Not so many years ago, the idea of ​​buying an engagement ring with a lab-grown diamond was unthinkable. Now, these diamonds have achieved such high quality that many couples choose them for their engagement rings. 

If you’re thinking that a lab-grown diamond would be a good option for you, then you’ve come to the right place. Today I chose two jewelry brands (Grown Brilliance vs Blue Nile) that I’m often asked about when choosing lab-grown diamonds. I’m going to compare them, look at their pros and cons, so that in the end you can decide which is the best option for you.

First, let’s take a look at each one.

Grown Brilliance

This female-founded brand promises ethical luxury. How? They only sell lab- grown diamonds. This means 100% conflict-free diamonds. They also use 96% recycled gold and their packaging is made from 100% recyclable materials. 

Blue Nile

Blue Nile has been in the jewelry industry since 1999 and has one of the largest online diamond inventories, with both natural and lab-grown diamonds. This brand was one of the first to revolutionize the online diamond market, and today its history precedes it.

Main Differences Between Grown Brilliance and Blue Nile

Blue Nile

• Diamond Types: Both natural and lab-grown diamonds.

• Inventory: Extensive selection of lab-grown diamonds. Ready-to-sell jewelry includes several thousand pieces.

• Certification: GIA, IGI, and GCAL certificates available for lab-grown diamonds.

• Gemstones: Natural gemstones only; fully customizable in any ring design. Lab-grown colored diamonds can be added to any design.

• Customization & Design: Extensive custom engagement ring service with more design options and easier 3D rendering visualization.

• Company History: Founded in 1999; long-standing, reliable presence in the diamond market.

Grown Brilliance

• Diamond Types: Only lab-grown diamonds.
• Inventory: Very large selection of lab-grown diamonds. Ready-to-sell jewelry is limited, with a few hundred pieces available.
• Certification: GIA and IGI certificates for lab-grown diamonds.
• Gemstones: Only lab-grown gemstones, available in pre-designed rings. Limited customization with colored diamonds.
• Customization & Design: Offers custom engagement rings, but pre-designed options dominate for gemstone settings.
• Company History: Founded in 2021; newer entrant in the diamond market.

Grown Brilliance vs. Blue Nile: Comparative Table

Feature	Grown Brilliance	Blue Nile
Diamonds	Only lab-grown diamonds	Natural and lab grown diamonds
Colored stones	Only in ready to sell  jewelry. Lab created gemstones.	Thousands of natural gemstones and you can customize them in rings or earrings.
Pricing	It usually has slightly higher prices in lab- grown diamonds.	Better prices in lab- grown diamonds and in setting style. Wider price range for lab-grown diamonds
Website	Lower image quality	360° view and High magnification of diamonds, Better pictures of the diamonds and rings.
Online Certificate	GIA / IGI	GIA/ IGI (natural diamonds) GIA/ IGI/ GCAL (Lab-grown)
Shopping experience	Good explanatory graphics about diamond quality	Excellent graphics and detail of diamonds
Customer service	Customer service is available 24/7 online.	Customer service is available 24/7 online
Return policy	Free 30-Day Returns	Free 30-Day Returns

Diamond Inventory

At the time of this writing, Blue Nile has one of the largest online diamond inventories, with hundreds of thousands of natural and lab-grown diamonds. That quantity provides a wide variety of options and price points for different budgets, making it a great choice if variety matters most to you.

Grown Brilliance, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on lab-grown diamonds and also offers a very large selection (larger than Blue Nile’s lab-grown inventory). If you already know you want a lab-grown diamond, Grown Brilliance is a strong place to start.

One approach is to start by exploring diamond shapes on Grown Brilliance. Once you’ve narrowed down the shape you like, you can check Blue Nile for similar options, where the prices might be cheaper and details might make comparison easier.

Engagement Rings

Both brands offer a modern aesthetic, with designs ranging from classic solitaires to more elaborate three-stone rings, often paired with matching bands for extra sparkle. The main difference is in the number of ring designs: Blue Nile offers over a thousand options, while Grown Brilliance has a few hundred.

On Blue Nile, if you select a ring model, you can customize it by choosing a specific diamond and adjusting all of its characteristics. Grown Brilliance, by contrast, only lets you select certain aspects, like size, and limits color choices to a general range. To pick a specific diamond there, you need to use the Design Studio option. 

In my view, that’s a significant limitation. Customers should always be able to select the exact diamond they want and see it paired with the corresponding certificate.

Personal tip: If I wanted to buy my diamond at Grown Brilliance, I would always choose the option to create my own custom design, so I have more control over the diamond I’m buying.

Type of Clients

Grown Brilliance appeals to environmentally-conscious and practical buyers who appreciate a straightforward shopping experience. Their online store features well-defined models with a clear focus on lab-grown diamonds, making it easy for customers to find what they want without being overwhelmed by too many options.

Blue Nile is ideal for buyers who enjoy exploring a wide variety of designs and value personalized customization. With so many options, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for, because without a clear idea, so much information can be confusing. Customers who like to research and compare options will feel right at home navigating the extensive selection and tailoring a ring to their exact preferences.

Pricing

Blue Nile offers a very broad range, from a few hundred dollars for smaller or simpler stones to well over $100,000 for larger or higher-quality diamonds. Grown Brilliance generally stays in the low- to mid-price range, with most diamonds costing several hundred to a few tens of thousands of dollars.

For ring settings, let’s compare the same style of solitaire 4-prong engagement ring in 14k yellow gold. Blue Nile’s version is in the $1,300 range, while Grown Brilliance is closer to $900. In other words, Blue Nile covers most budgets, even high ones, while Grown Brilliance focuses on more accessible options.

Customize Your Ring

While both companies let you design your own ring, there are differences.

The first difference is how the rings are presented. Blue Nile offers better pictures, real videos, and a faster-loading page compared to Grown Brilliance. Grown Brilliance also only offers five types of ring heads to choose from, while Blue Nile has fifteen. 

Another key difference is that Blue Nile lets you select colorful diamonds, whereas Grown Brilliance does not. If you want a colorful diamond there, your only option is a ready-to-wear ring.

In terms of customization, Blue Nile allows you to choose from many more options in both ring designs and diamonds than Grown Brilliance.

Shopping Experience

What I liked most about the Grown Brilliance website is that when choosing a diamond, in the “Diamond details” section, it clearly outlines the 4Cs, indicating where the diamond you’re buying would be located within each category. This allows the customer to better visualize the diamond’s quality. 

After that, I think everything else can be improved. The images of the diamonds aren’t the best, and as for the diamond cut, it only lets you choose a range, from excellent to ideal. That means you can’t choose a lower quality than that, which is why the base prices of diamonds are slightly higher than Blue Nile.

Blue Nile, on the other hand, clearly has more years of experience; everything is detailed and customizable, and its graphics and videos are in 360° views. 

For someone unfamiliar with diamonds, the number of options might be intimidating. If you ask me, I prefer Blue Nile’s website because I like to see the diamond I’m buying in detail and I want to have as many customization options as possible.

Guarantees

Blue Nile has GIA, IGI and GCAL certifications for its lab-grown diamonds, while Grown Brilliance has GIA and IGI diamond certificates. 

It is important to know which laboratory issues the certificate, as many brands sell diamonds with certificates. However, if some can be from unknown laboratories or include fake certificates. 

In this case, both brands offer diamond certification from the best laboratories. 

Both Blue Nile and Grown Brilliance also offer a full money-back return within 30 days of receiving the product. That means you don’t run any risk if what you ordered isn’t what you had in mind.

Which One Should You Choose?

If you’re deciding which online diamond retailer fits your needs, here’s what to consider based on your priorities:

Grown Brilliance

• If you only want lab-grown diamonds: works exclusively with lab-grown stones and offers more variation in diamond shapes.
• If you care only about a more environmentally friendly option: all jewelry is made from 96% recycled gold, and packaging is 100% recyclable.

Blue Nile

• If you’re looking for variety and quantity: one of the largest online inventories, including both natural and lab-grown diamonds.
• If you want a brand with a strong reputation: one of the pioneering online diamond sellers with excellent customer reviews.
• If you want many options for engagement ring styles: more models available and more customization options.
• If you only want natural diamonds: they have natural, lab-grown, and fancy (colored) diamonds.
• If you’re looking for a better shopping experience: videos and high-magnification images make it easier to evaluate diamonds.

Both Brands

• Are you looking for good customer service? Both brands offer support, answer questions, and have free 30-day returns.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve decided on natural diamonds, Grown Brilliance isn’t an option, while Blue Nile offers a wide selection to fit almost any budget.

Now, if you’re interested in buying a lab-grown diamond, I recommend first choosing the shape of your diamond. If it’s a rare shape, you’re more likely to find it at Grown Brilliance. If you’re looking for a classic and timeless ring design, I would recommend Blue Nile.

If you already know you want to create your own engagement ring design, both companies allow it, but which one you prefer will depend on the available designs from each label and which one you like best.

With all of this in mind, I hope you now have a clearer sense of which platform fits your diamond search and ring-building priorities.