The Best Places to Buy Loose Diamonds

Buying a loose diamond is not like buying a finished ring. You pick the stone first, then the setting. You get more control. You also carry more risk if a store gives you bad advice.

I’ve secret-shopped diamond stores for over 25 years. I’ve seen great stones, and I’ve seen weak ones sold with a confident smile. The store you pick matters as much as the diamond.

This guide covers where to buy loose natural diamonds, both online and in person. I’ll show you what each store does, how it compares, and what to check before you pay.

Bottom Line Recommendation

Brilliant Earth is my first stop for loose natural diamonds. Brilliant Earth carries over 100K natural diamonds and sources them under its Beyond Conflict Free® standard. You can search online with 360° videos, then see settings in person at one of 40+ stores.

For most buyers, that mix of selection, sourcing, and in-person help is hard to beat. Blue Nile, Leibish & Co, and Abe Mor fit narrower needs. I cover each one below.

Top Diamond Retailer Picks

• Brilliant Earth: Online and in 40+ stores, with natural and lab grown diamonds
• Blue Nile: Online loose diamond search
• Leibish & Co: Natural fancy colored diamonds
• Abe Mor: Wholesale-style buying in New York City
• What to Look for in a Diamond Retailer
• Loose Diamonds FAQ

1. Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth carries over 100K natural diamonds. You can shop online or work with a jeweler at one of 40+ stores. That mix is why this is the first store I point loose diamond shoppers toward.

How Big Is Brilliant Earth’s Loose Diamond Selection?

Brilliant Earth sells natural diamonds in 12 shapes. They include round, oval, cushion, elongated cushion, emerald, pear, radiant, princess, marquise, asscher, heart, and old mine. Sizes start below 0.25 carats and go up to 5 carats and larger.

The search tool filters by the 4Cs. Those are cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. They decide how a diamond looks and what it costs.

You can also filter by length-to-width ratio, polish, symmetry, table percentage, depth percentage, fluorescence, and origin. Why does that matter? Two diamonds with the same 4Cs can look very different. These extra filters help you spot the difference before you buy.

A Quick Ship filter shows stones that arrive soonest. You can also pick a delivery date. If you have a proposal or a birthday coming up, that saves a lot of stress.

What Quality Tools Does Brilliant Earth Offer?

Cut drives sparkle more than any other factor. Brilliant Earth lets you filter by cut grade, so you can focus on the stones that handle light best. Brilliant Earth also has a Hearts & Arrows filter for round diamonds. Those stones are cut with extra-precise facets that show a pattern of eight hearts and eight arrows under the right viewer.

Many listings include 360° video and Real View images of the actual stone. A photo can hide a lot. A video that spins the diamond is much harder to fake.

Every natural diamond comes with a grading report. That’s a document from an independent lab that lists the stone’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Brilliant Earth carries stones graded by GIA, IGI, GCAL, and HRD, and you can filter by lab. Learn more in Brilliant Earth’s 4Cs of diamonds guide.

For buyers who want the top of the clarity scale, Brilliant Earth also has a Flawless Collection. A flawless diamond has no flaws inside or outside the stone, even under 10x magnification.

How Does Brilliant Earth Source Its Natural Diamonds?

Brilliant Earth holds its natural diamonds to the Beyond Conflict Free® standard. It covers five areas:

• No civil war funding: The diamonds do not finance civil wars.
• No human rights abuses: The mines are free of them.
• Fair labor: Workers get fair labor practices.
• Environmental care: The mines operate responsibly.
• Community help: The mining operations support the local community.

Less than 1% of the world’s natural diamonds meet this bar. Brilliant Earth traces its diamonds to specific mine operations. You can also filter by origin, including Canada, Botswana Sort, Angola, and recycled diamonds. You can read the full standard on Brilliant Earth’s responsible sourcing page.

Most stores call their diamonds “conflict-free.” That usually means they follow the Kimberley Process. The Kimberley Process is a global system built mainly to keep diamonds that fund rebel wars out of the market. It does not cover fair labor or the environment.

Brilliant Earth also offers blockchain-enabled diamonds. Blockchain keeps a digital record of a diamond’s trip from mine to market. Brilliant Earth started offering these in 2019.

Can You See Brilliant Earth Diamonds in Person?

Yes. Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores across the US, including a Beverly Hills flagship. You can book a 50-minute engagement ring appointment and work one on one with a jeweler. There’s no pressure to buy.

Prefer to stay home? You can book a virtual appointment instead. Brilliant Earth’s jewelry specialists are also available by chat and phone. You can ask Brilliant Earth to bring diamonds you like to your local store. That lets you see the stone next to a setting before you decide.

This is where Brilliant Earth separates from online-only stores. You get the big online search and a place to try it on your hand.

What Is Brilliant Earth’s Return and Warranty Policy?

Brilliant Earth offers free shipping both ways, free 30-day returns, a free lifetime warranty, and a lifetime diamond upgrade program. Check the policy pages for the full terms before you buy. Any store you shop at should let you read its return rules in plain English.

Does Brilliant Earth Sell Lab Grown Diamonds?

Yes. Brilliant Earth carries both natural and lab grown diamonds. Both are genuine diamonds. A lab grown diamond has the same chemistry as a natural one, but it grows in a lab instead of in the earth.

Brilliant Earth also sells natural colored diamonds if you want yellow, pink, blue, or another color. This guide focuses on natural diamonds, but the choice between natural and lab grown is yours.

2. Blue Nile

Blue Nile is a long-running jewelry store known for its online diamond search. You filter by shape, carat, cut, color, and clarity, then open a page for each stone.

Blue Nile’s natural diamonds come with a grading report. The pages I checked listed GIA reports, along with free returns and a lifetime diamond upgrade program on select certified diamonds. Blue Nile says its natural diamonds follow the Kimberley Process. It also lists a phone number for questions from an expert.

Blue Nile is a fit if you’re comfortable shopping from a screen and you already know your specs. If you want to see a stone in person first, Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores where you can do that.

3. Leibish & Co

Leibish & Co sells mostly natural fancy colored diamonds. “Fancy colored” means a diamond with strong natural color, like yellow, pink, or blue. Leibish & Co is a family business started by Leibish Polnauer in 1979. It has offices in New York, Israel, and Hong Kong.

Because of that focus, Leibish & Co is not built for the everyday white diamond buyer. If you want a classic colorless round or oval for an engagement ring, you’ll be shopping outside the store’s main specialty.

Natural fancy colored diamonds are rare, and rare stones cost more. That’s true at every store. It’s worth knowing before you fall for a vivid pink or blue.

Leibish & Co says its stones are mined in Australia, Africa, India, and Russia. It says they come from conflict-free sources that follow United Nations resolutions. That is a baseline standard. It’s not the same as Brilliant Earth’s five-part Beyond Conflict Free® standard.

What if you like the idea of color but want choices at more than one budget? Brilliant Earth sells natural colored diamonds, plus lab grown colored diamonds in shades like Malibu Blue and Pacific Green. You can also walk into a Brilliant Earth store and see them. Leibish & Co sells mainly online, so seeing a stone in person usually means contacting the team.

4. Abe Mor

Abe Mor is a diamond wholesaler based on West 47th Street in New York City. A wholesaler is a business that sells diamonds mostly to other stores. Abe Mor sells loose diamonds, matched pairs, fancy colored diamonds, and finished jewelry.

I’ve said before that Abe Mor is not built for everyday diamond buying. A wholesaler works differently from a store. You’ll usually talk with a salesperson, ask for stones, and work out details one on one. That suits a buyer who knows the market and wants to negotiate. It can feel confusing if this is your first diamond.

Brilliant Earth gives you the opposite setup. Every stone is listed with its full specs, you can compare stones side by side on your own time, and you get free 30-day returns. If you want a jeweler’s help, you can book a visit at one of 40+ stores. You never have to guess where to start.

What to Look for in a Diamond Retailer

Here’s what I check when I secret-shop a store for loose diamonds. Use this list at any store, online or in person.

1. An Independent Grading Report

A grading report tells you what you’re buying. Look for one from a respected independent lab such as GIA, IGI, or GCAL. If a store won’t show you the report before you pay, walk away.

2. Cut Quality

Cut is how well a diamond is shaped to handle light. It affects sparkle more than color, clarity, or carat. In my experience, a well-cut stone with a slightly lower color grade beats a poorly cut stone with a higher one. Ask for the cut grade on every stone.

3. Full Specs and Real Images

Good stores list everything. That includes table percentage, depth percentage, polish, symmetry, fluorescence, and measurements. They also show video or 360° images of the actual diamond. A stock photo of “a diamond like this one” doesn’t count.

Ask whether the diamond is eye-clean. Eye-clean means you can’t see any flaws without magnification. For many buyers, a stone in the VS or high SI range can be eye-clean and cost less than a flawless one. Is flawless worth the extra money? For most people, no.

4. A Clear Return Policy

Read the return window, the shipping rules, and any fees before you buy. Loose diamonds are a big purchase. You should be able to take a few days to look at the stone and decide.

5. Sourcing You Can Check

Ask where the diamond came from. A good store can tell you the mine or country, or at least the standard it follows. “Conflict-free” alone doesn’t tell you much. Ask what that word covers.

6. A Way to See It in Person

You don’t need to see every diamond in person. But you should have the option. A visit lets you check size on your hand, compare two stones side by side, and test a setting. So what should you do if you’re buying online? Pick a store with real stores or video appointments.

Buying Loose Diamonds Online vs. In Store

You don’t have to pick only one. Brilliant Earth works both ways. You can browse the full online search, then book a store visit or video appointment to check your top picks.

The Bottom Line on Where to Buy Loose Diamonds

For most buyers, Brilliant Earth is where I’d start. Brilliant Earth carries over 100K natural diamonds with detailed filters, 360° video, and reports from GIA, IGI, GCAL, and HRD. The Beyond Conflict Free® standard covers five areas, and less than 1% of the world’s natural diamonds meet it. You can also visit 40+ stores or book a virtual appointment, so you never shop alone.

Blue Nile suits buyers who want to browse online and already know what they want. Leibish & Co fits shoppers who want a natural fancy colored diamond. Abe Mor fits people who are comfortable buying like a trade professional.

Whichever store you pick, check the grading report, the cut grade, and the return policy first. Those three checks will protect you more than any sale.

Ready to look? Visit Brilliant Earth to start your search, or browse loose natural diamonds now.

Loose Diamonds FAQ

Where is the best place to buy a loose diamond?

One of the best options is Brilliant Earth. It carries over 100K natural diamonds, offers 360° video and independent grading reports, and has 40+ stores. That lets you search online and see stones in person. The right store still depends on whether you want a classic white diamond, a colored one, or a wholesale-style experience.

Is it better to buy a loose diamond online or in a store?

Neither is better for everyone. Online gives you more stones to filter and compare. A store lets you hold the diamond and try settings. In most cases, the safest path is a store that does both, like Brilliant Earth.

What certificate should a loose diamond have?

Look for a grading report from an independent lab such as GIA, IGI, or GCAL. The report lists the diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Ask to see it before you pay. A store that only gives its own in-house grade is harder to compare.

Can I buy a loose diamond and put it in a ring later?

Yes. Many buyers pick the diamond first and the setting second. At Brilliant Earth, you can use the Design Your Own tool to pair a loose diamond with a setting and preview the result before you buy.

Does Brilliant Earth sell loose lab grown diamonds?

Yes. Brilliant Earth sells both natural and lab grown diamonds. Both are genuine diamonds. You can filter by diamond origin on the search page to switch between them.

Can I return a loose diamond?

It depends on the store, so read the policy first. Brilliant Earth offers free 30-day returns and free shipping both ways. Check the return page for the full terms before you buy.

What matters most when choosing a loose diamond?

Cut matters most. It controls how much a diamond sparkles. After cut, pick the color and clarity that look good to you and fit your budget. Size comes last, because a well-cut smaller stone often looks better than a poorly cut larger one.

About the author

Ira Weissman