For a well-known business with a strong brand presence (evidenced by their high Google search results ranking, influencer partnerships, functional website, and regular sustainability reports), we found ourselves disappointed by what we discovered about Brilliant Earth.

Pouring through Brilliant Earth’s customer reviews and product offerings revealed issues which, in our opinion, you should carefully consider.

“Terrible craftsmanship”
“Never shop here”
“Constant repair required”

Customer reviews (included below) highlight issues with ring quality, sharing reports of loose stones and cracks in settings. These craftsmanship pitfalls, accompanied by mentions of precious metals discolouring over time, raise our concerns about the durability and long-term value of the rings at Brilliant Earth. While we discovered that Brilliant Earth offers a lifetime warranty for manufacturing defects, we noticed that the policy excludes coverage for metal discolouration. We consider this to be a notable omission given public complaints about their metal quality in online reviews.

Reviews about customer service also shine a light on the varied experiences encountered both in-person and online. In these reviews, clients report rushed in-store consultations and pressure to make purchases. It’s our opinion that online support appears to be even worse, with reports of unreturned emails, unanswered calls, and limited assistance post-purchase. Reviews cite difficulties with engagement ring resizing, delayed return processes, and communication breakdowns, which may be troubling for clients seeking solutions for urgent issues.

Brilliant Earth’s sustainability efforts and educational resources are commendable in our opinion, but we found gaps in their international accessibility. Our research found that international buyers may encounter additional challenges such as unclear duties, taxes, and shipping policies, as well as limited local servicing options.

Despite their appealing ethical focus and clear policies, in our opinion, we find that Brilliant Earth’s product quality and customer care have failed clients who trusted them to provide a quality engagement ring. We consider these to be serious issues, so for such an important milestone like your engagement, we don’t recommend Brilliant Earth. You can continue to read this article to find out why.

While we consider Blue Nile to present an extensive range of custom engagement rings and fine jewellery, we’re unimpressed by what they offer in crucial areas. Based on our research, we can’t recommend Blue Nile to you if you’re looking for durable and sustainable jewellery or an excellent standard of customer service.

Customer reviews revealed what we consider to be troubling quality trends, particularly including loose stones and cracked settings. Our tests confirmed some of these issues, with the hidden halo stones of Blue Nile’s ring falling out during our stress tests. Despite some positives, the overall craftsmanship fell short compared to the other rings we tested. In our opinion, a ring should endure daily wear without the risks observed here, which raises our concerns about the long term reliability of Blue Nile’s products.

Blue Nile’s value sits below the average of the other jewellers we’ve reviewed. Their rings are priced 16% higher than the other jewellers we’ve researched, yet, in our opinion, they fail to meet the quality standards we’d expect for the cost. While their resizing and cleaning policies are above average, these strengths are overshadowed by their reportedly poor ring quality and the higher overall expense. For what you’re paying, it’s our opinion that you should be able to expect better.

Blue Nile doesn’t participate in carbon offset programs or community support initiatives, which, in our opinion, evidences a lower effort when compared to the other jewellers we’ve researched. They do offer lab grown diamonds but continue to sell mined diamonds, which we associate with significant environmental and social harms.

While Blue Nile’s in-person and online customer service has its strengths (friendly consultants and quick online chat responses), we found the consistency of these services to be significantly lacking. At the time of our research, customer reviews frequently mentioned difficulty with post-purchase support, especially around returns and resizing, which we consider to be concerning for such an important purchase. We found educational value during consultations to be limited, and we considered the online experience to be marred by misrepresented product imagery.

Blue Nile’s poor ring quality, inconsistent customer service, and lack of ethical initiatives outweigh their few strengths in our opinion. While their functional website and wide product range may initially appeal, we consider that the risks associated with their offerings should be considered carefully. We recommend exploring other jewellers that prioritise quality, overall value, and ethics- our research can confidently determine that Blue Nile is not one of them.