Vrai vs Brilliant Earth
A thorough comparison of Brilliant Earth and Vrai, to help you decide which is best for you
Vrai and Brilliant Earth are two online diamond retailers with an emphasis on ethically-sourced and produced diamonds.
In this article, I’ll compare everything Vrai and Brilliant Earth has to offer you in terms of competitive prices, great value, and selection based on my 10 years of helping people buy diamonds online.
By the end of this article, you should have a clear picture on which is the best fit for you.
Vrai initially emerged in the market as Vrai & Oro. Their founding mission was to offer a more streamlined and cost-effective approach to jewelry shopping and design.
The brand caught significant attention when it was acquired by Diamond Foundry, a company co-owned by Leonardo DiCaprio. With flagship stores spanning the West Coast, Spain, and China, Vrai has made its mark globally.
All of the diamonds at Vrai are supplied and manufactured from Diamond Foundry. Their diamonds are created in America, ensuring ethical sourcing and fair wages.
All of the diamonds created at Diamond Foundry are carbon neutral and made using 100% renewable energy. Their blend of jewelry design and a strong sustainability focus has positioned them as a fashionable jeweler that doesn’t compromise on quality or ethics.
Brilliant Earth has its roots dating back to 2005. The brand’s inception was inspired by travels to Africa, leading them to introduce diamond engagement rings certified to be conflict-free.
They are the first diamond company to implement blockchain technology with diamonds, providing a traceable digital record of a diamond’s journey from mine to jewelry case.
Brilliant Earth has a large collection of fine jewelry created from ethically-sourced gemstones designed in their San Francisco studio. Their extensive inventory of mined and lab-grown diamonds combined with their setting designs has made them a top choice for many.
Aside from revealing origins and providing innovative ways of tracking natural diamonds, Brilliant Earth supports many causes and raises money through their site for miners in other countries.
Diamond Selection and Quality
Both retailers place a large focus on offering ethically-sourced diamonds, but the way they go about this differs slightly/
In this section, we’ll take a look at what Vrai and Brilliant Earth have to offer in terms of diamond selection and quality, and how easy they make it for you to find the right diamond for your ring.
Lab-grown diamonds have become a popular alternative to natural, mined diamonds over the last 5 years, and Vrai have been at the forefront of this.
As a lab-grown specialist, Vrai doesn’t offer natural diamonds at all, focusing solely on lab-grown diamonds. One thing I usually like to look at is the number of diamonds that a retailer offers, to understand the amount of choice that they offer their customers. The reason this is important is that the more diamonds that a retailer has available, the more likely they are to have the exact combination of diamond shape, carat weight and quality factors that. you are looking for.
Brilliant Earth offers a wide collection of both lab and natural diamonds. Currently, they carry a huge collection of 348,373 loose lab grown diamonds, which is likely more than Vrai offer.
Brilliant Earth’s lab grown diamond selection often exceeds most retailers. They emphasize providing “Beyond Conflict-Free” natural diamonds, offering sourcing practices beyond the industry standard of the Kimberley Process.
Certifications and Ethical Sourcing
Certifications are a testament to a diamond’s quality and authenticity. They provide detailed information about the diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight in addition to other diamond details.
I typically recommend purchasing certified diamonds from reputable and consistent grading labs like the GIA, AGS, and IGI laboratories. As a third party grading authority with a strong background in gemology, it’s best to have an unbiased opinion on your diamond.
Vrai’s diamonds are certified with an in-house GIA gemologist, but are not considered GIA certified. They do not come with a GIA grading report. Instead, they have a VRAI diamond certificate.
The VRAI certificate certifies that the VRAI diamond was created by Diamond Foundry. Diamond Foundry reports using zero carbon emissions, a feat that many lab grown diamond companies have not yet achieved.
Brilliant Earth offers a variety of diamond certifications for natural and lab diamonds including GIA, HRD, and IGI certified diamonds. If purchasing from Brilliant Earth, I’d stick to their GIA or IGI certified diamonds.
When you choose natural diamonds from Brilliant Earth, you have the option to choose a blockchain diamond or recycled diamond. Blockchain diamonds utilize an encrypted technology that reports on your diamond through every phase of its production. Recycled diamonds are diamonds that have been repurposed and recut into a new diamond, eliminating the need for additional mining.
By providing these options, Brilliant Earth goes to step beyond to make contributions toward environmental concerns. Additionally, they often carry collections that support various causes, like their Virtu gems. The proceeds of this collection go to supporting ethical mining practices and economies in Zambia, Kenya, and Malawe.
Pricing and Value
Pricing is often a big concern when buying diamonds and engagement rings. Let’s see how Vrai compares to Brilliant Earth in terms of their lab grown diamond prices.
Lab grown diamonds save you a decent amount of money over natural diamonds. As a result, lab grown diamonds are often provided in larger carat weights.
Below, I’ve chosen a 2.10ct ideal cut lab grown diamond with VS1 clarity and G color grades from Brilliant Earth. This diamond has an IGI certificate and is priced at $3,350.
And here, I’ve chosen a similar lab grown diamond from Vrai’s inventory, although it comes with Vrai’s in-house certificate rather than an independent grading report.
This diamond is priced at $3,341, so virtually identical to the Brilliant Earth stone:
These two diamonds are comparable in pricing, leaving your choice to the retailer you prefer more.
Customization and Design Options
Being able to zero-in on exactly what you’re looking for in terms of diamond shape, quality and pairing it with the setting style you want is key to finding your perfect engagement ring, so finding a retailer that makes this easy makes a huge difference to how enjoyable creating your ring is.
Vrai lets customers build their own ring by selecting from their inventory of loose lab grown diamonds and pairing it with the ring setting of your choice.
The process of selecting a diamond from Vrai is a little more nuanced, as the filters limit your diamond grade selections.
Alternatively, you also have the option to choose a Cut For You diamond. The company will actually cut diamond rough for you into one of the 30 diamond shapes they offer. This adds an extra bit of personalization, involving you in the cutting process.
I really like that they have so many diamond shapes to offer. Most diamond retailers offer about 10 shapes, but Vrai can cut your diamond into unique shapes such as shield, passion, felix, lozenge, kite, octavia, and more.
Instead of being able to choose VS1 clarity and a G color diamond, you have to narrow down to general selection as shown below. Then you’re able to shift to the right and order the categories. Personally, I feel it’s more work than it’s worth.
I like that you can view the details of the diamond without clicking into it, but if you do want to see it in a new tab, don’t click add, click the smaller “view details”. I’m not sure why they have it this way, because I kept clicking on the add to bag button and being taken away from my chosen diamond.
The site isn’t the most user-friendly for someone wanting to compare specific details of the diamond. Those who aren’t technologically sound may struggle with the navigation.
Once you’ve selected your diamond from Vrai, you can choose from a selection of ring settings for that shape. Once again, they don’t list the number of settings or let you see what settings there are for other diamond shapes.
Brilliant Earth also offers a “build your own” feature, allowing you to select from a myriad of options. If you’re looking for natural diamonds that are Beyond Conflict Free, you can select the “recycled” filter or the “blockchain” filters.
It’s worth noting that the offerings for recycled and blockchain diamonds reduce the amount of natural diamonds. Brilliant Earth carries around 4,000 blockchain diamonds, but the numbers go down as you start picking your diamond shape and grades.
Like Vrai, the diamond filters require more work than necessary. You’re able to select individual grades, but you have to flip back and forth between columns to adjust grades. It would be more user-friendly if they kept all the filters on one page.
Vrai doesn’t have the biggest selection of engagement ring settings, but their offerings are modern and minimalistic, reflecting themselves as a brand. They have both unique and trendy settings, but you’re only shown the ones that fit the diamond you’ve selected. If you’re not completely set on a diamond shape, you might try to look through the settings first.
Brilliant Earth has a collection of over 450 engagement ring settings, ensuring that customers with all tastes can find a suitable setting. However, I find that Brilliant Earth’s ring settings tend to be less expensive than Vrai’s.
This 18K yellow gold solitaire setting with a hidden halo from Brilliant Earth roughly costs $1090, while this 18K yellow gold tapered solitaire setting costs $1,150, and it doesn’t have diamonds.
It’s clear the two settings aren’t the same, but I feel like you get more diamonds for less than with Vrai’s setting. Vrai’s thicker band contributes to more of the cost, but I still feel like Brilliant Earth’s setting should be more expensive than Vrai’s.
Of course, the price difference in ring settings will vary from style to style. Your choice between a Vrai setting or Brilliant Earth setting will depend on your personal style and preferences.
Service: Both Before & After Purchase
Buying an engagement ring is a special purchase.
You want to have confidence that the retailer will not only treat you well while buying your ring, but also that they will stand behind their product after the purchase too.
This attitude can be boiled down to one term: customer experience – essentially how hard a business is trying to make sure that your interactions with them are smooth, friction-free and, ideally, delightful.
Vrai’s customer service is open 24/7 through live chat and phone. Emails are returned within 1 business day. You’re able to schedule a virtual appointment or see them at one of their 13 locations across the world.
Brilliant Earth’s customer service hours are also 24/7 via live support and chat. You can schedule a consultation with their experts or visit them at one of their 30+ locations within the US.
Additional Services
Beyond the purchase, the additional services a retailer offers can enhance the overall buying experience and provide added value to customers. Let’s see how Vrai and Brilliant Earth compare regarding popular service policies customers look for.
Vrai:
- Engraving: Vrai offers engraving for a $60 fee.
- Financing: Financing at Vrai is available through Klarna and Affirm. Financing through PayPal is only available to customers in Germany and the UK.
- Shipping: Vrai does not offer free shipping and their returns have a $300 restocking fee for recycling measures that take place after being returned.
- Resizing: Vrai offers resizing up to 1 full size up or down for free.
- Returns: Vrai has a 21 day return policy with exceptions.
- Warranty: Vrai offers a manufacturer’s warranty that covers any defects to your diamond or its setting. This is part of the Lifetime Care package which also includes an annual analysis of prongs, stones, and redipping for white gold. Other repairs may be done for a cost.
- Upgrade: Vrai allows you to upgrade any diamond for another diamond that is 50% more than the one originally purchased.
- Physical Stores: Vrai has 13 showrooms all over the world.
Brilliant Earth:
- Engraving: Brilliant Earth offers engraving for a $40 fee.
- Financing: Financing at Brilliant Earth is available through Wells Fargo and Affirm.
- Shipping: Brilliant Earth has free shipping to the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
- Resizing: Brilliant Earth offers a free resizing within 60 days.
- Returns: Items can be returned to Brilliant Earth within 30 days.
- Warranty: Brilliant Earth covers all defects within a free lifetime manufacturer’s warranty. You can select a repair plan from Extend for a fee.
- Upgrade: Brilliant Earth allows natural diamonds to be upgraded for 1.5x higher cost and lab-grown diamonds for 2x greater in value.
- Physical Stores: Brilliant Earth has 37 physical stores within the US, with most of them being in California.
Up ahead, we’ll examine some of these service policies in detail, such as financing, warranties, shipping, and returns.
Payment and Financing Options
Vrai offers payments using all major credit/debit cards, Paypal, and Shop Pay. Select Shop pay to pay for your order in full at checkout, or to pay in installment payments for orders from $50 USD to $17,500 USD.
Financing Plans: Vrai offers financing plans through Klarna, which allows customers to finance or make payments for any US order under $10,000 USD. You’ll either have the option to finance or you can pay in 4 interest free installments for orders under $1,000.
The only financing plan available outside the US for German and UK customers is Paypal financing. Other international financing plans are not available.
Brilliant Earth also has a variety of payment options. Choose from all major credit/debit cards, wire transfers, bank wire, Paypal, or Apple Pay.
Financing Plans: Financing at Brilliant Earth is offered through Affirm or Wells Fargo. Affirm allows you to split the cost of your jewelry through easy payments split up to 36 months with varied APR rates. The Wells Fargo plan gives you 12 months no-interest if paid in full.
Warranty and Repairs
Vrai gives customers a Lifetime Warranty and Guarantee that covers all fine jewelry and engagement rings from factory defects. Customers who believe they have a defective ring are required to send photos, video, and an explanation on how the defect occurred. If they find that your jewelry is not repairable through the images, they may not take it back.
To proceed, it will cost you $50 to ship the defective ring. If Vrai determines your ring is defected under their warranty, they will return this cost to you. If they’ve determined it needs a repair that’s not covered, they’ll quote you a price for the repair and the $50 fee will go toward the cost. Complete replacements are considered a one time courtesy.
If another jeweler works on your Vrai engagement ring, the warranty is voided. The exception to this is for international customers, who are encouraged to seek out a third party jeweler. They will need to contact the Vrai team before finding a jeweler.
The Lifetime Care Package for all Vrai engagement rings and wedding bands includes the upgrade guarantee and the Lifetime warranty. It also includes an annual inspection for cleaning, polishing, prong inspection, and re-dipping white gold rings into rhodium. If any repairs are needed, you will have to pay out of pocket.
Brilliant Earth also has a lifetime manufacturing warranty that guarantees all jewelry free of defects. This does not cover routine maintenance or repairs.
If you think your jewelry has a defect, you’ll need to contact Brilliant Earth’s customer care. A free return label is provided for customers in the US, CAN, AUS, and UK. Outside of these countries, a $50 fee will be charged to send in. It is refunded if your jewelry is found under warranty.
Repairs not covered under the warranty can be done for a cost. Brilliant Earth will contact you with the nature and price of the repair and you can decide if you want it done. Brilliant Earth will replace any damaged fine jewelry within 60 days of purchase. Outside of those 60 days, they will replace fine jewelry pieces under $1,000 in value.
Brilliant Earth has partnered with Extend to provide a repair plan for your jewelry. Extend repair plans vary upon price and you can select yours during checkout. The plan covers rhodium plating, additional resizing outside of the 60 day period, polishing, prong repair, and even loss. Plans range from 2 years to lifetime, allowing you to tailor the repair plan to your needs. Claims are done through the Extend site here.
Shipping and Returns
Brilliant Earth offers free FedEx shipping for every order in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.
Return and Exchange Policies: Brilliant Earth offers free returns within 30 days, which is the industry norm. For items under $1000, returns can be done using the online returns portal. For items over that limit, you’ll need to contact them by phone.
Return exceptions at Brilliant Earth include rings that have been resized, previously exchanged items, personalized fine jewelry, and custom orders. If your ring has an engraving on it, it still can be returned, but a $40 fee will be charged to remove the engraving.
Vrai does not offer free shipping to customers. Instead, they have a 2-day ship through Fedex that costs about $10. Fedex overnight shipping costs $50. This can be disappointing for many, as most online retailers offer free shipping for engagement rings.
Return and Exchange Policies: Fine jewelry and engagement rings must be returned to Vrai within 21 days, a shorter time frame than most online diamond retailers including Brilliant Earth. If you’re wanting to exchange, the return period can extend up to 45 days, which is longer than some stores.
Exceptions to the return policy include rings that have been resized, custom designs, worked on by a third party jeweler, and Cut For You diamonds that aren’t round, oval, emerald, pear, radiant, cushion, marquise, trillion, Asscher, princess or elongated cushion cuts less than or equal to 5 ct.
You should know that Vrai recycles and melts down the gold of returned jewelry. For that reason, they charge all engagement ring refunds a $300 recycling fee. For wedding bands, the fee is $50. This could be very frustrating for a customer who didn’t read the return policy before purchasing, so make sure you’re aware of this fact.
Brilliant Earth seems to offer much better shipping and return policies than Vrai. Most orders ship free and they don’t charge a restocking fee like Vrai. Some customers may not want to risk buying engagement rings from Vrai if they have to pay a $300 fee in order to return.
Which is better for you, Vrai or Brilliant Earth?
Choosing between Vrai and Brilliant Earth can be a challenging decision. Both retailers have their strengths, and the best choice often comes down to individual preferences and priorities.
Vrai stands out for its commitment to sustainability, with every diamond being 100% sustainable and zero-emission. While not every lab diamond is sustainable, you can guarantee that Vrai’s diamonds are. Customers concerned with diamond origin will love that all of Vrai’s diamonds are created in the US.
Brilliant Earth offers both lab-grown and ethically sourced mined diamonds. They offer new and innovative approaches to natural diamonds by providing the options for blockchain and recycled diamonds. Their lab grown diamond collection is extensive and they offer filters for lab diamonds that are sustainable too.
The ultimate choice between Brilliant Earth and Vrai depends on the priorities and goals for your purchase. If sustainability is a must, Vrai may be the better option because only a small portion of Brilliant Earth’s diamonds are sustainable. But if you have your heart set on a natural diamond, Brilliant Earth has a wide variety while Vrai does not carry natural diamonds.
At the end of the day, either retailer can provide high quality diamonds and ethically sourced jewelry. You should choose the retailers that align most with your style and personal preference.
FAQs
What is the primary difference between Vrai and Brilliant Earth?
While both retailers emphasize sustainability and ethical sourcing, Vrai exclusively uses lab-grown diamonds from Diamond Foundry, whereas Brilliant Earth offers both mined and lab-grown diamonds. Mined diamonds have the option of being blockchain and recycled in addition to sourcing via the Kimberley process.
Do both Vrai and Brilliant Earth offer international shipping?
Yes, both retailers offer international shipping to selected countries.
Which retailer offers a more extensive range of jewelry designs?
Brilliant Earth has a broader selection of ring setting designs for both mined and lab-grown diamonds, while Vrai focuses on modern and unique designs and diamond shapes using lab-grown diamonds.