Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth – Which is Better in 2023?
Last Updated on June 5, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth are two well-known and reputable diamond jewelers who offer some of the best customer service and the lowest prices.
In addition, they are both leading diamond retailers offering the ethical and sustainable choice of diamonds: lab-grown diamonds. This review will compare Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth to help you decide which one is right for you.
Brilliant Earth and Clean Origin both have a broad assortment of high-quality lab-grown diamonds, outstanding customer service, and high-quality jewelry.
Clean Origin and, particularly, Brilliant Earth stand out for their emphasis on sustainability and environmentally conscious diamond trade. Clean Origin only sells lab-grown diamonds, while Brilliant Earth, on the other hand, sells both mined and lab-grown diamonds, emphasizing ethically traded and created diamonds. In addition, Brilliant Earth has a subset of lab diamonds graded 100% sustainable.
So, what’s the difference between the two, and which is better? This comparison of Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth will aid you in deciding where to purchase your next piece of diamond jewelry.
- Quick comparison of Brilliant Earth vs. Clean Origin
- Introduction to Clean Origin
- Introduction to Brilliant Earth
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Lab-grown diamond selection
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Price comparison
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Shopping experience
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Sustainability
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Shipping and Returns
- Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Pros and Cons
- What we like about Clean Origin (Pros)
- What we don't like about Clean Origin (Cons)
- What we like about Brilliant Earth (Pros)
- What we don't like about Brilliant Earth (Cons)
- Summary of Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth Comparison
- More diamond seller comparisons and reviews
Quick comparison of Brilliant Earth vs. Clean Origin
Low-priced sustainable diamonds and jewelry, build your own.
Huge selection of low-priced sustainable diamonds, the lowest prices available.
Introduction to Clean Origin
Clean Origin was founded in 2017 by three diamond jewelry industry heavy-weights to provide ethical and environmentally sustainable diamonds. They specialize in lab-created diamonds and have quickly become one of the most popular online diamond jewelers.
Clean Origin sells lab-grown diamonds, custom-built jewelry (including engagement rings), wedding sets, earrings, and bracelets, among other things. They provide independently graded lab-grown diamonds, free resizing, a generous 100-day return policy, and free expedited and insured delivery.
Learn more in our thorough Clean Origin review.
Introduction to Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth was formed in 2005 to provide more ethical and environmentally friendly diamonds. They are one of the most well-known online diamond jewelers, with a vast assortment of both lab-grown and mined diamonds.
Brilliant Earth sells a wide range of beautiful jewelry created at their San Francisco studio. They also employ responsibly graded lab-grown diamonds, use recycled metals, materials, and packaging, and focus on reducing their climate impact through carbon offsets.
Learn more in our in-depth review of Brilliant Earth.
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Lab-grown diamond selection
First, we’ll compare Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth’s diamond inventory and see which has the better diamond and jewelry selection.
Clean Origin diamond quality and inventory
Clean Origin offers a large selection of high-quality lab-grown diamonds. These include a little over 30,000 loose lab-grown diamonds in different shapes, sizes, and quality. Unfortunately, when looking for our reference diamond, we found 13 matches in their inventory (see below). We wish they had a more extensive selection. However, what we found were nearly all of outstanding quality.
Our reference diamond is a round brilliant-cut lab-grown diamond between 0.93-1.07 carats. The reference diamond clarity is in the range VS1 to VS2 and with a diamond color grade of I or J. The lab diamond cut grade is always the highest. For most lab-grown diamonds (certified by IGI) that is ideal.
Clean Origin also features an extensive collection of ready-to-ship jewelry designs, ranging from traditional styles to more modern and creative designs.
Brilliant Earth diamond quality and inventory
Brilliant Earth has one of the most extensive collections of high-quality lab-grown diamonds. According to our Brilliant Earth Review, they contain almost 50,000 loose lab-created diamonds. We identified over 400 matches in their collection while hunting for our reference diamond, most of which were of suitable quality.
Brilliant Earth also offers a diverse range of jewelry designs, from traditional styles to more contemporary and one-of-a-kind pieces. Furthermore, Brilliant Earth allows you to create your own diamond jewelry by combining it with loose lab-grown diamonds from their large inventory. Avoiding pre-set diamond jewelry, which is frequently matched with sub-par diamonds, usually means obtaining a far higher diamond quality.
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Price comparison
Next, in our Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth review, we compare the prices of Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth. We’ll start with Clean Origin.
Clean Origin diamond prices
Clean Origin offers some of the most reasonable and competitive prices for loose lab-grown diamonds. Compared to other price leaders, Clean Origin is equivalent to Ritani (see our Ritani review). Consequently, you’ll get a great deal when shopping at Clean Origin!
Compared to our reference diamond, Clean Origin’s cost ranged from $800 to $1,170. In our comparisons with other diamond jewelers, these are among the most affordable lab-grown diamonds we’ve seen anywhere.
The pre-set diamond jewelry from Clean Origin is quite affordable. A 1/2 carat (tw) solitaire pendant, for example, costs $695, which is less than at Ritani ($900) or James Allen ($950) using a similar-sized but better-cut graded diamond.
Rather than purchasing a pre-made diamond jewelry piece, we highly urge you to design your own by choosing your own diamond. You’ll get a much better diamond if you do it this way. Clean Origin is one of the best places to create your own jewelry.
Brilliant Earth diamond prices
Brilliant Earth has some of the most affordable and competitive pricing on the market for loose lab-grown diamonds, albeit in a few cases slightly higher than Clean Origin. However, Brilliant Earth’s prices are generally comparable to Ritani and Clean Origin, and you’ll be sure to get a good deal at Brilliant Earth too.
The pricing at Brilliant Earth ranged from $1,100 to $1,890 when compared to our reference diamond (see above). In our comparisons with other diamond jewelers, this is among the lowest we’ve observed and, as mentioned, just slightly higher than Clean Origin and Ritani.
Brilliant Earth’s jewelry settings are typically inexpensive, so whichever jewelry pieces you mix with their lab diamonds will result in a very competitive total cost. And, as previously said, the quality of their lab diamonds is often excellent. As a result, you’ll not only buy a fantastic diamond but also get it at one of the lowest prices available.
On the other hand, prices for Brilliant Earth’s pre-set diamond jewelry are a bit more varied. They’re a touch more expensive than pricing leaders Ritani and Clean Origin, but they’re comparable for some designs. However, we urge that you use Brilliant Earth’s great build-your-own jewelry option rather than purchasing a pre-set jewelry item. As a result, you’ll get a significantly better diamond for the same money!
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Shopping experience
Perhaps the most significant aspect of a diamond purchase is the shopping experience, including the option to scrutinize potential diamonds. In the following sections, we’ll compare the purchase experiences at Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth.
The Clean Origin shopping experience
Clean Origin features a user-friendly website and offers a straightforward, hassle-free purchasing experience. To assess diamond quality, you can view 360-degree high-definition videos and images of all diamonds, as well as see all diamond data and grading reports. The diamond certificates from independent grading institutes are readily available on the site.
Clean Origin also offers expert help by email, phone, and live chat with diamond experts. Every Clean Origin customer service team member has at least five years of experience in the diamond industry and is well-trained to help you choose the perfect diamond.
The setup isn’t quite as sophisticated as James Allen’s, but it’s still excellent. In addition, you can visit the Clean Origin store in Dallas or set up a video consultation with them to walk you through the diamond-buying process.
The Brilliant Earth shopping experience
Brilliant Earth provides a fantastic purchasing experience. The experience, too, is simple and easy. Their website is straightforward to use, except for the diamond certifications that appear in poor (but legible) quality. Besides that, all the information you need to determine diamond quality is readily available.
Brilliant Earth provides exceptional diamond examination capabilities and professional assistance through trained gemologists who you may contact through email, chat, or a virtual meeting to take you through the diamond buying procedure.
Brilliant Earth’s customize-your-own-diamond-jewelry, like that of Clean Origin is excellent. While some other jewelers provide this service, Brilliant Earth allows you to create practically any diamond jewelry on your own.
Many other stores merely let you choose your own diamonds for (engagement) rings or basic jewelry (e.g., diamond stud earrings). So having the option to create many types of jewelry is fantastic since we always recommend that you choose your own diamond combination. This allows you to pick a far nicer diamond (and avoid sub-par pre-set diamond pairings).
It’s simple to create your own diamond jewelry at Brilliant Earth, but if you need assistance, you can always contact their highly experienced support team. Brilliant Earth has 19 stores around the United States, in addition to online service and support.
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Sustainability
Brilliant Earth is a market leader in sustainability and ethical diamond retail alongside Vrai (see our Vrai review and Vrai comparison). Clean Origin also focuses on lab-grown diamonds as an ethical and sustainable diamond option. In the next section, we’ll compare Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth to evaluate who offers the best and most sustainable diamond selections.
Clean Origin sustainability
Clean Origin was founded with the objective of driving sustainability and quality to give conscious shoppers more ethical diamond alternatives. As a result, they’ve always promoted lab-grown diamonds over mined diamonds since they’re better for the environment.
Clean Origin also promises to plant one tree for every dollar spent, and all of the company’s metals, including white, yellow, and rose gold, as well as platinum, are recycled.
Brilliant Earth sustainability
Brilliant Earth is devoted to being environmentally friendly, sustainable, and ethical in its diamond trade and manufacture. Brilliant Earth was likewise founded to increase sustainability and provide ethical diamond options. They set out to challenge the diamond business to boost its positive impact on society from the very start.
While we focus on their lab-grown diamonds, Brilliant Earth also has a large collection of ethically mined diamonds. While we don’t believe mined diamonds can be guaranteed to be ethical (as opposed to lab-grown diamonds, which are always ethical), it’s a step forward.
Furthermore, Brilliant Earth has begun to provide responsibly graded lab-grown diamonds manufactured using renewable energy sources and according to strict requirements. While the collection is still limited, these are comparable to Vrai’s diamonds.
Brilliant Earth doesn’t simply focus on environmentally friendly diamonds; it also goes to great lengths to minimize their environmental effect. For example, their packaging is environmentally friendly and carbon-neutral, and their jewelry settings are made from recycled metals.
Read more about their approach to sustainability in our Brilliant Earth review.
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Shipping and Returns
Brilliant Earth offers free FedEx shipping on every US, Canadian, UK, and Australian order. Similarly, every domestic US order from Clean Origin comes with free FedEx expedited shipping that is fully insured.
Clean Origin’s generous offer of 100-day free returns, however, is unmatched by Brilliant Earth, which operates an excellent but more standard 30 days of free return.
Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth: Pros and Cons
Below we have listed the pros and cons of Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth for you to better decide which one is right for you.
What we like about Clean Origin (Pros)
What we don’t like about Clean Origin (Cons)
What we like about Brilliant Earth (Pros)
What we don’t like about Brilliant Earth (Cons)
Summary of Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth Comparison
Who came out on top in our Clean Origin vs. Brilliant Earth comparison? It all depends on what you’re looking for and your preferences. Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth are excellent options if you’re looking for lab-grown diamonds.
Brilliant Earth and Clean Origin’s customer service are both outstanding, and among the best we’ve experienced. Except for a few advanced features, they are as good as that of also highly-rated James Allen.
Customizing diamond jewelry is possible at both Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth, and you can pick from their extensive selection of high-quality and competitively-priced loose diamonds. However, while Brilliant Earth allows you to build almost any kind of jewelry online, with Clean Origin, you’ll have to contact customer service for anything other than diamond rings.
Clean Origin, on average, has slightly better prices, including for their pre-set diamond. However, we recommend you build your own, and with fewer options to do that, Brilliant Earth is slightly better on that front.
Clean Origin edges just above Brilliant Earth when it comes to returns with their generous 100-day return period, while they otherwise have similar great return and shipping policies.
Where Brilliant Earth outdoes Clean Origin is with their sustainable graded lab diamonds. These are certified carbon-neutral diamonds, and while all lab-created diamonds are a better choice than mined diamonds, picking 100% sustainable stones is even better.
So, if cost is the most important, Clean Origin might be the better choice for you. Clean Origin is also better if a longer return period is essential.
Brilliant Earth is the better pick if you are looking for 100% sustainable diamonds or if you value the opportunity to build diamond jewelry online without having to solicit the help of customer support.
But, it’s a very close call, and we highly recommend both Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth as some of the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds online.
Is Clean Origin better than Brilliant Earth?
Clean Origin and Brilliant Earth are two highly-rated diamond jewelers who primarily sell diamonds online and who focus on sustainable and ethical diamonds. We have compared Clean Origin to Brilliant Earth and found that Clean Origin is better than Brilliant Earth when it comes to their return policy, and sometimes Clean Origin’s prices are slightly better. However, Brilliant Earth has better options to create your own jewelry and sells 100% sustainable graded lab-grown diamonds.
More diamond seller comparisons and reviews
At LabGrownCarats.com, we review all the best (and less good) lab diamond sellers to help you find the best places to purchase diamond jewelry. In addition, we compare diamond sellers in our vs. reviews to help you decide between specific jewelers – should you be undecided.
Read our review of Clean Origin vs. Vrai to see if Vrai is better than Clean Origin and our Clean Origin vs. With Clarity to see if With Clarity does better.
We have also compared Brilliant Earth to Vrai, the two leading sustainable diamond sellers, which you can read in our Brilliant Earth vs. Vrai comparison.
