Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth
Private
Industry Jewelry
Founded August 2005
Headquarters San Francisco, California, United States
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 which is certified as being ethically produced.[1] According to BusinessWeek it has been influential in creating a market for ethically-sourced jewelry.[2]

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,[1][3] 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][4] The company's diamonds were initially sourced exclusively from the Diavik and Ekati mines in Canada.[5][6] Canadian mines are the industry's primary source of ethically mined diamonds, because the working conditions are regulated by the government.[2][5] 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.[5][7] 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.[5][8][9] The company's sapphires are from either Australia or Malawi.[5] It also sells "vintage rings" that have had previous owners.[1]

Brilliant Earth donates five percent of its profits to charities that help African communities affected by conflict diamonds.[5][9] It also "[champions] the concept of buying 'conflict-free' diamonds that don’t contribute to warfare and dictatorships."[10]

Brilliant Earth sells jewelry via its website as well as in showrooms in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roethel, Kathryn (February 12, 2012). "Couple's ringing endorsement of ethical jewelry". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gangemi, Jeffrey (October 18, 2006). "Shopping for the Guilt-Free Diamond". BusinessWeek. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Semuels, Alana (February 14, 2007). "Jewelry companies look for values in valuables". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Jewelry: Politically Correct Karats". Newsweek. March 11, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carey, Steve. "How to tie an eco-friendly knot". Canada.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ Vataj, Marina (December 4, 2006). "They're real - but made by man". The New York Post. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sheppard, Kate (October 17, 2011). "How do I buy an ethical engagement ring". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ DesMarais, Christina (February 14, 2014). "5 ways jewelry is becoming cleaner and greener". Greenbiz. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  9. 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.
  10. ↑ Kessler, Barbara (January 31, 2012). "Pop the question with a recycled ring or conflict-free diamond". KEYE TV.
  11. ↑ "Brilliant Earth". Brilliant Earth. Retrieved 2016-11-01.

External links

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