Alright listen up! In one corner we have the leader of the diamond retailers, Tiffany & Co. And in the other corner, we have the underdog Brilliant Earth. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll battle out the two diamond retailers to see who comes out on top as the better company to purchase your perfect dream engagement ring from. We’ll compare affordability, diamond quality, customer service, selections, shopping experiences, and more. And the result might be shocking!
| Bottom Line Recommendation |
|---|
| Tiffany and Brilliant Earth are both unique companies that have a lot to offer. But if we had to pick one diamond retailer that had a wide variety of natural and lab diamonds, great 24/7 customer service, high quality diamonds, a seamless in-person and online shopping experience, all at an affordable price without breaking the bank, we’d recommend Brilliant Earth. |
| Brilliant Earth | Tiffany & Co. | |
| Year Founded | 2005 | 1837 |
| Website | Very comprehensive, intuitive, & easy to use | Easy to use, but lacks some functionality |
| Customer Support | 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email. 37 showrooms across USA | Call, WhatsApp, email, live chat, or book an appointment. 326 locations across the world. Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 8am-12am EST, Sat 9am-9pm EST, Sun 10am-9pm EST |
| Selection | 80,000 lab grown diamonds and 91,000 natural diamonds | Only 44 diamond engagement rings found online. Selection in-store varies location to location |
| Price | More affordable | Very expensive |
| Return Policy | 30 day return policy and 60 day free resizing | Credit or exchange is available within 30 days of purchase with the original sales receipt, and free resizing |
| Warranty Policy | Lifetime warranty with free prong tightening, re-polishing, rhodium plating, & cleaning services at an additional cost | Lifetime warranty with premium care and repair at an additional cost. Only complimentary ring polishing and cleaning is free |
| Shipping Policy | 1-5 business days | 1-2 business day shipping for orders over $1,000 |
| Upgrade Policy | Free lifetime diamond upgrades if new piece is 2x price of old ring’s trade-in value (if natural diamond), or 1.5x if lab diamond | Free lifetime diamond upgrades if new piece is 2x price of old ring’s trade-in value |
| Jump to Site | Visit Brilliant Earth | Visit Tiffany & Co |
Brilliant Earth Overview
Whether you’re looking for wedding rings, wedding bands, engagement rings, or different ring styles, Brilliant Earth has over 170,000 different diamonds to add to your dream engagement ring.
And with a commitment to using only conflict free diamonds, ethically sourced diamonds, and lab created diamonds, you can feel good knowing your purchase helps support a company that values sustainability and the environment.
Brilliant Earth offers plenty of transparency on all the loose stones they sell. You’ll be able to see detailed information including the cut, clarity, and quality of each diamond.
And to take things a step further, they offer a large educational section to learn more about diamonds to help make smarter shopping decisions.
Read also: Brilliant Earth vs James Allen: What’s The Better Diamond Retailer?
Tiffany & Co. Overview
When it comes to buying fine jewelry and engagement rings, nothing quite comes to iconic as Tiffany.
For over 180 years, they’ve been known for their stunning pieces, timeless designs, and their signature Tiffany setting… all with their renowned blue box.
Read also: Are Tiffany Engagement Rings Worth It?
And the great part is that all their diamonds are sustainable and ethically sourced. Tiffany is committed to using conflict free diamonds that are beautiful with quality craftsmanship.
Buying any jewelry or a new diamond engagement ring from Tiffany is guaranteed to leave a last impression on anyone that receives one.
But one thing to keep in mind is that Tiffany does not offer any lab grown diamonds, and only offers natural diamonds.
Read also: Clean Origin vs Tiffany: You Won’t Believe The Answer
Pricing
In this section, we’ll compare two very similar diamond engagement rings with the same characteristics from Brilliant Earth vs Tiffany to see which retailer offers the more affordable option.
It’s important to note that Tiffany does not offer the ability to create custom diamond engagement rings on their website, as they only showcase pre-made ready-to-ship rings.
So in this example, we’ll find a diamond ring that is available at both Tiffany and Brilliant Earth.
The characteristics are the following:
Cut: Excellent
Clarity: VS1
Color: I
Carat weight: 1.01 ct
Shape: Round
Type: Natural diamond
Setting: Six Prong Solitaire
Metal: Platinum
Let’s take a look and see which retailer offers the more affordable option.
This diamond from Tiffany retails for $15,600.
Read also: Best Tiffany Engagement Rings Under $5000
And the exact same six prong solitaire platinum diamond engagement ring from Brilliant Earth retails for $5,400.
That’s a whopping $10,200 difference!
Selection
When it comes to selection, we were only able to find about 44 diamond engagement rings on Tiffany’s online storefront.
We can’t know for sure, but we’d go ahead and say there are a lot more diamond rings if you visit a physical Tiffany showroom.
This can definitely be an inconvenience if there aren’t any Tiffany locations nearby or if you prefer to shop online.
Read also: James Allen vs Tiffany: The Answer May Surprise You
And while you’ll be able to find catalogues and sales reps to help you find a suitable engagement ring in the showroom, each showroom will have different engagement rings on display which makes it harder to know which ones look nicer in person.
On the other hand, Brilliant Earth has over 80,000 lab grown diamonds and over 91,000 natural diamonds available both online and in 37 showrooms across the United States.
Whether you prefer shopping online or in a physical location, Brilliant Earth has a large selection of loose diamonds and engagement rings for you to browse.
Diamond Quality
Since both Tiffany and Brilliant Earth have excellent quality, it only makes sense to compare the quality to the price and reputation of the brand
It goes without saying that a Tiffany ring is known to have high quality diamonds and the strongest reputation compared to Brilliant Earth.
Read also: Exposed: Unveiling The Dark Side of Tiffany & Co. Complaints
Except for many couples, the price just doesn’t justify any of that.
Especially when you consider how much more expensive a Tiffany ring is, the signature blue box almost doesn’t seem worth it.
But if price is something that doesn’t matter and you want the highest quality diamond ring, we’d recommend Tiffany.
Tiffany has the reputation to back the claims up as well with a long running history of quality craftsmanship.
On the other hand, price plays a large role in deciding on the perfect engagement ring for many couples.
In that case, Brilliant Earth is a popular choice amongst couples for high quality diamond rings.
Read also: Brilliant Earth vs Blue Nile: Here’s Which One is Better
Customer Service
Great customer service is where Brilliant Earth really shines.
Of course Tiffany has beautiful flagship stores around the world, but they heavily lack on the online storefront side of things.
Many shoppers are now moving online to find their next engagement ring, and many rely on online customer support to get all the help they need.
Brilliant Earth offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, live chat, and 1-on-1 consultations with diamond experts across their 37 showrooms in the United States.
On the other hand, Tiffany has 326 locations across the world and customer support is available via phone, email, and live chat during certain hours of operation.
We find the 24/7 customer service feature from Brilliant Earth to be an amazing bonus since many people prefer to browse through engagement rings online during work hours or while their spouse is away/asleep to keep the proposal a surprise.
And if you prefer the 1-on-1 consultations with a diamond expert at Brilliant Earth, that is available to you no matter where you are in the world at anytime
Shopping Experience
Both Tiffany and Brilliant Earth offer an excellent shopping experience.
But it really depends on whether you prefer to shop online or in person.
Tiffany offers a very luxurious experience in person where you’ll feel like royalty most of the time, especially if you visit their flagship stores.
And if you prefer to shop for fine jewelry or your engagement ring online, Brilliant Earth has a far better experience.
They offer 24/7 customer support and a clean website that makes it super easy to find your dream engagement ring.
Read also: Best Cartier Ring Alternatives Under $1000
Brilliant Earth on Reddit
Tiffany on Reddit
Read also: What is Moissanite? And Is it Better Than Diamond?
This last comment brings up an important point.
Most of the engagement ring settings and loose diamonds are easily replicable from other retails for a fraction of the price.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to how much you’re willing to spend, and if you’re okay with knowing that majority of the price markup is because of the marketing and brand of the ring.
Return Policy
Brilliant Earth offers a no-questions-asked 30 day return policy with free return shipping, and a free 60 day resizing policy.
For Tiffany, a credit or exchange is available within 30 days of purchase with the original sales receipt.
Warranty Policy
Brilliant Earth offers free lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects on all their fine jewelry.
However, if you’re looking for extra services like re-polishing and cleaning services, those are an additional cost with their Extended Protection Plan
Tiffany offers lifetime warranty with premium care and repair at an additional cost. Only complimentary ring polishing and cleaning is free.
Read also: Everything You Need To Know About The Tiffany & Co. Warranty
Shipping Policy
Brilliant Earth offers free FedEx shipping for orders in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Deliveries in the US can take between 1-5 business days.
Tiffany offers 1-2 business day shipping for orders over $1,000. Standard shipping is 3-5 business days for orders under $1,000.
Upgrade Policy
Both Brilliant Earth and Tiffany offer free lifetime diamond upgrade program and will give you the trade-in value of your engagement ring to use towards a new piece.
The new piece must be at least 2x your old engagement ring’s trade-in value if it’s a natural diamond.
But at Brilliant Earth, if your old engagement ring has a lab grown diamond, then the new piece must be at least 1.5x your old engagement ring’s trade in value.
| Final Verdict |
|---|
| Tiffany and Brilliant Earth are both unique companies that have a lot to offer. But if we had to pick one diamond retailer that had a wide variety of natural and lab diamonds, great 24/7 customer service, high quality diamonds, a seamless in-person and online shopping experience, all at an affordable price without breaking the bank, we’d recommend Brilliant Earth. |
