Where To Shop For Diamond Jewelry Online
Shopping for diamonds online can be intimidating. Not only are you searching for a piece you (or your recipient) will find beautiful and wear for years to come, but you want to be entirely confident that what you’re buying is authentic and will arrive safely. Fine jewelry is no small purchase and you deserve to feel secure buying something of such high value and personal significance.
Thankfully, many fine jewelry retailers have made shopping for diamond jewelry online a safe and streamlined process. These sites offer detailed information on where their gemstones and other materials come from, comprehensive valuation reports, and shopping consultations by phone or video if you want human help.
While it skips a few of the biggest names you already know about, the list below covers 21 of the best places to buy diamond jewelry online. It touches on just about every category we could think of, from lab-grown diamond specialists to artisans working with responsibly sourced gems, classic jewelry houses to boutique designers, big splurges to dainty, everyday gems. Keep reading to learn why we like—and trust—these retailers for quality, authentic diamond jewelry online.
All products and services featured are independently selected by Forbes Shopping contributors and editors. When you make a purchase through links on this page, we may earn a commission.
The Best Affordable Diamond Jewelry Online
The Best Splurgy Diamond Jewelry Online
The Best Brands for Lab Grown Diamonds
The Best Traditional Diamond Jewelry Online
The Best Shops for Independent Designers
The Best Legacy Brands for Diamond Jewelry
The Best Shops for Vintage Diamonds Online
The Best Affordable Diamond Jewelry Online
Like pretty much every other product, fine jewelry has gotten the millennial-ized “direct to consumer” treatment. With a fine-tuned supply chain and a direct line to customers via social media, these companies are able to skip the traditional retail markup, meaning quality jewelry for a fraction of the price.
This popular direct-to-consumer brand is known, in part, for its majority female customer base. In the past, women’s fine jewelry has mostly been purchased by men as gifts, but with on-trend styles and affordable pricing, Mejuri makes the case for “everyday” fine jewelry and self-gifting. Prices start around $75 for a single stud earring and top off around $2,000 for an engagement ring.
Stone and Strand offers classics like diamond eternity bands and stud earrings, but what sets this direct-to-consumer brand apart are its more whimsical designs, like a diamond-studded wishbone necklace or knotted ring. Like Mejuri (above), Stone and Strand caters to a female audience shopping for their own everyday fine jewelry, which it makes more affordable by skipping the retail markup. Prices range from $65 for a “teeny” diamond stud to $4,100 for a four carat diamond necklace.
This LA-based brand has all the colorful gems and statement silhouettes for those who find the minimalist styles that dominate most “cool” jewelry brands a bit bland. After two decades of designing jewelry for celebrity lines and luxury houses, designer Shelley Sanders wanted to create a collection where she could make fine jewelry fun, and founded TLL with her husband. Prices start around $200 for diamond huggie earrings.
The Best Splurgy Diamond Jewelry Online
When money is no object and diamonds are the subject, things are bound to become very, very sparkly. For this section, we looked to designers and retailers who take fine jewelry up a notch, not just with carat count but also with craft.
Designer Baylee Ann Zwart worked in fashion magazines before uprooting to Guatemala to work for a fair-trade non-profit with local artisans, where she began to study jewelry metal working. Now based in Los Angeles, she designs Āzlee, a line of fine jewelry made in LA with an emphasis on supporting local economic development and keeping the brand’s carbon footprint low. Inspired by French Art Deco as well as ancient civilizations, you’ll find pieces like geometric earrings with rare cut diamonds alongside Grecian-inspired coin motifs—and it works. Most pieces are priced between $3,000 and $6,000, with some items closer to $10,000.
If you want to browse multiple brands in the safe space of a department store (or, in this case, its web shop), Bergdorf Goodman is your best bet. The selection of diamond jewelry includes brilliant pieces from designers like Ippolita and Irene Neuwirth. This is fine jewelry for people who already have the diamond studs and pendant necklaces—think $40,000 lockets and bangles of baguette diamonds.
Farfetch lets you browse the best of high end boutique retail from around the world in one, centralized place. Its selection of diamond jewelry offers a ton of “wow” pieces from fine jewelry establishment brands like Cartier, fashion houses like Gucci, and tons of smaller labels, too. Here you’ll find statement-makers like chandelier earrings for a half million dollars and pave dog tags.
The Best Brands for Lab Grown Diamonds
Lab grown diamonds are a great option for shoppers looking for an alternative to mined diamonds or for those looking to get a little more bang for their buck. (Not to be confused with “diamond simulates,” like cubic zirconia, which look similar to diamonds but are not true carbon crystals.) Also called manmade, engineered, or cultured diamonds, these stones are grown from tiny carbon seeds of pre-existing diamonds in a lab environment that replicates the conditions under which diamonds naturally develop. Natural diamonds and lab grown diamonds are made of the same material and share the same chemical, physical, and optical properties.
Ritani was founded by a family jewelers in 1999 and all of its pieces are made to order in New York by expert artisans. Like Brilliant Earth (above), also offers both natural and lab grown diamond jewelry with ethically-sourced stones and metals. Its lab diamond jewelry selection ranges from pendant necklaces priced just under $800 to tennis bracelets just under $3,000.
Vrai exclusively uses lab grown diamonds from its own foundry, meaning there is truly no middleman between the stone’s source and its setting. The diamonds are grown sustainably in America with an entirely hydropowered production process, meaning no carbon emissions. In addition to classics like studs and tennis bracelets, Vrai offers a wide range of contemporary styles like signet rings and statement earrings. Prices range from under $100 for single stud earrings to just under $10,000 for an eight carat tennis bracelet.
Brilliant Earth offers both natural diamonds and lab grown diamonds, with an emphasis on responsible sourcing from gemstones to precious metals to packaging. The selection of ready-to-ship styles is huge and covers all the basics: stud earrings, pendant necklaces, tennis bracelets, and so on. Prices start around $300 for a pair of 1/4 carat studs and tops out around $40k for a 27 carat tennis bracelet. You can also create your own lab diamond earrings or a lab diamond ring on the site.
The Best Shops For Traditional Diamond Jewelry
For traditional diamond jewelry pieces like stud earrings, pendant necklaces, or tennis bracelets, the web is your oyster. After browsing dozens of fine jewelry shops online, we chose the following for their breadth of selection, range of price points, and reliable retailer reputation.
Blue Nile
Blue Nile was one of the first fine jewelry retailers to embrace the web as a viable selling platform way back in 1999. Its selection of ready-to-ship diamond jewelry includes traditional earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings as well as some more “modern classics” like rose gold diamond bar studs. Prices start around $200 for stud earrings and climb into the six figure range for certain engagement rings.
Forevermark
Forevermark offers the classics through a lens that’s a little more contemporary than its competitors, while still remaining timeless. Its range of diamond jewelry includes pavé diamond wedding bands and sparkly drop earrings as well as modern classics like stackable rings and huggie earrings. Prices start around $500 for a wedding band and rise from there, with items from its exceptional diamond collection listed as “price upon request.”
Macy’s
Believe it or not, Macy’s has a huge selection of diamond jewelry (including a nice selection of Forevermark pieces). While you won’t find the most modern designs here, it’s a solid choice for simple styles like diamond hoop earrings or solitaire pendant necklaces. Prices start around $100 for pendant necklaces and climb to around $50k for engagement rings.
The Best Shops for Independent Designers
When you’re looking for something beyond the basic stud earring or pendant necklace, turn to independent designers. There are so many talented, inventive people and small workshops making interesting, original jewelry. Treat yourself by at least having a look.
Broken English
This fine jewelry boutique, with stores in New York City and Los Angeles, stocks dozens of talented jewelry designers including Anita Ko, Jennifer Meyer, and Sophie Billie Brahe. When it comes to the selection of diamond jewelry, prices start around $100 for a single diamond stud and climb into the six figure range for pieces like this 55 carat diamond cuff.
Catbird
Catbird began as a little storefront in Brooklyn that became popular locally for its ultra-dainty jewelry with names like the threadbare ring and sweet nothing choker. In addition to its own Catbird Jewelry, the boutique stocks independent jewelry lines like Blanca Monrós Gómez, Jennie Kwon, and Wwake. For diamond jewelry, prices range from around $100 for a single stud to around $10,000 for engagement rings.
Mociun
Not far from the original Catbird storefront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is Mociun. Designer Caitlin Mociun designs fine jewelry that is unique but elegant like a diamond-studded squiggle ring, as well as treasures with a sense of humor, like its Fine Foods collection. For diamond jewelry, prices start around $200 for a single stud and climb toward the six figure mark for certain diamond rings.
The Best Legacy Diamond Jewelry Online
There are some names in fine jewelry that have stood for generations, and are likely to continue on for generations to come. This class of legacy jewelers make great gifts for those who get just excited about the box as what’s in it.
Cartier
Since opening its doors in 1847, French fine jeweler Cartier has continuously introduced styles that have been solidified by time as classics. Among them are the Love bracelet, the Panthère motif, and the Tank watch. When it comes to diamond jewelry, offerings start around $700 and top off in the $20k arena.
Tiffany & Co.
Between its patented Tiffany blue packaging and the cinema classic Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Tiffany & Co. is among the most iconic of American legacy brands. Initially a single shop in NYC opened in 1837, the company has ballooned in store count and offerings. Today’s diamond jewelry offerings start around $300 for Tiffany Charms and soar into the six figures for pieces like this 70 carat bib necklace.
Van Cleef & Arpels
This French jewelry house dates back to 1896 and is known for its motifs that celebrate the natural world, like flowers, butterflies, and snowflakes. Styles are full of color and whimsy with intricate craftsmanship that often employs multiple kinds of gemstones. As a result, pieces are beautiful and pricy, starting around $3,000 for a pair of ‘mini’ earrings and skyrocketing from there.
The Best Vintage Diamond Jewelry Online
Vintage jewelry can be more unique, sustainable, and affordable than buying new. But because you aren’t dealing with the original manufacturer or retailer, it’s important to choose sources that have a trustworthy vetting process and are knowledgable to answer any questions you may have about buying vintage diamond jewelry online.
1stDibs
For authenticated antique online, there’s no match for 1stDibs. The company works with a trusted network of top vintage and contemporary sellers across the world to source pieces you really won’t see anywhere else, like a 1920s Cartier engagement ring or a Victorian era bracelet. The selection is enormous and the price range is broad—at the low end are diamond studs for $100 and at the high end are $4.5 million engagement rings so blinding you may need to turn down your computer brightness. Everything is thoroughly vetted and all purchases include buyer protection for a shopping experience that’s more Net-a-Porter than eBay.
Kindred Black
Kindred Black is environmentally-minded with luxurious eye. While some of its stock is sourced from contemporary makers with a similar ethos, much of the wares are vintage, including the vast jewelry selection. Unexpected statement pieces are the highlight here, like sculptural rings and collar necklaces. For vintage diamond jewelry, prices start in the mid-hundreds and rise from there, with prices averaging in the low thousands. Expect your treasure to arrive in low-waste, recyclable packaging free of plastic materials—Mother Earth is the ultimate heirloom after all.
TheRealReal
Similar to 1stDibs (above), TheRealReal is a marketplace authenticated by experts. Every item is subject to rigorous evaluation by a team that includes brand authenticators, gemologists, and fine jewelry experts, so there’s no doubting that antique tiara or vintage Chanel ring is definitely real (real). Prices for vintage diamond jewelry range from a few thousand for a Cartier ‘Love’ ring up into the tens of thousands for archival Bvlgari and Tiffany.