Clean Origin vs Blue Nile: Which Diamond Retailer Is Better?

This article may contain links that help us earn a commission when you make a purchase. This comes at no additional cost to you.

Can’t decide between Clean Origin or Blue Nile for your next engagement ring? Look no further – we have you covered!

Here’s what we’ll compare in this shopping guide:

  • Who has the better pricing?

  • Who has the better selection of rings?

  • Which company has the better quality?

  • Who provides the better shopping experience?

  • What are the customers saying?

Let’s jump right into it!

Read also: Clean Origin Review: Are They Trustworthy?

Read also: Blue Nile Review: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying

Bottom Line Recommendation

Clean Origin and Blue Nile are great options if you’re in the market for lab grown diamonds.

Each online diamond retailer has their own pros and cons, and it really comes down to which upside you value more, and which downside you’re willing to live with.

For instance, if having a physical showroom that you can walk into and browse various styles of lab grown diamonds, then Blue Nile would be a great option for you.

Or perhaps your partner often second-guesses their purchases. In that case, Clean Origin would be a great option for you with their industry-best 100-day return policy.

Both Blue Nile and Clean Origin are two of the best online diamond retailers for lab diamonds in the industry right now. And you can’t go wrong with choosing one over the other.

Clean OriginBlue Nile
Year Founded20171999
PricingMore affordable optionsSlightly more expensive
InventoryOver 65,000 lab diamondsApprox. 11,000 lab diamonds
Customer SupportVirtual appointments, call, live chat, text, email, or regular mail. Chat hours are Mon-Sat 8:30am-12am EST, and Sun 9am-12am EST24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email. Plus over 20 different in-person showrooms across USA
Return PolicyIndustry-best 100 day return policy30-day return policy
Warranty PolicyFree inspections, repairs, replacements, and substitutions for manufacturing defects. A $50 temporary deposit is applied to cover for shipping and evaluation for defects. This fee is refunded for all warrantied repairs. Repairs done by a third-party jeweller will void the warranty.
Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects with complimentary cleaning & inspections
Buyback PolicyN/ABuyback available via Mondiamo-Circa based on market value and cash offer
Insurance PolicyOffered through Zillion. Coverage against loss, theft, accidental damage, and disappearance. Insurance can be purchased at checkout. Insurance cannot be purchased for loose diamonds.Offered through Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group.
Full ReviewClean Origin ReviewBlue Nile Review
Jump to siteVisit Clean OriginVisit Blue Nile

Best Seller

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Clean Origin

  • Affordable prices
  • Diamonds are conflict-free
  • High range of customizability
  • Simple shopping experience
  • Book virtual appointments
  • Large selection of lab grown diamonds
  • Free shipping worldwide
  • Free resizing
  • Industry-best 100 day return policy
Check Current Price

Editor’s Choice

Blue Nile

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Blue Nile

  • Affordable prices
  • Over 200,000 lab grown and natural diamonds to choose from
  • Generous 30-day return policy
  • Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects with complimentary cleaning & inspections
  • Lifetime upgrades
  • 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email

Check Current Price

Read also: Clean Origin vs Tiffany: You Won’t Believe The Answer

Table of Contents
• Pricing vs Value
• Selection
• Quality
• Shopping Experience
• Customer Support
• Clean Origin vs Blue Nile Reddit
• Final Verdict
• Frequently Asked Questions

Pricing vs Value

An important metric for a lot of shoppers looking for their next engagement ring is going to the value in relation to the price they’re paying.

In some cases, you can pay an affordable price for beautiful diamond engagement rings with no additional benefits like warranty and maintenance.

Or you can pay a bit more and find an engagement ring that’ll save you plenty of money in the long run.

All in all, the value is up to the buyer but these are some things to consider when looking at prices for loose diamonds, engagement rings, and other diamond jewelry.

Read also: James Allen vs Clean Origin: Head-to-Head Comparison


Comparing price and value for Clean Origin vs Blue Nile is a lot like comparing apples to oranges for the most part.

Blue Nile sells natural diamonds and lab created diamonds. On the other hand, Clean Origin only sells lab grown diamond jewelry.

So to keep things equal, we’ll compare the prices between both of their lab grown diamonds.

To get a better sense of pricing, we’ll compare a lab diamond with the following qualities from both retailers:

  • Carat weight: 1.01

  • Color: D

  • Cut: Ideal

  • Clarity: VVS2

  • Shape: Round

Clean Origin

At Clean Origin, this diamond is $1,573.

Blue Nile

At Blue Nile, the same diamond is $2,046.

Read also: James Allen vs Blue Nile: Which One Is Right For You?

Selection Comparison

At the time of this writing, Blue Nile currently has over 200,000 diamonds. But if we take a look at their lab grown diamonds, Blue Nile has 11,473 lab diamonds available.

clean origin lab diamonds

Whereas Clean Origin currently has 65,142 lab diamonds.

Read also: Best Place To Buy Affordable Lab Grown Diamonds

Quality Comparison

Depending on your budget, Blue Nile and Clean Origin offer a wide variety of quality lab and natural diamonds.

The craftsmanship depends entirely on how much you’re willing to spend.

Read also: Best Engagement Rings For Couples On A Budget – Under $5000

Read also: Best Engagement Rings For Couples On A Budget – Under $2500

Naturally, the more you spend, the better quality your lab diamonds, engagement and wedding rings will also be.

With that being said, knowing how much you’re willing to spend on your ring is a crucial part to know before you begin shopping for the perfect engagement ring.

Read also: 14K vs 18K Gold: Which One Is Better?

clean origin homepage

Having that budget beforehand will give you a good idea of the types of quality engagement rings available at your price point

Read also: How Much Should You Spend On An Engagement Ring?

Shopping Experience Comparison

The shopping experience is broken down into two main categories: in-person and online.

The in-person shopping experience consists of things like store accessibility, customer support (we’ll talk more about this in the next section), product displays, and overall service to name a few.

The online shopping experience is made up of the ease-of-use of the website, online customer support options, and any additional features including a Virtual Ring Try On feature.

Read also: This Diamond Cut Will Make Your Ring Sparkle The Most


Blue Nile

Blue Nile is one of the largest online diamond retailers up there along with James Allen.

Read Also: James Allen vs Blue Nile: Which One is Right For You?

Blue Nile has multiple physical showrooms for shoppers to visit and learn more about diamonds and engagement rings.

There are over 20 different showrooms to visit across the country. You can find the full list here.

These showrooms offer visitors a Diamond Experience Program, where people can experience the brilliance of their signature Astor diamonds in person.

Read also: Buyer Beware! Unveiling Blue Nile Engagement Ring Complaints

Aside from this program, everything else is rather standard for a jewelry showroom.

You’ll find knowledgeable and experienced customer support reps, and you’ll have the opportunity to view and try on multiple engagement ring styles.

You can also build your own custom engagement ring directly in the showroom to be eventually shipped free-of-charge to the showroom or directly to you.

Read also: Best Practical Engagement Rings For Active Lifestyles

On the digital side, Blue Nile offers virtual appointments for shoppers to ask questions and get advice from one of their professional jewellers.

Another great feature they offer is 24/7 customer support and the ability to reach out to them via WhatsApp.

Read also: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Nile’s Warranty

Editor’s Choice

Blue Nile

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Blue Nile

  • Affordable prices
  • Over 200,000 lab grown and natural diamonds to choose from
  • Generous 30-day return policy
  • Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects with complimentary cleaning & inspections
  • Lifetime upgrades
  • 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email

Check Current Price


Clean Origin

Unlike Blue Nile, Clean Origin is a completely online jewelry retailer.

They have a very simple and clean website. It’s very easy to navigate as well.

Read also: The Dark Side of Clean Origin: Unveiling Complaints

You’ll find tabs that indicate places to find their diamonds, engagement rings, jewelry, and other wedding related items.

The overall appearance of the Clean Origin is very minimalistic and simple. You’ll have all the relevant information you need and plenty of great resources under their education tab.

Although the site currently lacks some popular features like 40x magnification and virtual try on like you would find on James Allen’s website, you do get HD videos and 360 degree details on certain diamonds with Clean Origin.

Read also: Everything You Need To Know About The Clean Origin Warranty

Another reason we love Clean Origin is their industry-best 100-day free return policy.

clean origin website

They really understood the fact that many couples take quite some time to make sure their lab grown diamond engagement ring is something they want to keep forever.

More often than not, couples will exchange a ring because it doesn’t look as great as they previously thought it did.

clean origin shipping

As a result, Clean Origin gives customers 100 days to make a decision and return it for free if they don’t like it.

So if you or your loved one is likely to second-guess an engagement ring, Clean Origin is a great option to check out!

Best Seller

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Clean Origin

  • Affordable prices
  • Diamonds are conflict-free
  • High range of customizability
  • Simple shopping experience
  • Book virtual appointments
  • Large selection of lab grown diamonds
  • Free shipping worldwide
  • Free resizing
  • Industry-best 100 day return policy
Check Current Price

Customer Support Comparison

Clean Origin

If you’re looking to get in touch with a customer support person from Clean Origin, they have live-chat hours from Monday-Saturday 8:30am-12am EST, and Sunday 9:00am-12:00am EST.

It was pretty sad to see they don’t offer 24/7 customer support unlike James Allen.

You can also send the Clean Origin support team a text message, email, a phone call, or mail to a physical address.

Clean Origin also offers shoppers live one-on-one virtual appointments at a time that is most convenient for you. Shoppers can ask any questions or inquiries they might have during their search for their perfect engagement ring.

Read also: How Many Carats Should Your Diamond Engagement Ring Be?

Blue Nile

Unlike Clean Origin, Blue Nile has 20 different in-person showrooms you can visit across the United States.

If you’re someone who prefers to speak with others in-person, this is a huge bonus for you.

Blue Nile also has a 30-day money back guarantee.

And much like Clean Origin, you can also book virtual appointments with diamond experts and experienced customer support reps for any help.

Another great bonus is that you can reach out to Blue Nile support team via WhatsApp, and they’re available 24/7 via live chat, phone, or email.

Read also: Best Cartier Ring Alternatives Under $1000

Clean Origin vs Blue Nile Reddit

Let’s see what some users are saying about Clean Origin and Blue Nile on Reddit.

Clean Origin

Best Seller

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Clean Origin

  • Affordable prices
  • Diamonds are conflict-free
  • High range of customizability
  • Simple shopping experience
  • Book virtual appointments
  • Large selection of lab grown diamonds
  • Free shipping worldwide
  • Free resizing
  • Industry-best 100 day return policy
Check Current Price

Blue Nile

Editor’s Choice

Blue Nile

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Why We Love Blue Nile

  • Affordable prices
  • Over 200,000 lab grown and natural diamonds to choose from
  • Generous 30-day return policy
  • Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects with complimentary cleaning & inspections
  • Lifetime upgrades
  • 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email

Check Current Price

Final Verdict

At the end of the day, Clean Origin and Blue Nile are great options if you’re in the market for lab grown diamonds.

Each online diamond retailer has their own pros and cons, and it really comes down to which upside you value more, and which downside you’re willing to live with.

For instance, if having a physical showroom that you can walk into and browse various styles of lab grown diamonds, then Blue Nile would be a great option for you.

Or perhaps your partner often second-guesses their purchases. In that case, Clean Origin would be a great option for you with their industry-best 100-day return policy.

Both Blue Nile and Clean Origin are two of the best online diamond retailers for lab diamonds in the industry right now. And you can’t go wrong with choosing one over the other.

Read also: Best Engagement Rings For Small Hands

Read also: Best Engagement Rings For Big Hands

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Blue Nile founded?

Blue Nile was founded in 1999.

How many diamonds does Blue Nile have?

Blue Nile has over 200,000 lab and mined diamonds to choose from. More specifically, they have 11,473 lab diamonds.

How many locations does Blue Nile have?

Blue Nile has over 20 showrooms across the United States.

What is Blue Nile’s return policy?

Blue Nile has a 30-day return policy.

What is Blue Nile’s warranty policy?

Blue Nile offers lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects with complimentary cleaning & inspections.

Does Blue Nile have an upgrade policy?

Blue Nile offers lifetime upgrades for 100% of the diamond value as long as new purchase is double the price of original diamond.

Does Blue Nile have a buyback policy?

Yes, Blue Nile has a buyback policy available via Mondiamo-Circa based on market value and cash offer.

When was Clean Origin founded?

Clean Origin was founded in 2017.

How many diamonds does Clean Origin have?

Clean Origin currently has over 65,000 lab created diamonds available.

How many locations does Clean Origin have?

Clean Origin is an online diamond retailer and does not have any physical locations. You can however book a virtual appointment with them.

What is Clean Origin’s return policy?

Clean Origin offers an industry-best 100-day return policy.

What is Clean Origin’s warranty policy?

Clean Origin offers lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects.

Does Clean Origin have an upgrade policy?

Clean Origin currently does not have an upgrade policy.

Does Clean Origin have a buyback policy?

Clean Origin currently does not hav a buyback policy.

Photo of author
Author
John Anderson
With over two decades of wedding experience, John Anderson is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor at Life Line Wedding. He writes a variety of articles spanning over multiple areas of expertise including engagement rings, diamonds, wedding jewelry, and wedding planning. John's mission is to help soon-to-be-married couples make educated and well-informed decisions. He now spends his time writing articles to help couples on Lifelinewedding.com. John is based in Brooklyn, NY.