Clean Origin Review: What You Need to Know in 2024

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3 diamond jewelers we like better than Clean Origin

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Best quality diamond inventory, lowest prices

Summary of Our Clean Origin Review: The Bottom Line

In our updated October 2024 review, we rank them as one of the better places for buying lab-grown diamonds online, but they are no longer among our top recommendations. While they offer a wide variety of diamonds, prices have increased, and the ability to inspect and evaluate diamonds is not great. Their customer service, too, is not as excellent as it used to be.

Our Pros and Cons of Clean Origin

Before we begin our Clean Origin review, we have listed the main benefits and drawbacks we found during our assessment.

Pros

• Low lab-grown diamond prices.
• Good and fast support.
• Massive selection of lab-grown diamonds.
• 100-day money-back guarantee.
• Select your own diamonds and settings.

Cons

• Not possible to see the actual diamonds and inspect them.
• The selection of fancy shapes is limited.
• Limited info on environmental impact.
• Pre-set diamond cut grade is sometimes only Very Good (so pick the diamond yourself).

What do you think about Clean Origin?

Introduction to Our Review of Clean Origin

Clean Origin has established a position in the fine lab diamond jewelry market by providing ethically-created diamonds as an environmentally beneficial and socially responsible alternative to mined diamonds.

This exhaustive Clean Origin review considers what sets Clean Origin apart from the competition. We look at its commitment to sustainability, transparency, and exceptional quality, the selection of jewelry and designs, and diamond jewelry customization options. Next, we compare Clean Origin’s prices to those of its competitors. Lastly, we evaluate Clean Origin’s customer service, return and shipping policies, and buying experience. We compare Clean Origin with its competitors to see how they stack up to other jewelers.

In this updated 2024 review of Clean Origin, we’ll find out if they still live up to our previous top rating and if they’re still one of the best places to buy lab diamonds online.

The History of Clean Origin: Tracing the Company’s Roots

Clean Origin was started in 2017 by three veterans of the jewelry industry.

• A former global managing director for the Danish jewelry conglomerate Georg Jensen and a third-generation diamond trader
• A former CMO of one of the most famous jewelry brands in America, Alex and Ani
• A former CEO of Signet Jewelers, Sterling Jewelers, Zale’s chairman, and current board chairman for Abercrombie and Fitch.

With such a strong team, it is no surprise how well they have executed their mission of bringing the best customer service and premium-quality diamonds directly to consumers at the most competitive prices.

Clean Origin has quickly become one of the leading sellers of lab-created diamonds and has made its mark on the industry. And they have quickly positioned themselves as leaders in the lab-grown diamond space and direct-to-consumer jewelry sales. Throughout our review, you’ll learn how.

Quick Clean Origin Facts

Only Lab-Grown Diamonds at Clean Origin

Clean Origin exclusively sells lab-created diamonds and jewelry. When you shop at Clean Origin, you are guaranteed to avoid conflict diamonds. Thus, you can rest assured that your stone will have a minimal negative impact on people and the planet.

Clean Origin sells diamonds produced using one of the two main techniques: high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Our guide to lab-grown diamonds explains these techniques in more detail.

Together, the techniques allow them to sell almost any size and quality diamonds. And at a much lower cost than mined diamonds. Without the negative societal impact and unnecessary carbon emissions.

Comparing Clean Origin’s Diamond Prices

Our in-depth analysis of the lab-grown diamond market and countless reviews consistently find that Clean Origin offers some of the most competitive prices. Their diamond prices are 60-80% lower than similar mined stones and often 10-20% lower than many of their competitors in the lab-grown diamond space.

The only other diamond seller with lower prices is Ritani (read our Ritani review). Clean Origin’s lab diamond jewelry tends to be cheaper, while Ritani’s loose lab diamond selection is bigger and more affordable.

Loose Diamond Prices

When we compare the prices of diamond jewelers, we use a reference diamond to compare the range of diamond prices. This is not an exact comparison, but it gives you an idea of the price levels. We’ll do the same in this review.

Our reference diamond, one of the most popular types, has the specifications below. The grades are within what we typically recommend buyers look for.

• Carat weight: 1.0 (plus-minus a little)
• Cut grade: Excellent or Ideal (whichever is the best, depending on the laboratory)
• Color grade: I-J
• Clarity grade: VS1-VS2
• Shape: Round Brilliant
• Origin: Lab-grown

Clean Origin’s prices range from $562 to $985. This makes them as cheap as Ritani and cheaper than any other lab diamond jeweler we have compared with.

While we would not recommend every diamond in the above selection, most are excellent and recommendable. However, always study the 360-degree diamond images and certificates since lab diamond grading is somewhat subjective and can vary.

See more in our price comparison for 1-carat lab diamonds, 2-carat lab diamonds, and all the way to 6-carat lab diamonds. You’ll find that Clean Origin is consistently among the cheapest of the lab-grown diamond jewelers we recommend. And significantly cheaper than any mall jeweler or mined diamond seller.

Diamond Jewelry Prices

Our Clean Origin review also finds that it consistently ranks among the cheapest for any lab diamond jewelry. In fact, Clean Origin’s lab diamond jewelry prices are usually unbeatable.

Prices vs. competitors

We start by comparing the prices of lab-created diamond stud earrings, the most popular lab diamond jewelry (apart from engagement rings). Our analysis demonstrates how low the prices are at Clean Origin. A pair of 1-carat total-weight lab diamond stud earrings cost less than $800. You will quickly pay several thousand at other jewelers for a similar pair.

Compare prices for all lab-grown diamond earrings and see for yourself.

Similarly, you can buy the typically prohibitively expensive but impossibly elegant diamond tennis bracelet for less than $1,000. And a 3-carat tw. version for less than $1,500. If you look at places such as Zales, Kay, Jared, Helzberg, or Diamonds Direct, you’ll often pay 2-3 times as much! And 5-6 times more if you go for mined diamonds.

Quality of pre-set jewelry

However, you should note that the quality of pre-set diamonds varies and that we recommend that you customize any jewelry. That means picking the loose diamonds from Clean Origin’s vast selection and pairing them with the setting you had your eyes set on.

Luckily, as we’ll get into later, Clean Origin’s friendly customer support will gladly help you find suitable diamonds. We have found that their support is extremely patient and helpful. And, importantly, they do not pressure you to pick more expensive diamonds. Instead, they recommend diamonds that are the best fit for your needs.

Simply contact Clean Origin’s customer support and ask for their advice on what diamond to pair with. You’ll get much better diamonds for the money and won’t overpay for a sub-par pre-set quality. (more on their customer service later in the Clean Origin review.)

We also advise that you read our lab diamond buying guide packed with tips for finding the perfect lab-grown diamond.

Diamond Selection at Clean Origin

Clean Origin exclusively sells lab-grown diamonds, so you don’t have to worry about diamonds being conflict-free (they are) or the carbon footprint (it’s much smaller).

As we have found in this Clean Origin review, their dedication to lab-created diamonds clearly shows. This includes the vastness and quality of their lab diamond selection.

Clean Origin offers an extensive selection of loose stones and ready-to-ship lab-created diamond jewelry. They have nearly 70,000 lab diamonds available in all possible sizes and shapes.

The largest selection is of round brilliant diamonds, the most popular diamond shape. But they also offer a big enough selection of fancy-shaped diamonds to ensure everyone can find something for their taste and budget.

The only thing we miss is a broader selection of fancy-colored lab-grown diamonds. Clean Origin does sell colored diamonds. But they are limited to pink, yellow, blue, and green. The selection is also smaller than what we’ve found at James Allen and Brilliant Earth.

Jewelry Selection

You can choose between an impressive variety of jewelry settings and pre-set pieces. You can find classic diamond jewelry, such as diamond stud earrings and tennis bracelets, as well as more creative designs and fashionable jewelry.

And while you’ll find more unique diamond jewelry designs at places such as Grown Brilliance, Kimaï, and Vrai, the selection at Clean Origin is broad enough to cover almost anyone’s needs.

As always, we highly recommend picking the jewelry design and setting you prefer and searching for a diamond that fits your needs.

If you change your mind, you can use their generous 100-day risk-free money-back guarantee to switch to another setting. It is completely free of charge! More on that and their fantastic customer service next in our Clean Origin review.

Create Your Own Jewelry

You can choose between ready-to-ship jewelry at Clean Origin or pick out your own lab-grown diamonds. Then, you can match them with your favorite setting by choosing between a vast selection of settings of any type, style, and metal imaginable for complete customization and a personal piece of jewelry.

We always recommend choosing the diamond to go with your preferred setting. This way, you’ll get the exact diamond that fits your needs. While finding the perfect diamond can be a daunting task, Clean Origin will guide you through the process. Read more about that next in our Clean Origin review.

We recommend you learn about the diamond 4Cs and read our lab-grown diamond-buying tips.

The Shopping Experience

Like other diamond sellers who have embraced the technological possibilities of showcasing diamonds online, Clean Origin offers high-definition 360-degree inspection of all diamonds. They are not quite as advanced as the pioneering James Allen, but they are among the very best. Most buyers will be delighted with the level of due diligence possible at their site.

Below is an example of the 360-degree diamond view. This is a critical part of the diamond inspection and buying process. Ensure you don’t see any significant blemishes and inclusions and the light reflection is vivid and vibrant.

You can also assess the dimensions of the diamond, such as the width, table, depth, girdle, and culet. However, these are better studied with the diamond diagram, which Clean Origin provides for all diamonds.

You should always study the diamond certificate as part of the diamond inspection process and due diligence.

Diamond Certification

Lab-grown diamonds are graded and certified by the same laboratories and grading institutions as mined diamonds. The certification is performed using the exact same standards and procedures. Therefore, you can rest assured that your lab-created diamond is exactly the same as a mined diamond. You can compare them like-for-like using the 4C grading system.

All diamonds purchased through Clean Origin are graded and certified by the best diamond labs. Most grading is carried out by the renowned International Gemological Institute, the leading institute for lab-grown diamonds headquartered in the diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium.

As a result, you can trust their diamond grading. Always remember to choose the highest diamond cut grade, which is ideal for IGI.

Finding the lab diamond certificates at Clean Origin is straightforward since they are accessible from the diamond product detail page for all diamonds.

The diamond certificate provides essential information about the diamond. In most cases, this includes the presence, type, and placement of inclusions and blemishes.

Customer Service

As part of our lab diamond jeweler reviews, we always test customer service. This includes interactions, the professionalism of the advice given, responsiveness, friendliness, return policies, and shipping. And we’ve done the same for this Clean Origin review.

Clean Origin has built its company around customer service and ease of doing business. They’re a digital-first direct-to-consumer company, and it shows. As we learned, the shopping process is made truly simple. And should you have any questions, you can initiate a chat for an immediate response (not a bot!).

Responsive customer support

If you are less familiar with buying and inspecting diamonds, the qualified customer service team at Clean Origin can help. We’ll review that next.

It’s straightforward to contact Clean Origin via chat, email, or phone, and they are incredibly responsive regardless of the inquiry type. We recommend using the chat or email option when deciding on a diamond. That is because you get an immediate reply and have time to read the detailed responses after your interaction. Buying a diamond requires thoughtful consideration.

Clean Origin is adamant that all your questions are answered and that you’re satisfied with their support. So speaking or chatting with Clean Origin’s representatives is a true pleasure. We have rarely encountered such friendly, knowledgeable, and customer-centric service. And we’ve interacted with a lot of jeweler customer services!

Professional Guidance

Diamond experts staff Clean Origin’s customer service and are ready to guide you expertly through the buying process. In our experience, they are highly transparent. They don’t try to push more expensive stones and even recommend cheaper diamonds when appropriate.

It’s evident that they are true experts at their trade and possess deep-diamond knowledge. We were particularly impressed by their patience and friendliness. No ask was too big, and they strived to make the customer happy.

Virtual Appointments

Clean Origin now offers virtual appointments like James Allen, Ritani, Grown Brilliance, Brilliant Earth, and With Clarity.

This dramatically improves the diamond shopping experience, particularly if you need help finding the exact diamond for you and perhaps a lab-grown diamond engagement ring.

As noted above, Clean Origin’s professional support is exceptionally honest and wants the best for you. Unlike what you may have experienced at a physical jeweler. They’ll even advise you against a more expensive diamond if it’s not right for you!

Jewelry Packaging

When you receive a piece of Clean Origin jewelry, it is placed in a thoughtfully crafted and eco-friendly jewelry box in a second box, keeping it safe.

Engagement rings come in a gorgeous blue box made of eco-friendly paper. To preserve the element of surprise, the shipping box does not indicate what is inside.

Free Shipping and Free Returns

Clean Origin offers free FedEx Overnight shipping on every order and free return shipping on all orders (currently US only). Orders are shipped securely overnight following a 7-10 day production time. They also offer flexible delivery options to avoid ruining any surprises. Shipping is fully insured, and the receiver must sign the order delivery.

Returns are entirely hassle-free using the same premium standard of shipping with the option to send through a FedEx-staffed shipping station if you need any assistance. We tested Clean Origin’s return process, and it’s effortless and straightforward.

Clean Origin’s 100-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Clean Origin offers a very generous, risk-free 100-day money-back guarantee. Not only does it provide a full refund, but you can also exchange your purchase for another setting or stone while relying on its expert guidance throughout the process.

You should always ensure that any diamond purchase includes risk-free and easy returns. Our best-rated lab diamond jewelers offer at least a 30-day return period. But Clean Origin outdoes them all by offering a staggering 100-day return period!

Environmental Impact

Clean Origin devotes much attention to the environmental benefits of lab-grown diamonds versus mined stones. By purchasing lab-created diamonds instead of mined, you avoid disturbing land and decrease mineral waste by more than 6,000%! No animal habitats are disturbed, and growing diamonds in a lab leave no huge holes (some of which you can see from space).

Energy consumption is 25 times lower; water consumption is 1/7th of the mined counterparts per diamond carat. Whether it is gold or platinum, even the metal is recycled, so the environmental footprint is minimal. It’s safe to conclude that buying a lab-grown diamond through Clean Origin instead of a mined diamond is better for the environment.

The only area where Clean Origin could raise its environmental bar would be to rely solely on renewable energy, as a few producers do. These include Vrai through Diamond Foundry and what Pandora aims for, or the sustainably rated diamonds from Brilliant Earth.

We would have liked to see a little more commitment to the clean energy cause. But, overall, Clean Origin scores very high on the sustainability report.

You can read more about all the benefits of lab-grown diamonds here.

Human Impact

Diamond mining has a poor track record of leaving conflict, human and workers’ rights violations, political turmoil, and conflict in its wake. And mining harms local communities and brings disease, pollution, and corruption to mining communities. Working deep in mines can result in injuries and health-related issues.

Diamonds created in a laboratory have no issues; the human impact is solely positive. Our Clean Origin review appreciates and applauds their dedication to setting things right and educating consumers. You can learn more about the benefits of lab-grown diamonds in our in-depth article here.

Our Readers’ Clean Origin Reviews

We encourage our readers to share their experiences with Clean Origin. Read our visitors’ Clean Origin customer reviews below.

Bottom Line: Our Verdict on Clean Origin

Our Clean Origin review subtracts 1 star from their previous 5-star rating. The prices are still reasonable, but not as great as they used to be. But, more importantly, you are no longer able to see the actual diamonds and inspect them (a critical part of buying a diamond). The selection is also smaller. Critically, customer service is far from as helpful and knowledgeable as it used to be.

That said, Clean Origin is still among the better places to buy lab diamonds. However, due to recent changes, we recommend other jewelers. They do still offer their 100-day return policy, which is a big plus. But, with the above and the previously raised issues, such as not relying on 100% clean energy (which would also go well with their name) and having a limited selection of fancy-colored lab diamonds, we have to drop their rating significantly.

In 2024, we awarded Clean Origin a much lower score based on the drop in the user experience on the site, not least the inability to see the actual diamonds you are purchasing and the friendly but much less helpful customer service. Our final verdict is a decent 4 out of 5 stars.

How We Have Reviewed Clean Origin

As experts in lab diamonds, we have conducted a thorough analysis and evaluation of Clean Origin, including their diamonds and jewelry, compared to their diamond industry competitors.

We have dedicated extensive time and effort, using our expertise and experience, to provide an accurate and genuine review of Clean Origin. Our review reflects the real-world consumer shopping experience.

Our evaluation includes thoroughly examining the shopping experience, studying the diamonds and jewelry, and testing the craftsmanship. We have subjected Clean Origin’s customer service to many questions that you, as a customer, might have.

Our diamond jeweler reviews, including our review of Clean Origin, are regularly updated several times a year. We do this to ensure they remain current. We value your input and encourage you to share your experiences. So please add your comments, and we will include them in our assessments.

Why you should trust us

Our diamond experts have over 75 years of combined experience in the diamond and jewelry industries. We spent all our time studying diamonds, evaluating jewelry, and reviewing diamond jewelers. Our Clean Origin review was led by our top diamond expert, Rolf Hartmann, with input from several expert contributors.

Ranking criteria

We have evaluated and ranked Clean Origin using these criteria:

• Price
• Diamond inventory
• Jewelry selection
• Quality
• Shopping experience
• Customer service
• Sustainability
• Shipping and return policies

Clean Origin Customer Reviews

Clean Origin used to have great reviews on Trustpilot, but just as we have recently been disappointed by the decreasing service and quality, Trustpilot users have, too.

Clean Origin’s Showroom Locations

Clean Origin is located in the following places:

Dallas, Texas (the original showroom)

2601 Preston Rd
Suite 1053
Frisco, TX 75034

Houston, Texas

1201 Lake Woodlands Dr
Suite 2060
The Woodlands, TX 77380

500 Baybrook Mall
Suite 1155
Friendswood, TX 77546

Chicago, Illinois

5 Woodfield Mall
Space E134B
Schaumburg, IL 60173

Columbus, Ohio

4054 The Strand W
Columbus, OH 43219

Washington, DC

7986L Tysons Corner Center
Tysons, VA, 22102

Clean Origin vs. the Competition

We have compared Clean Origin in more detail in our head-to-head jeweler reviews. See below which Clean Origin versus reviews we have compiled.

• Clean Origin vs. James Allen review
• Clean Origin vs. Ritani review
• Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth review
• Clean Origin vs. Vrai review
• Clean Origin vs. With Clarity review

3 diamond jewelers we like better than Clean Origin

Best service, guidance, diamond prices & quality

Best for engagement rings, designs, and prices

Best quality diamond inventory, lowest prices