‘5.5k for a lab diamond is crazyyyy’: Woman orders Brilliant Earth engagement ring. She sends it back 3 times—then things get worse
When you spend over $5,000 on an engagement ring, you expect it to last—especially if it’s a secure setting like a bezel set. However, one bride-to-be learned the hard way that she had been wrongly influenced and ended up sorely disappointed because of it.
TikToker May (@mayannkay) shared her experience buying an engagement ring from popular jewelry brand Brilliant Earth. When she first received her ring, it was “exactly what [she] wanted.” But then two weeks went by.
“Within less than two weeks of getting it, the center stone was loose,” May said. “It was rattling around in the setting.” She shared how it was a bezel set ring, which was “supposed to be the most secure set.” A bezel set has the center stone, such as a diamond, encased within a metal band or rim. This creates a secure frame around the stone, making it less likely to fall.
May sent her ring back to Brilliant Earth for repair. When she got it back, it had the same issue. So she sent it again.
No luck with Brilliant Earth
“This happened about three times total where I would get it fixed, and then it was loose again in the setting,” May recalled. After working her way up through customer service to a worker named Sarah, May demanded a full refund. However, Sarah refused. Instead, May agreed to exchange the ring for another one with a different setting.
May shared that the price difference would be around $4,000, so she sent her ring back and waited for her new one.
It gets worse
May and her fiancé thought they would pay the price difference and receive the new ring, and that would be the end of the ordeal. But then her fiancé received a call.
“My fiancé gets a call saying that he owes them almost $8,000, which is the price of the new ring if he had never purchased the original one,” May said. In the clip, she shows a screenshot of the bill, which lists a 2.55-carat emerald-cut lab-grown diamond for $5,490.
May refused to pay the amount, emailing Sarah about “16 times” about the issue, but never hearing from her.
Eventually, May got hold of a customer service rep who informed her that because the exchange was not within a 30-day purchase, they were not going to do an even exchange.
“Which was not what was originally agreed upon,” May said.
Brilliant Earth instead offered her a $645 gift card to its store. She asked for her ring back and was told that it had been “disassembled.” May was flabbergasted.
So at this point, May has no ring, no diamond, and is out thousands of dollars.
So she turns to the law
May then sought out a lawyer, who sent Brilliant Earth a letter threatening legal action for fraud. Within a week, May said her fiancé “magically” received a check for the original ring, shipping included.
May used the money to go to her local jeweler and ended up with a new ring that was “way more cost-effective than anything I got from Brilliant Earth.” The Mary Sue reached out to May via TikTok direct message and comment.
Is Brilliant Earth worth it?
The jewelry company is constantly lauded on social media for its beautiful engagement rings. Countless influencers sing the brand’s praises, and indeed, the company has seen a lightning-fast increase in sales over the past few years.
The company advertises itself as “sustainable,” offering “ethically sourced” diamonds. Its ethos lies in a “Beyond Conflict-Free” standard, which, per Brilliant Earth, “is defined as diamonds that don’t fund wars against legitimate governments.”
The company takes pride in this ethical approach to selling diamonds, but do its prices match the quality?
In a Reddit post uploaded to the r/engagementrings subreddit, one user posed the question: “Brilliant Earth engagement ring: is it worth it?”
The top comment was simply a link to hundreds of Reddit posts about Brilliant Earth. Spoiler alert: They weren’t positive.
“I’d personally avoid BE at all costs,” the commenter added.
More hate for Brilliant Earth
In May’s comments section on TikTok, which earned 678,000 views, the sentiment was the same.
“Omg! I had a HORRIBLE experience with my engagement ring from there as well, and I also have been going to the Tampa location!!” a user wrote. “I was one word away from getting a lawyer on my case as well!”
Another added, “Omg!! So they stole your money. I’m SOOOO glad you got your money back. Brilliant Earth is such a scam.”
One user who works at a jewelry store shared that May’s experience isn’t uncommon.
@mayannkay My brilliant earth horror story #brilliantearth #engagementring #jewelry #shoplocal ♬ original sound – mayannkay
“I work at a local jewelry store and we get so many brilliant earth rings in with the same stories,” they said.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Brilliant Earth via its website contact form.
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