Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth is a company that designs and sells engagement rings and other jewelry which is certified as being ethically produced. According to Businessweek it has been influential in creating a market for ethically-sourced jewelry.

The idea for Brilliant Earth was conceived in 2004 by two Stanford alumni, Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg. After having difficulty finding her own ethically-produced engagement ring in 2003, 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. The company's website was launched in July 2006. The company's diamonds were initially sourced exclusively from the Diavik and Ekati mines in Canada. Canadian mines are the industry's primary source of ethically mined diamonds, because the working conditions are regulated by the government. Since then Brilliant Earth has also started sourcing diamonds from Namibia, Africa and Botswana, Africa, where it assessed that the diamonds were sourced to the company's ethical standards. 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. The company's sapphires are from either Australia or Malawi. It also sells "vintage rings" that have had previous owners.

Brilliant Earth donates five percent of its profits to charities that help African communities affected by conflict diamonds. It also "[champions] the concept of buying 'conflict-free' diamonds that don’t contribute to warfare and dictatorships."

Brilliant Earth sells jewelry via its website as well as in showrooms in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago.