Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth – Which Should You Choose? (2023)
Last Updated on March 31, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
You’ve undoubtedly come across Ritani or Brilliant Earth if you’re shopping for diamond jewelry, particularly lab-grown diamond jewelry. Both Ritani and Brilliant Earth received top marks for their diamond selection and quality, as well as for their exceptional service and support, in our in-depth Ritani review and Brilliant Earth review.
However, as you’ll see in our Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth comparison, there are considerable differences between the two jewelers.
Brilliant Earth and Ritani sell both mined and lab-grown diamonds. We’ll concentrate on lab-grown diamonds since they are the environmental and ethical diamond choice, but our comparison equally holds true for Ritani’s and Brilliant Earth’s inventory of mined diamonds. Find out why choosing a lab-created diamond is a good idea!
In this comparison of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth, find out which diamond jeweler is the better choice for you.
- Quick comparison of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth
- Introduction to Ritani
- Introduction to Brilliant Earth
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Lab-grown diamond selection
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Price comparison
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Shopping experience
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Sustainability
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Shipping and Returns
- Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Pros and Cons
- What we like about Ritani (Pros)
- What we don't like about Ritani (Cons)
- What we like about Brilliant Earth (Pros)
- What we don't like about Brilliant Earth (Cons)
- Summary of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth Comparison
- More diamond seller comparisons and reviews
Quick comparison of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth
Lowest prices and premium diamond quality. The best inventory and customization options.
Low-priced sustainable diamonds and jewelry, build your own.
Introduction to Ritani
Ritani has collaborated with the legendary jewelers of Julius Klein ever since its foundation in 1996. Ritani began working in the e-commerce sector in 2012 and, since then, has grown into one of the top online jewelers and merchants of diamonds, even crossing the gap between online and offline jewelry stores (more on later).
Ritani sells both mined and lab-grown diamonds, as well as wedding bands, engagement rings, diamond jewelry, and fashion jewelry. Additionally, they provide one-of-a-kind products made to order at their New York facility.
Learn about Ritani in our in-depth expert Ritani review.
Introduction to Brilliant Earth
To offer more ethical and sustainable diamonds, Brilliant Earth was established in 2005. They are one of the most well-known online diamond jewelers, offering a vast selection of diamonds that have been mined and created in laboratories.
A wide variety of stunning jewelry made in Brilliant Earth’s San Francisco studio is available for purchase. Additionally, they utilize sustainably rated lab-grown diamonds, recycled metals, materials, and packaging and concentrate on minimizing their environmental impact by using carbon offsets.
Learn more in our detailed expert review of Brilliant Earth.
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Lab-grown diamond selection
To compare Ritani and Brilliant Earth, we’ll first examine their diamond inventories and evaluate the quality and variety of each. We do this by looking at both the quantity and quality of their stock. In addition, we use a typical diamond as a reference for both assessing the size of the inventory and the price level (more on prices later in our Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth review).
A lab-grown round brilliant-cut diamond weighing between 0.93 and 1.07 carats serves as our reference (tip: you can often save by going just below one full carat). The reference clarity ranges from VS1 to VS2 and has an I or J color grade. For the majority of lab-grown diamonds (certified by IGI), the diamond cut grade is always the best, which is Ideal.
Ritani diamond quality and inventory
One of the most spectacular collections of fine diamonds, both mined and created in a lab, is available at Ritani. The inventory of Ritani consists of 97,000 loose lab diamonds and over 165,000 mined diamonds.
We discovered 118 lab diamonds that corresponded to the details of our reference stone (0.93-1.07ct, I-J color, VS1-VS2 clarity, and ideal cut). Unfortunately, compared to what we found in our comprehensive Ritani study from 2022, there are fewer matches. However, Ritani’s extensive collection still astounded us, and there is a significant chance that you will be able to locate the ideal diamond for you.
Learn more about how to find and evaluate the perfect lab-grown diamond in our diamond buying guide.
Ritani enables you to design your own diamond jewelry, much like all the top suppliers of lab-grown diamonds. By selecting a diamond from their massive inventory of loose diamonds, you may, for instance, create a unique set of diamond earrings or a diamond pendant. This is fantastic because you’ll be able to get the ideal diamond for your requirements while staying within your budget. Since pre-set diamond jewelry frequently pairs with inferior diamonds, we always advise choosing your own diamond and designing your own jewelry.
Brilliant Earth diamond quality and inventory
One of the most comprehensive collections of premium lab-grown diamonds is held by Brilliant Earth. According to our Brilliant Earth Review, they include over 50,000 loose lab-created diamonds. While looking for our reference diamond (see above), we found more than 400 matches in their collection, most of which were acceptable in quality.
Additionally, a wide variety of jewelry types are available from Brilliant Earth, ranging from classic designs to more modern and unique items. Brilliant Earth also lets you combine it with loose lab-grown diamonds from their huge collection to make your own diamond jewelry. Pre-set diamond jewelry is commonly paired with lower-quality diamonds. So by pairing your own diamonds, you’ll get a far better piece of diamond jewelry (and at a better price).
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Price comparison
Ritani diamond prices
According to our Ritani review, Ritani offers some of the market’s best-priced lab-grown diamonds.
At Ritani, our reference diamond ranges in price from $519 to $1251. This is significantly less expensive than at almost any other diamond dealer. The reason why they are able to keep their prices so low is due to their vertical integration. Learn more about why Ritani’s prices are so low.
In addition, Ritani will suggest alternative diamonds with even better value (even if they are cheaper). Ritani’s lowest costs even often surpass those of Clean Origin, another diamond price leader.
The price of Ritani’s pre-set jewelry is equivalent to that of James Allen and their main competitors. Nevertheless, keep in mind that Ritani only employs diamonds with the best cut-grades (generally rated Ideal when graded by IGI). As a result, Ritani’s ready-to-ship pre-set jewelry is most often of much better value than its competitors, including Brilliant Earth, Clean Origin, and James Allen.
Brilliant Earth diamond prices
Although occasionally slightly more expensive than Ritani, Brilliant Earth offers some of the most affordable and competitive prices on the market for loose lab-grown diamonds. However, Brilliant Earth’s prices are generally pretty close to those of Ritani and Clean Origin, so you can be sure to get a great deal.
Comparing the prices at Brilliant Earth to our reference diamond, they were $1,100 to $1,890. (see above). This is among the lowest we’ve seen in our comparisons with other diamond jewelers and, as previously indicated, only somewhat higher than Clean Origin and Ritani.
Any jewelry you combine with lab diamonds from Brilliant Earth will result in a very competitive overall price because their jewelry settings, too, are well-priced. And as was already said, the grade of their lab diamonds is usually good. Consequently, you’ll not only get an excellent diamond but also do it for one of the most affordable prices possible.
However, the cost of Brilliant Earth’s pre-set diamond jewelry varies a little more. They are slightly more expensive than the market price leaders, Ritani and Clean Origin, but for some designs, they are comparable. But rather than buying a pre-made jewelry piece, we strongly advise you to use Brilliant Earth’s fantastic build-your-own jewelry option. You’ll thus receive a far nicer diamond for the same price!
Summary of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth diamond prices
In summary, the prices of Ritani and Brilliant Earth are not too distant. Ritani has the edge over Brilliant Earth both when comparing loose lab-grown diamond prices and pre-set jewelry. See the examples below.
| Diamond jewelry item | Ritani | Brilliant Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Loose reference diamond | $519 to $1251 (link) | $1,100 to $1,890 (link) |
| 1-carat (tw) martini stud earrings | $1,356 (link) | $1,490 (link) |
Want to compare prices from more diamond jewelers? See how much is a 1-carat lab-grown diamond at all the best jewelers.
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Shopping experience
Properly assessing the stones is one of the shopping experience’s most significant considerations when purchasing a diamond. Find out if Ritani or Brilliant Earth provides a superior shopping experience by reading on.
The Ritani shopping experience
Diamond purchases are really simple with Ritani. They make all information accessible and easy to understand, making the purchasing process less intimidating. As a result, Ritani is a breeze to shop at for first-time buyers or those unable to devote much time to the diamond purchase.
Ritani offers high-definition images and 360-degree movies of its diamond gemstones, and its diamond grading features are superb. As a result, evaluating and comparing diamonds is simple. You won’t have any problem getting the best diamond at the best price if you follow our guide for picking the ideal diamond.
Labeling diamonds that are excellent bargains is one of the things Ritani does to make the process even more accessible. They propose choices for you to consider and advise the best value and quality diamonds. Although the suggested diamond is not perfect in a few cases, they are almost always excellent and worth considering.
Another significant aspect of Ritani is its transparent price. You can see their markup, costs, and diamond buying price openly! That is really transparent and honest. We wish that this information was available at every diamond jeweler.
The live chat option operates seamlessly in addition to excellent phone and email support. Further, you may consult with certified (and evidently objective) gemologists who can assist you in finding the ideal diamond. We have discovered it to be unbiased and fair, and given their incredibly honest pricing, their help is trustworthy.
Ritani doesn’t have its own showrooms, but you may pick up your jewelry and check it out at a participating WeWork facility or a jewelry retailer that partners with Ritani. This is a terrific choice for individuals who want to see the diamond in person before making a purchase.
Next, see how Brilliant Earth stacks up to Ritani in the shopping experience.
Brilliant Earth shopping experience
Brilliant Earth, too, offers a wonderful shopping experience. The experience is straightforward and effortless. Except for the diamond certificates, which appear in low (but legible) quality, their website is easy to navigate. In addition, all the data you need to assess diamond quality are easily accessible.
You can reach out to qualified gemologists through email, chat, or virtual video meetings, which all are excellent options, and we’ve found their advice to be accurate and honest. In addition, on their website, Brilliant Earth offers outstanding diamond assessment features and expert help to guide you through the diamond purchasing process.
The customizable diamond jewelry offered by Brilliant Earth, like that of Ritani, is superb. Other jewelers provide similar customization options, but it’s often limited to selected jewelry types. Like Ritani, Brilliant Earth instead lets you design almost any piece of diamond jewelry yourself.
Being able to design various jewelry is great since we always advise you to select your own diamond pairing. As a result, you may choose a much better quality (and priced) diamond – and avoid often sub-par pre-set diamond pairings.
Brilliant Earth makes it easy to design your own diamond jewelry, but if you need help, you can always get in touch with their incredibly knowledgeable support staff. In the US, there are 19 Brilliant Earth locations in addition to their online service and support.
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Sustainability
Ritani sustainability
Ritani offers a vast assortment of lab-grown diamonds, which is not frequently the case with jewelers selling mined diamonds as Ritani does. Further, Ritani provides a lot of accurate and educational information about the sustainable benefits of lab-grown diamonds.
If Ritani offered the same degree of diamond sustainability that we observed in our Vrai review, that would be fantastic. However, Ritani’s sustainability profile is decent since lab-grown diamonds are already the more morally and environmentally responsible alternative to mined diamonds.
Brilliant Earth sustainability
Similar to Vrai, Brilliant Earth is committed to using ethical, sustainable, and ecologically friendly practices in the production and trade of diamonds (compare Vrai to Brilliant Earth here). In fact, the very reason Brilliant Earth was started was to promote sustainability and offer alternatives for buying ethical diamonds. They set out to push the diamond industry to increase its early beneficial effects on society and succeeded.
Although we concentrate on their lab-grown diamonds, Brilliant Earth also carries a sizable selection of responsibly mined diamonds. It’s a step in the right direction, even if we don’t think that mined diamonds can be guaranteed to be ethical (as opposed to lab-grown diamonds, which are always ethically produced).
Additionally, Brilliant Earth has started to provide lab-grown diamonds that have been appropriately graded and produced in accordance with tight guidelines and using sustainable energy sources. These are equivalent to Vrai’s diamonds, though the selection is still somewhat limited.
Brilliant Earth goes to tremendous pains to reduce its environmental impact and emphasize sustainable diamonds. For instance, they use recycled metals to make their jewelry settings, and their packaging is carbon neutral.
Read more about their approach to sustainability in our Brilliant Earth review.
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Shipping and Returns
Ritani offers free shipping on all orders delivered in the United States via FedEx Priority Overnight (US) and Express shipping, in addition to free returns within 30 days (Canada).
Similarly, orders at Brilliant Earth from the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, Brilliant Earth are shipped with free FedEx shipping, and they, too, offer free 30-day risk-free returns.
The majority of the top online diamond jewelers provide free 30-day exchanges and refunds. Any less should have you worried. However, with its lengthy 100-day free return policy, only Clean Origin stands out from the competitors.
Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth: Pros and Cons
To help you choose which diamond jeweler is best for you, we have listed the advantages and disadvantages of shopping at Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth in the overview below.
What we like about Ritani (Pros)
What we don’t like about Ritani (Cons)
What we like about Brilliant Earth (Pros)
What we don’t like about Brilliant Earth (Cons)
Summary of Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth Comparison
After comparing Ritani and Brilliant Earth, which do we think is the superior diamond jeweler? As is often the case, it depends on what you are looking for and what is more important to you.
That said, we think Ritani is the better choice if you are searching for the very best prices and the most extensive inventory of premium quality diamonds. In addition, Ritani is the better choice for pre-set jewelry due to its use of diamonds with Ideal cut grade. Brilliant Earth, too, is among the few jewelers who use high-quality diamonds in their pre-set jewelry. However, sometimes the quality is slightly lower.
Both Ritani and Brilliant Earth are excellent places for creating your own jewelry due to their high level of customization and flexibility – and their low prices of premium diamonds.
Ritani offers a more extensive selection of lab-grown diamonds, and while Brilliant Earth has a somewhat smaller inventory, it’s still among the largest we’ve reviewed.
When comparing prices between Ritani and Brilliant Earth, Ritani came out best. However, the differences are not huge, and both places offer some of the best prices on lab-grown diamonds available anywhere.
Where Brilliant Earth outdoes Ritani 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, inventory, and very flexible customization options are the most important, Ritani is the better choice for you. On the other hand, 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 Ritani and Brilliant Earth as some of the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds online.
Is Ritani better than Brilliant Earth?
Ritani and Brilliant Earth are both very reputable diamond sellers and great places to buy diamonds and jewelry online. But which is better, Ritani or Brilliant Earth? When comparing Ritani vs. Brilliant Earth, Ritani is slightly cheaper, and their diamond inventory is a little more extensive, but not by much. They both offer more and better customization options than most other diamond jewelers. Brilliant Earth stands out with its focus on sustainability, including its unique, sustainably graded diamonds.
More diamond seller comparisons and reviews
At LabGrownCarats.com, we review lab-grown diamond jewelers. We work to help you decide where to buy your next lab diamond jewelry and how to save money.
See, for example, our comparisons of Ritani vs. James Allen or Brilliant Earth vs. Clean Origin, or compare Vrai vs. Ritani or Vrai vs. Brilliant Earth.
We compare diamond sellers in our vs. reviews to help you choose between specific jewelers, carry out in-depth lab diamonds reviews, and recommend the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds online as well as buying guides and top tips to help you save money.
