Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth
Private
Industry Jewelry
Founded August 2005
Headquarters San Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
 Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg, co-founders and co-CEOs
Website www.brilliantearth.com

Brilliant Earth is a company that designs and sells engagement rings and other jewelry that it certifies as being ethically sourced.[1] According to Businessweek it has been influential in creating a market for jewelry that appears to be ethically-sourced.[2]

History

The idea for Brilliant Earth was conceived in 2004 by two Stanford alumni, Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg.[2] After having difficulty finding her own ethically-produced engagement ring in 2003,[3][4] Gerstein found out Grossberg had done a feasibility study at Stanford that indicated that there was enough consumer demand to validate the business model. The two founded Brilliant Earth in August 2005.[2] The company's website was launched in July 2006.[2][5]

Operations

Canadian mines are the industry's primary source of ethically mined diamonds, because the working conditions are regulated by the government.[2][6] The company initially sourced its diamonds exclusively from the Diavik and Ekati mines in Canada,[6][7] but has since also started sourcing diamonds from Namibia and Botswana, where it assessed that the diamonds were sourced to the company's ethical standards.[6][8] Brilliant Earth uses recycled gold, silver and platinum materials or obtains them from co-ops that meet standards set by the Alliance for Responsible Mining.[6][9][10] The company's sapphires are from either Australia or Malawi.[6] It also sells "vintage rings" that have had previous owners,[3] as well as "lab-grown diamonds".[11]

Brilliant Earth sells jewelry via its website as well as in showrooms in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago,[12] Washington, D.C.,[13] San Diego[14] and Denver.[15] The company donates five percent of its profits to charities that help African communities affected by conflict diamonds.[6][10] It also "champions the concept of buying 'conflict-free' diamonds that don’t contribute to warfare and dictatorships."[16] In 2015, Brilliant Earth helped to fund a mobile school in Lungudi, a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for students at risk of working in the local diamond mines.[17]

Controversy

In June 2017, The Next Web reported Brilliant Earth was indicating significant numbers of their available inventory as having Canadian origins, despite eight of the ten listed Indian suppliers indicating none of the so-listed diamonds were from Canadian mines. The report was initiated following an April 2017 YouTube video posted by diamond industry insider Jacob Worth, wherein he investigated the origin of a Brilliant Earth diamond he had purchased, allegedly with a Canadian origin, to the New York supplier who indicated having no records of those origins.[1] Brilliant Earth filed a lawsuit against Worth for defamation, but the suit was "discontinued with prejudice and without any costs or disbursements, according to a notice filed Oct. 27 in New York Supreme Court." No settlement is known to have been reached.[18] The video and related content posted by Worth were also taken down.[19][18]

References

  1. 1 2 Clark, Bryan (June 16, 2017). "Inside the 'conflict-free' diamond scam costing online buyers millions [Updated]". The Next Web. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gangemi, Jeffrey (October 18, 2006). "Shopping for the Guilt-Free Diamond". BusinessWeek. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Roethel, Kathryn (February 12, 2012). "Couple's ringing endorsement of ethical jewelry". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Semuels, Alana (February 14, 2007). "Jewelry companies look for values in valuables". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Jewelry: Politically Correct Karats". Newsweek. March 11, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carey, Steve. "How to tie an eco-friendly knot". Canada.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ Vataj, Marina (December 4, 2006). "They're real - but made by man". The New York Post. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ Sheppard, Kate (October 17, 2011). "How do I buy an ethical engagement ring". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ DesMarais, Christina (February 14, 2014). "5 ways jewelry is becoming cleaner and greener". Greenbiz. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Nancy E. Landrum; Sandra Edwards (August 1, 2009). Sustainable Business: An Executive's Primer. Business Expert Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-60649-049-5.
  11. ↑ Avins, Jenni (April 14, 2016). "How to propose with an engagement diamond as rock-solid as your ethical values". Quartz. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Brilliant Earth". Brilliant Earth. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  13. ↑ Garrison Phillips, Hayley (May 11, 2017). "Inside Brilliant Earth's Sleek New Showroom in Cady's Alley". Washingtonian. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ Wilson, Marianne (March 6, 2017). "Ethically-sourced Brilliant Earth expanding in brick-and-mortar". Chain Store Age. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  15. ↑ Garcia, Adrian D. (August 7, 2017). "A jewelry store that promises no "blood diamonds" opens in Cherry Creek". Denverite. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  16. ↑ Kessler, Barbara (January 31, 2012). "Pop the question with a recycled ring or conflict-free diamond". KEYE TV.
  17. ↑ Baker, Aryn (October 2, 2015). "For 40 Lucky Children, an Escape From Congo's Diamond Mines". Time. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Bates, Rob (October 31, 2017). "Brilliant Earth Settles Suit With Internet Critic". JCK. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Brilliant Earth Ends Dispute with YouTuber". Rapaport Diamond Report. November 1, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
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