The lab-grown diamond industry looks uniformly polished and brilliant on the surface, but not all retailers offer the same experience.
They range from easily accessible storefronts and innovative online viewing technology curated by your personal diamond consultant to two-dimensional photos of diamonds priced in obscure currencies with conspicuously hidden return policies.
To make sure you get the best lab-grown diamond at the best price with the full confidence you’ve made the right choice, I’ve reviewed, compared, and ranked the six best lab-grown diamond providers on the market.
Here’s what I found.
1. Clean Origin—9.59 (Best Lab-Grown Diamonds)
Clean Origin gets the #1 spot because they offer everything you need in an online diamond retailer while also being the only online company to offer personal consultations with a diamond expert, free of charge.
Pros
There are a lot of pros for Clean Origin.
Clean Origin is the only company to focus exclusively on delivering lab-grown diamonds, and they have established a huge catalog of diamonds. Their range is impressive, even when compared with other big-name retailers on this list.
Clean Origin’s diamond selection process is simple and straightforward. They list all the necessary details on the diamond selection page, allowing you to compare different sizes, shapes, and clarities against others to find the perfect gem.
Their prices are clear and transparent, shown on the page next to each of the diamonds, and my pricing test ranked them as the most reasonably priced online lab-grown retailer.
They offer free shipping, free ring sizing, a 360-degree viewing portal to check out your diamond from every angle, a very generous 100-day, no-questions-asked return and refund policy (the industry standard is just 30 days), and every one of their diamonds is independently certified.
While their 100-day return policy was enough to put them as #1 on my list, one other feature sets Clean Origin apart.
Diamond shopping is not something that most people know much about. Realistically, unless you happen to run your own venture capital fund or your grandparents accidentally cracked open an oil well before you were even born, you might purchase a diamond just once or twice in your life.
So chances are that you don’t know how to choose the right diamond.
Clean Origin solves this problem by providing free consultations with their diamond experts. You simply log onto their website, choose an appointment time that suits your schedule, and one of their experts will talk you through the diamond selection process to ensure you get the right clarity, color, and cut at the right price.
Considering how confusing the diamond buying process can be, this is a HUGE benefit.
Cons
While Clean Origin is great, they aren’t perfect. They provide a huge list of features and are a great help, but only to people in the US, Canada, and Australia.
If you’re outside those areas, you’ll need to use my second place recommendation.
Overall
Clean Origin is the only lab-grown diamond specialist on my list.
They have a wide range of diamonds with clear and transparent pricing, and they make it easy to view your diamond from every angle.
When compared with similar diamonds from other retailers, Clean Origin’s are the most affordable. They also offer free shipping, free ring-sizing, and a 100-day money-back guarantee.
While they only deliver to North America and Australia, consultations with their in-house team of trained experts will help take the confusion out of purchasing the right stone for your needs.
If you want an independently certified lab-grown diamond at a great price with the full certainty that you’re getting the right diamond for you and your budget, head to Clean Origin now.
2. James Allen—8.6/10
James Allen takes my #2 pick because despite offering a huge range of extras with every diamond sold, they don’t have the same return policy or in-house experts available with Clean Origin.
Pros
James Allen offers many of the same features that Clean Origin does.
They have a large range of lab-grown diamonds. Their selection of over 40,000 specimens includes just about every cut, color, and clarity combination your heart could desire.
Their prices are as clear and transparent as Clean Origin’s. You won’t pick your ideal diamond and request a quote from an obscure sales agent only to find out you’re way out of your budget. Every diamond has the price listed right next to it, allowing you to compare the stones against each other.
In addition, they offer a price-match guarantee, free engraving, free shipping anywhere in the world, a virtual ring sizer, a lifetime guarantee on all their diamonds, a 360-degree viewing platform, and a 24/7 customer support team to answer any questions you have about your diamond.
When you combine this with their comically large number of five-star reviews (over 40,000) and their free shipping all over the world, they were in close competition for the #1 spot.
Cons
But they miss out on the #1 spot because they trail Clean Origin in three areas.
First, they only offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
While this is long enough for some purchases, for diamond customers who don’t plan to gift the jewel right away, an additional 70 days to do so is surely convenient.
Second, they don’t offer free consultations with in-house diamond experts.
Yes, they have a customer support team of diamond experts who don’t work on commission for you to reach out to with any questions 24/7, but that’s not the same as sitting in a virtual consultation with someone who can help you find just the right stone.
Finally, they’re about 20% more expensive. While cost is obviously not the only consideration when choosing a diamond, it’s certainly one of them, and if you can get a diamond that’s 25% bigger for the same price, you should DEFINITELY take that.
Overall
James Allen comes in at #2 because they make the diamond selection process simple and easy and offer a variety of additional features. Unfortunately, their 30-day return policy is shorter than Clean Origin’s 100-day policy and they offer no personal consultations with in-house experts.
While they offer a great product, their benefits not as good as Clean Origin.
If you’d like to know more about their services, you can read all about them on their website.
3. Blue Nile—7.9/10
Blue Nile takes the #3 spot on my list because despite providing a very limited number of additional options, they have an impressive range of lab-grown diamonds to choose from.
Pros
Blue Origin have a wide range of diamonds, offer free shipping all over the world, a 30-day money back guarantee, clear pricing, a price-match guarantee, and free returns from anywhere in the world.
They have 17 showrooms around the US allowing you to view the diamonds in person, but they also offer a 360-degree viewing option in their online store.
Cons
While they do offer an online viewing tool, it’s only available on a limited selection of diamonds. This is fine if the diamond you want is one of that select few, but if it’s not, you’re just left guessing.
Their 30-day money-back guarantee and free returns sweeten the deal somewhat, but do you really want to be shipping diamonds back and forth until you get the right one? I reckon not.
Blue Nile also lacks a few of the options available with the two retailers above. They don’t offer free engraving, free resizing, or 24/7 customer support, and they don’t have free consultations with in-house diamond experts.
Overall
Blue Nile offers a large range of diamonds with a few extras.
Their clear prices, price-match guarantee, and free worldwide shipping make them a reliable and trustworthy provider.
Even so, you can’t view their entire selection with 360-degree viewing technology, won’t get a free in-house consultation, and won’t see some of the additional free services available with other retailers.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the huge range available at Clean Origin and James Allen, you might find it at Blue Nile.
4. Origin Diamonds
Origin Diamonds took the #4 spot because they provide the full 360-degree viewing technology on the entirety of their large range of diamonds, but don’t publicly disclose their return policy.
Pros
Origin Diamonds offers most of the same features as Clean Origin and James Allen.
They have a wide range of diamonds, an easy selection tool, and clear prices tied directly to the features you’ve chosen.
They have similar 360-degree viewing technology available on all diamonds, offer a lifetime warranty on all diamonds, and throw in a free mystery gift when you purchase any engagement or wedding ring.
Cons
While they have some obvious pros, there are also some significant limitations with Origin Diamonds.
Their 360-degree viewing tech is not great. It looks more like a low-quality YouTube video than a 4K Disney+ movie and it’s hard to see the small details. When it’s the intricate details that make the difference between a $2,000 diamond and a $10,000 diamond, you really need to see them!
The other drawback is their return policy. Or, more precisely, their lack of a return policy. Their policy is not listed on their website anywhere, which is disconcerting.
If I’m dropping $12,000 on a diamond and the only way I can view that diamond is through a grainy video that looks like it was shot on an iPhone 4, I want to know that I can at least get my money back when it turns out to be less brilliant than I imagined.
Now, I’m not saying that Origin Diamonds doesn’t have a return policy, because they might. But if they feel the need to hide it from their customers, they may not be totally committed to making sure you’re 100% satisfied with your purchase.
Overall
Origin Diamonds offers a great range of diamonds, with an easy-to-use website and clear, transparent prices.
But their unclear 360-degree viewing tool and their nonexistent return policy don’t make me confident that you’re going to get a great return on your gemstone investment.
If you really want to check them out, you can do so here, but I would stick with one of the more reputable sellers, such as Clean Origin.
5. CompareTheDiamond
CompareTheDiamond sounds more like an online comparison tool than a real diamond retailer, but I can assure you that they’re a real store.
You can view their diamond jewelry in their version of 3D technology and they have a respectable return policy with a money-back or exchange guarantee. They offer free resizing and they’re quite reasonably priced.
But they are limited.
Their only store location is in the Cotswolds in the UK. It’s a lovely area of the world (especially if you love echinoderm fossils!), but not exactly a major travel destination one would frequently pass through to browse diamonds.
They also only offer free local delivery. If you happen to live outside the lush, green hills of this area of the English countryside, your delivery fees (and return fees) will come out of your pocket.
And while they appear much more customer-focused than some of the larger brands at the top of this list, they don’t offer the consultations with in-house experts you get with Clean Origin.
6. GrandDiamonds
Grand Diamonds just doesn’t seem to understand the worldwide economy in which people purchase diamonds from all parts of the globe.
Their website is loaded with features and options for choosing your diamond with more sliders and choices than you could ever hope for, but if you want to view the diamond as more than just a two-dimensional photo, you need to pop into their store in Cape Town, South Africa.
Their website only displays prices in South African Rands and they charge for shipping, regardless of whether you’re local or international (insurance is an optional extra).
Their return policy is limited to seven days and they charge a 30% restocking fee on all orders canceled more than 24 hours after purchase.
Not cool.
All in all, I wouldn’t waste my time even looking at this site to buy your lab-grown diamond, but if you really want to, here is the link.
The Bottom Line
After reviewing the six best lab-grown diamond retailers on the market, Clean Origin is the one you should trust.
They top the list because they provide:
- The largest selection on the market
- Clear and transparent prices
- 360-degree viewing technology for all diamonds
- A price-match guarantee
- Free engraving
- Free international shipping
- Free returns
- A virtual ring sizer
- A lifetime guarantee on quality and workmanship
- IGI certification
- A 100-day, no-questions-asked return policy
- 24/7 customer support available through phone, email, and chat
And most importantly, they offer free consultations with their in-house team of diamond experts to make sure you get the right diamond for your price and situation.
If you’re on the market for a diamond and you want to make your purchase with expert input and the certainty that you can return it at no cost, head to Clean Origin now.