Index
Retailer reviews
What each retailer commits to in writing, who owns it, and what it is actually built for. Read from the published policies with the date attached.
Check live prices — we don't print them here, because they change daily.
Rings
The centre stone is where nearly all the money goes. Compare the same specification at each — shape, carat, colour, clarity, cut grade and grading laboratory held identical, or you are not comparing anything.
Earrings
Sold by total carat weight across the pair, so a 1ct pair is two half-carat stones. Cheap enough to make a sensible first purchase from a retailer you have not used before.
Bracelets
Check the clasp and the safety catch before the stone quality. A tennis bracelet that springs open on the wrist is the most common way people lose one.
Necklaces
The chain matters more than buyers expect. Check the gauge and the clasp — a heavy pendant on a thin chain is a repair waiting to happen.
Links open each retailer's own category page. Rare Carat links are affiliate links and earn us a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. The others are plain links that earn us nothing today. If that changes, this line changes with it. Every relationship is listed on the disclosure page.
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Blue Nile review VALUE
The volume player. Largest certified-diamond inventory, keenest pricing on plain settings.
Signet Jewelers · trading since 1999
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James Allen review WINDING DOWN
Being retired. Signet announced the site is closing; the name continues as a collection inside Blue Nile.
Signet Jewelers · trading since 2006
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Brilliant Earth review PROVENANCE
The provenance premium. Traceable sourcing, showrooms, and a price to match.
Brilliant Earth Group (NASDAQ: BRLT) · trading since 2005
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Rare Carat review MARKETPLACE
The aggregator. Searches other vendors' inventory and undercuts on price.
Independent · trading since 2016
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Grown Brilliance review LAB-ONLY
Lab-grown only. No natural inventory at all, which is the whole proposition.
Independent — founded by Akshie Jhaveri, a third-generation jeweller · trading since 2021
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Ritani review HYBRID
The hybrid. Ships to a local jeweller for a free in-person inspection before you pay.
Independent · trading since 1999
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Kay Jewelers review MALL CHAIN
The mall standard. Largest US jewellery chain, built on financing and store presence.
Signet Jewelers · trading since 1916
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Zales review MALL CHAIN
Kay's sibling. Same owner, overlapping stock, different storefront and often different price.
Signet Jewelers · trading since 1924
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Costco review WAREHOUSE
The warehouse. Publishes a minimum quality floor and prices against it.
Costco Wholesale · trading since 1983
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Jared review MALL CHAIN
Signet's upper mall brand. Bigger stores, bigger stones, on-site workshops.
Signet Jewelers · trading since 1993
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Helzberg Diamonds review BERKSHIRE
The Berkshire chain. Owned by Warren Buffett's holding company since 1995.
Berkshire Hathaway · trading since 1915
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Shane Co review INDEPENDENT
Family owned for four generations, and the only large US chain still independent of a holding company.
Family owned · trading since 1929
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The cut specialist. Built around super-ideal proportions and light-performance imaging.
Independent · trading since 2000
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VRAI review VERTICAL
The only one that makes its own diamonds — grown, cut and finished in the US.
Diamond Foundry · trading since 2014
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With Clarity review TRY AT HOME
Home preview. Mails replica rings so you can try the design before buying the real one.
Independent · trading since 2013
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Clean Origin review LONG RETURNS
Lab-grown only, from a family with generations in the diamond trade. Return window is the longest in the category.
Independent · trading since 2017
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Angara review COLOUR
Coloured stones. Sapphire, emerald and ruby as the centre stone rather than as an accent.
Independent · trading since 2005
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1stDibs review ESTATE
Estate and vintage. The only route here to a ring that already exists rather than one being made.
1stDibs (NASDAQ: DIBS) · trading since 2001