Where to Buy GIA Certified Diamonds (11 Best Places)

Lindsey, do you know where to buy GIA certified diamonds? This is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

If you are in the market for a loose GIA-certified diamond or a diamond already set in jewelry, you probably want the shopping process to be straightforward, informative, personalized, and safe. Plus of course, you want to get the best price on your purchase. 

The best places to buy GIA certified diamonds are online diamond retailers.

So, here are 11 places you can buy GIA certified diamonds which include:

• James Allen
• Blue Nile
• Brilliant Earth
• Ritani
• Clean Origin
• VRAI
• Whiteflash
• Brian Gavin
• Lark and Berry
• Leibish
• Abe Mor. 

Whether you are in the market for earth-created or lab-created diamonds, a diamond solitaire or an eternity band, earrings, or rings, one of these retailers will be perfect for you and take the stress and worry out of a shopping process that should be delightful and fun. 

Read on for information on the best online retailers of GIA certified diamonds. 

Should I Buy a Diamond Online?

Online diamond retailers are almost always going to be more competitive on price than brick and mortar retailers. In addition, they have access to a huge variety of diamonds, giving you a range of choices.

Most sites allow you to sort by GIA certification, so you will be sure to get the certificate you want. 

Many sites offer high-resolution views of your jewelry or stone, so you know exactly what you are getting, and they all have generous return policies if the piece doesn’t look how you thought it would.

In addition, you won’t have to be in any high-pressure sales situation. 

Read also >> Are James Allen Diamonds GIA Certified? (Here Is Why)

Read also >> How Long Does GIA Certification Take? (Here Is What To Do)

Read also >> James Allen Lifetime Upgrade (All You Need To Know)

Best Retailers of Both Earth-Created and Lab-Created Diamonds

1.    James Allen (TOP CHOICE)

James Allen has one of the largest inventories of stones and is very competitive in price. If you want up-close imaging and 360° views of your stone and setting, James Allen is the way to go. 

James Allen probably has the largest selection, so it’s a good idea to check out their huge inventory to find your perfect stone and setting. The site also allows you to customize your ring with a huge variety of features, which will help you or your sweetie find the perfect setting. 

If you are in the market for a fancy shape diamond, James Allen will probably offer the best selection.

Read also >> Where Does James Allen Ship From? (Complete Guide)

2. Blue Nile

Blue Nile, founded in 1999,  was one of the first online diamond retailers. After 20 years in business, you can be sure you are dealing with a legit retailer that is often the most competitive on price. 

Blue Nile also has a huge inventory of diamonds–so you will have a lot of choices for your style and price point.

The site has a diamond buying guide if you want to educate yourself about your purchase before jumping in. 

You can use their build your own feature for engagement rings, or choose from a designer ring. 

If you are in the market for a larger stone (which is more rare), Blue Nile will have a much wider selection to choose from. 

Blue Nile is a great option if you want a lot of choices or if you are getting started and want to see what is out there. Shoppers also like Blue Nile’s customer service and return policies. 

Read also >> Blue Nile Customer Service Hours (Opening + Closing)

3.    Ritani

Ritani started out as a ring designer rather than a diamond seller and remains true to its origins. If you are looking for a unique piece of jewelry or a designer setting, Ritani is the way to go.

They also stock a large inventory of diamonds to complete your unique look. 

If you don’t know where to start, you can chat with a gemologist that doesn’t work on commission and get honest answers to all your questions. 

The site also has a large variety of vintage engagement ring designs that can be customized or bought as-is. 

Ritani sets itself apart from competitors by offering price transparency, diamond market analysis, and price matching–which will help you avoid overpaying.

The company also offers a ring recommender, in-store pickup/review at stores and WeWorks, and nationwide consultations. 

4.    Brilliant Earth

If you are in the market for an ethical stone, Brilliant Earth will be the best choice for you. Their mission is “to cultivate a more transparent, sustainable, compassionate, inclusive jewelry industry.” 

It carries both responsibly-sourced natural stones (no “conflict diamonds”) and lab-created stones, so you can compare shop between the two and determine which is right for you.

If you want a custom piece made with a lab-grown rock, Brilliant Earth has the largest selection of shapes, sizes, and colors of lab diamonds, all at good price points. Pick any shape, size, or metal, and you can design your perfect piece. 

You can also have a virtual consultation with a diamond professional if you want to learn more–especially if you want more info about choosing a lab-grown diamond. 

Read also >> Brilliant Earth Return Policy: 4 Reasons Why It Sucks & 4 Reasons Why It’s Great

5.    Brian Gavin

If you want only the most stunning cut for your stone, Brian Gavin’s diamonds will not disappoint. The site sells fancy cuts as well as super ideal cut hearts and arrow diamonds–some of the most beautiful in the world for fire and sparkle. 

The site shows several views of each diamond, demonstrating fire, clarity, sparkle, and brilliance, so you can see the difference in the ideal cut stone.

Should I Buy a Lab-Grown Diamond?

Lab-created, lab-grown, or cultured diamonds are chemically and physically identical to earth-grown (“natural”) diamonds. In fact, it requires specialized equipment to determine if a diamond is natural or lab-grown. 

Lab-grown diamonds are grown under similar conditions to natural diamonds–but in a lab setting. For this reason, they do not have the environmental impacts of mining traditional stones, such as habitat degradation and water pollution. 

Further, lab-grown diamonds do not contribute to the ethical issues and human rights issues associated with the diamond trade and “conflict diamonds.”

In many cases, lab-grown diamonds do not pass through as many hands before they reach the buyer. 

For all of these reasons, lab-grown diamonds are sold at a much lower price point than natural stones.  

Further, if you always had your heart set on a colored diamond but they were always out of reach due to price, you can now purchase lab-grown colored stones for a fraction of the price of natural colored diamonds. 

Lab diamonds are also certified by GIA using the same parameters as natural diamonds. 

Best Retailers of Only Lab-Grown Diamonds

While many of the large online diamond retailers have gotten into the lab-grown diamond market (some more than others), many smaller companies are specializing in only lab-created diamonds. 

Lab-grown diamonds have gained popularity in recent years. If you think a lab-grown stone is right for you, read on for some online retailers that specialize in lab-grown diamonds that are also certified by the GIA. 

1.    Clean Origin

Clean Origin sells only lab-created diamonds, not natural stones. The site sells loose stones and engagment rings, as well as a selection of lab-made bridal jewelry. 

Lab-grown diamonds still have variations in color and clarity just like natural stones, so Clean Origin’s 360° viewer will be helpful when looking at your potential sparkler. 

The company also offers a 100 day return period, compared to the standard 30 day period of most online retailers. The customer service team is composed of professionals with at least 5 years’ experience in the diamond industry. 

2.    VRAI

If you are looking for a premium cut lab stone, VRAI is the place to start. VRAI grows its own diamonds in the US.

The diamonds are made from crystallized greenhouse gasses, which do not contribute to climate change when locked in diamond form. 

According to the website, each VRAI grown diamond saves 143 lbs of carbon dioxide, 2,011 oz of air pollution, and 250 tons of earth as compared to a mined diamond. 

In addition to growing their own diamonds, VRAI cuts the stones to exacting standards, resulting in stunning sparklers that are also good for the planet. 

In addition, all stones and jewelry are produced in a zero emission facility using 100% renewable power. 

3.    Lark and Berry

Lark and Berry has become a celebrity favorite and a leader in sustainability. 

If you want to work with a professional to design your jewelry, Lark and Berry has a staff of experts that will sit with you in-person or virtually to create your perfect piece.

You can start with one of their designs and tweak it to make it yours, or you can create something all your own. They just need to know your budget and stone size to get started. 

You will receive a 3D image or video to sign off on before they produce the piece. 

If you are in the market for a lab-created diamond eternity band, Lark and Berry has a number of unique options on the site, or start with one of those and make your own. 

For each purchase, the company works with One Tree Planted to reforest Africa and other regions that have suffered negative consequences from traditional diamond mining.

In addition, their shipping is 100% carbon neutral. 

All pieces come with a lifetime warranty. 

Best Retailers of Only Earth-Grown Diamonds

If you are certain you don’t want to go the lab-created diamond route, some retailers remain true to tradition and continue to stock only natural diamonds. 

1.    Whiteflash

Whiteflash is known for its excellent cuts and designer options. You may have heard of their tagline “a cut above” super ideal diamonds in round and princess cut. They take pride in making some of the best cut diamonds money can buy. 

Whiteflash owns all the diamonds it sells, rather than listing diamonds they don’t actually hold (which is the case with many online sellers). This enables the customer service agents to compare stones and discuss the details of each. 

You can design your own ring on the website, or choose from a variety of pre-designed options. In addition, they carry a large selection of designer engagement rings including those by Tacori, A. Jaffe, Verragio, Ritani, and Danhov, among others. 

The website contains a large amount of information about diamond buying so you can educate yourself before you buy. 

The company wants you to shop with confidence, and was the winner of the BBB Pinnacle award in 2021, a consecutive winner of the BBB Distinction awards since 2004, and gets a BBB A+ rating. 

In addition, the company ethically sources its diamonds in accordance with the Kimberley Process, which aims to reduce the flow of conflict diamonds. 

2.    Leibish

Have your heart set on a natural fancy color diamond? Leibish is the place to find all the different colors of these rare beauties.

Whether you want yellow, blue, champagne, pink, argyle, or even black–whatever your dream diamond–Leibish may have some stones to show you. 

Leibish also has a lot of experience setting these rare stones to optimize their unique colors. Their design consultants will make sure you are blown away by the unique piece you can get with a fancy color diamond. 

3.    Abe Mor

Have a budget over $20K? If you are looking for a large or rare diamond and are ready to spend the money, Abe Mor will give you the personalized attention you deserve to find the ideal piece. 

Their online experience is a little different–you will be getting personalized attention rather than looking through diamonds and building jewelry on your own–but Abe Mor is known for giving high end purchasers not only an attentive and amazing customer experience but for finding the perfect fit in a unique diamond. 

Conclusion

If you feel more comfortable going to a brick and mortar jewelry store to look at diamonds, that is fine, but know that excellent stones can be purchased safely from online sellers.

Shipping is often free and insured, so you aren’t taking a risk when buying online. If you don’t like what you get, you can always return it. 

Further, Brick and Mortar stores are almost never competitive on price with online sellers. 

Now that you know where to buy GIA certified diamonds, it’s time to take the plunge and go find that perfect diamond. 

References

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anniedavidson/2022/04/01/best-lab-grown-diamonds/