Canadian Arctic and Botswana are two mining regions they work with frequently that have excellent records.
For lab-created diamonds, Brilliant Earth uses technology that grows gems by replicating the natural diamond formation process, atom by atom. The result is a man-made diamond that has essentially identical chemical, physical and optical qualities as a mined diamond. These have the added benefit of being eco-friendly since they don’t require destructive large-scale mining.
Either way, Brilliant Earth stands behind the quality and origins of all the diamonds they offer. They even provide independent grading paperwork from laboratories like GIA with every stone so you can validate the quality yourself.
Brilliant Earth Engagement Ring Styles and Customization Options
Alright, now that we know about their ethical sourcing practices, let’s get to the fun part – all the gorgeous ring designs!
Brilliant Earth has hundreds of engagement ring settings spanning from classic solitaires to more modern diamond halos and accented looks. While they don’t sell outside brands, their in-house design team creates unique pieces you won‘t find elsewhere.
They make choosing a diamond easy with filters to compare by shape, carat, color clarity and more. Once you select a stone, you can view it in any setting you like to visualize the completed look.
What’s great is that every ring on their site can be fully customized. So you aren’t limited to pre-designed configurations – you can pick the exact metal (yellow, white or rose gold), diamond shape and accent stones that appeal uniquely to you or your partner.
If you can dream it, Brilliant Earth can make it a reality!
Image from Brilliant Earth
Some of their most popular ring styles that stood out to me were:
- Petite Twisted Vine: An elegant diamond vine motif that can highlight any shape stone up to 2.75 carats
- Waverly: A variety of modern halo settings with vibrant diamond accents flowing down the band
- Cadenza: Gorgeous vintage-inspired rings featuring intricate diamond accents and engravings
But honestly their catalog is so extensive, everyone can likely find something that speaks personally to their style. Their site makes it easy to shortlist favorites, compare and take your time deciding.
What Do Other Brilliant Earth Customers Have to Say?
I always check independent customer reviews when considering major purchases, especially jewelry. Here‘s a quick summary of what I found from various sources:
- Brilliant Earth has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars across over 4,000 reviews on their site.
- Rating of 4.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot based on almost 3,000 independent reviews
- Featured positively on major publications like Vogue, Forbes and Refinery29
The vast majority of customers seem very satisfied with both the end product and overall experience. They praise the quality of materials, excellent service, and fast shipping times.
Any critical feedback appears around potential delays or hiccups with more complex custom orders – which is understandable for bespoke pieces. However Brilliant Earth‘s customer service earns rave reviews for making things right quickly.
So all signs point to them really standing behind their jewelry and being committed to happy customers.
I hope this beginner‘s guide has you feeling empowered to find the perfect ethical engagement ring for you! Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m happy to chat more about my experience and share advice. ❤️
