FAQs

The Kimberley Process defines “conflict free” diamonds as diamonds that have not financed a civil war. But many diamonds that are technically “conflict free” are nevertheless tainted by torture, rape, violence, and worker exploitation. Problems such as child labor, forced labor, low wages, dangerous working conditions, corruption, and environmental devastation do not prevent a diamond from earning a “conflict free” label. At Brilliant Earth, we go beyond current industry practices to offer beyond conflict free diamonds from mines that are untainted by ethical abuses.

The Kimberley Process certification scheme was created in 2003 to break the link between diamonds and bloodshed. Unfortunately, the Kimberley Process monitors only conflict diamonds – that is, diamonds that fund bloody civil wars. It fails to address much of the violence and human rights abuses facing diamond mining today, such as torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, corruption, child labor, and forced labor. The Kimberley Process suggests that “conflict free” diamonds are ethically sourced. In fact, diamonds receiving “conflict free” certification from the Kimberley Process may have tragic histories.

Conflict diamonds, according to the most common definition, are diamonds used by rebel groups to finance civil wars. However, besides civil wars, diamond mining today is plagued by a range of shocking ethical abuses. These include violence by governments, child labor, extreme poverty, and environmental devastation. At Brilliant Earth, we believe that the diamond industry needs to focus on addressing all of these problems, which is why in addition to selling beyond conflict free diamonds, 5% of our profits are donated to help communities impacted by the jewelry trade build a brighter future with education, environmental restoration and economic development.

We begin by carefully selecting the mines that will supply our diamonds. We then track our diamonds as they are cut, polished, and transported so that our supply chain is not corrupted by diamonds with violent or unethical histories. Many retailers make vague claims that their diamonds are ethically sourced. However, few retailers take the time to understand their supply chains, to carefully trace their diamonds from mine to market.

Brilliant Earth carefully selects mines that follow strict labor, trade, human rights, and environmental standards. These mines are under rigorous supervision and undergo third party audits.

Brilliant Earth carefully selects a small percentage of total suppliers who can demonstrate adherence to their industry-leading standards. Brilliant Earth tracks diamonds from mining operator to retail. Suppliers adhere to robust chain of custody protocols, including tracking and identification, purchasing and receipt, inventory and segregation, and record keeping. Suppliers have a documented process to track and identify received, inventoried, and dispatched diamonds designed to ensure diamonds can be tracked back to their original rough receipts. Suppliers maintain records to track and segregate Brilliant Earth eligible diamonds from other diamonds they carry.

Yes! Tracking origin requires effort, and very few retailers do it. But diamonds—like everything from shoes to strawberries—can be tracked through the global supply chain. In fact, because of their high value, diamond whereabouts are continuously tracked to prevent loss. Companies that track the origin of their goods – from wine to chocolate to organic tomatoes – rely on documented chain of custody protocols and robust tracking and inventory systems. Third party auditor SCS Global Services conducted an independent verification audit to confirm Brilliant Earth’s chain of custody protocols.

The mines we source from are consistently rated as producing some of the highest quality diamonds in the world. However, when it comes to individual diamonds, quality depends on objective characteristics including carat, cut, color, and clarity. Brilliant Earth's loose diamonds are independently graded by top gemological labs to ensure their high quality characteristics. Additionally, because our diamonds are tracked from the mining operator to the customer, we can verify that no diamond treatments or alterations have been performed. Many of our customers also find that the quality of our diamonds is unsurpassed for another simple reason: the beauty of a diamond is enhanced by the knowledge that its origins are pure.

Our careful sourcing methods do not lead to higher prices. The diamond mines we source from do not add a premium simply because they treat people and the environment with respect. Nor do diamonds mined using shocking labor practices, such as child labor, reach consumers at a lower price point. The market for diamonds is global. Brilliant Earth offers excellent value by providing our socially conscious jewelry at the lowest possible price.

We carry a variety of beautiful gemstones ranging from stunning sapphires to Colombian emeralds to lustrous pearls. We source these gems from suppliers that meet high labor and environmental standards. For instance, Brilliant Earth's sapphires are ethically sourced from select mines in Australia, Sri Lanka, and Malawi.

Brilliant Earth uses precious metals from renewed sources derived from numerous post-consumer sources, including recycled jewelry, industrial products, and electronics components. Because our precious metals are reclaimed and then re-refined back into their pure elements, they are the same high quality as newly mined metals. By using renewed metals, our goal is to reduce the need for additional dirty mining of precious metals. Read more about our recycled gold, platinum, and silver.

We do not sell or create settings unless the customer is also purchasing a center stone from Brilliant Earth. Our settings are made-to-order with each one handcrafted for a center gem with unique characteristics to ensure the quality of the finished piece. For this reason, we do not provide stand-alone settings or semi mounts. Please let us know if we can assist you with selecting a center gem from Brilliant Earth.

We are happy to extend a formal hold for you, for a limited time, to remove the item from the website. Please contact us for more information.

Our inventory is constantly being updated and we may have additional inventory of ethical origin diamonds not listed on our website. Please contact us so we can help you find a diamond that is perfect for you.

Brilliant Earth is proud to offer free lifetime diamond upgrades. View our diamond upgrade policy.

Many of our diamonds are laser inscribed on the girdle with an identification number and/or a unique symbol. Canadian diamonds are often inscribed with a maple leaf or other Canadian symbol. Laser inscriptions provide peace of mind when making a diamond purchase since they are an easy way to identify a diamond. 

Brilliant Earth offers an extensive collection of stunning white lab created diamonds, which have the same physical, optical, and chemical characteristics as our natural diamonds. 

Yes! If you are confident about your choice of diamond, but would prefer that your partner participate in choosing the mounting, we offer a temporary solitaire setting.

Yes, we do provide loose sapphires for purchase. Our ethically sourced loose sapphires are beautifully presented in a sustainably harvested wood box. View our colored gemstone gallery, or contact us at 1.800.691.0952 to inquire about our loose sapphire options.

All sapphires purchased from Brilliant Earth are of natural origin and have not been chemically treated to alter their natural beauty. Most of Brilliant Earth's sapphires are heat-treated, which is an accepted industry standard. Heat treatment improves color, clarity, and overall appearance. No radiation, chemicals, or health risks are involved in this process.

Yes, we carry a broad selection of sapphires in a variety of beautiful colors, shapes, and sizes. If there is a specific gem that you are interested in that is not shown on our website, please contact us at 1.800.691.0952.

We offer a wide variety of gemstones, including aquamarines, morganites, amethysts, moissanites, and more. If you do not see the gemstone you are interested in, please contact us for assistance.

Many of our settings can be easily modified to accommodate a different center stone shape than what is offered online. Please contact us at 1.800.691.0952 to discuss all of your modification options.

Many of our pieces are made to order, which makes us able to customize our standard items to fit your personal preferences. For example, we can modify the center gem shape, the finish, the precious metal, and the gems that we set. Please note that sterling silver pieces cannot be modified.  Contact us at 1.800.691.0952 to discuss all of your modification options.

Yes. We can send you additional images if you are interested in seeing our rings from a different angle, or if would like to see multiple rings together. Please contact us at 1.800.691.0952.

Yes. Brilliant Earth is proud to offer platinum, 18K white gold, 14k rose gold, and 18k yellow gold as a standard option for most styles. We also offer 14k white gold, 14k yellow gold, and palladium for a select number of styles. Custom metal choices, such as black rhodium, 18k white gold alloyed with palladium, and 18k white gold with no rhodium are all options for many of our ring styles. For more information about these options, please contact us. At this time, Brilliant Earth does not work with tungsten or titanium.

Yes, all of our 18k white gold pieces are rhodium-plated to give them a brilliant, white shine. If you prefer the softer, warm tones of 18k white gold that has not been plated, please contact us so that we can make that modification when you place your order.

Brilliant Earth specializes in full custom design, and can create the jewelry piece you desire. For more details, please visit our page on Custom Designed Jewelry or contact us.

We currently have appointment only showrooms centrally located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Boston. Please call us at 1.800.691.0952 or schedule an appointment online. Although we do not have retail stores elsewhere, we are experienced in working with customers remotely and have shared in thousands of engagements and weddings around the world.

All of our prices are in US dollars unless "CAD", "£", or "AUD" is clearly marked to the left of the price, i.e. CAD 1,050, £ 1,050, or AUD 1,050. As a courtesy to our Canadian, UK, and Australian customers, we display our prices in Canadian dollars (CAD) if you visit the site from Canada, British pounds (£) if you visit the site from the United Kingdom and Australian dollars (AUD) if you visit the site from Australia.

We offer excellent value by providing our socially conscious jewelry at the lowest possible price, generally lower than many traditional jewelry retailers offer for standard jewelry. As a result, we cannot offer additional discounts or negotiated prices.

Brilliant Earth accepts all major US, Canadian, UK, and Australian credit cards, bank wire payment, financing, layaway, and PayPal. View our flexible payment options.

For our US customers, we offer special 12 month financing with approved credit. We also offer a layaway option which allows customers to pay for their purchase with 20% down and monthly installments. View our flexible payment options.

Brilliant Earth is proud to offer our entire collection of jewelry and loose diamonds to customers in many countries worldwide, and international orders can easily be placed through our website. View our international shipping and payment policies.

Currently, sales tax is collected by Brilliant Earth on orders shipped to addresses in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC. Orders shipped to Canada will have standard GST and PST applied, but no additional duties. For all orders shipped to Australia, Brilliant Earth collects the 10% GST tax. Sales tax on orders will be calculated based on the tax rate in effect the date your order ships.

If you need your order sooner than the expected timeframe on our website, we are happy to offer expedited production service on most of our jewelry. All requests to expedite an order are subject to a non-refundable production service fee to ensure the order advances in our production queue.  Please contact us at 800-691-0952 for more information about placing an expedited order.

We understand that diamond jewelry is often given for special surprise occasions such as an engagement. Please let us know what we can do to help you maintain your surprise. Special arrangements can be made by contacting us at 1.800.691.0952.

When you provide contact information as part of an order or inquiry, you are authorizing us to share all information regarding that order to all contacts associated with that order or inquiry. Please contact us for more information on how we can help ensure your surprise is a success.

Your order will arrive in unmarked packaging to keep its contents a secret. Brilliant Earth is not mentioned on the package. We can also ship your order to your office, a specific FedEx location to be held for pick up, or wherever you indicate. Please let us know what we can do to make sure your Brilliant Earth order remains a surprise. Contact us for special delivery arrangements, including expedited or Saturday delivery.

Yes, please contact us at 1.800.691.0952 to schedule Saturday delivery.

We include a complimentary insurance appraisal with all engagement rings and wedding rings that have not been modified, all pendants and earrings over $2,000 USD, and all vintage pieces. For other items, insurance appraisals are available upon request. Please note that insurance appraisals are not included with exchange or metal credit orders, except upon request.

We highly recommend insuring your Brilliant Earth jewelry to protect your jewelry from the unexpected. Currently, we do not offer insurance but we have teamed with Lavalier Jewelry Insurance where they specialize in insurance coverage for fine jewelry. Request a quote here.

To maintain the high quality of our pieces and keep our prices competitive, Brilliant Earth does not allow multiple pieces to be purchased for comparison. Comparison purchasing is purchasing multiple products with the intent of keeping one and returning the remainder. If you need any assistance deciding between any of our jewelry pieces, please do not hesitate to contact our jewelry specialists.