3 minute read
BUSINESS
Brilliant Earth
Santa Monica Place welcomes sustainable jewelry brand
By Leah Schwartz
Sustainable jewelry brand Brilliant Earth, which boasts five brick-andmortar California locations and 25 showrooms nationwide, recently opened its first storefront at Santa Monica Place. Brilliant Earth has been a pioneer in sustainable and fair trade practices since it began more than 15 years ago when CEO and co-founder Beth Gerstein was searching for a responsibly sourced engagement ring. Sensing a need in the market for jewelry that reflected her values, Gerstein partnered up with her then Stanford classmate, Eric Grossberg, and Brilliant Earth was born soon after in 2005. Kathryn Money, SVP of merchandising and retail expansion at Brilliant Earth, revealed what makes the company a standout in the industry. “Our mission is to create a more transparent, sustainable, and compassionate jewelry industry—and that’s what we’ve been doing since the start,” Money said. “We believe in creating beautiful jewelry you can feel good about wearing without ever compromising quality and consciousness. When we couldn’t find a standard that met ours, we created a new one.” Brilliant Earth maintains high ethical and quality standards, adhering to rigorous protocols when sourcing materials. Most jewelers who sell “conflict-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRILLIANT EARTH
Brilliant Earth, an innovative jewelry company and global leader in ethically source fine jewelry, recently opened its first brick-and-mortar space in Santa Monica.
The light-filled showroom invites customers to shop for ethically source and personalized engagement rings, fine jewelry, and the recently launched limited-edition gemstone Cocktail Ring Collection.
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free” diamonds use the Kimberly Process, which ensures that diamond sales are not used to finance wars against governments. The company’s goal was to go beyond that and account for the environment and labor conditions to ensure that customers only receive ethically and sustainably sourced diamonds up to the highest standards. Additionally, Brilliant Earth strives to utilize recycled and lab-created diamonds and 100% recycled precious metals to help mitigate the impact of metal mining and its detrimental effects on the environment and miners. Despite this, quality is never compromised, as recycled metals maintain their integrity throughout production. To ensure ethical standards, the company employs blockchain technology, which traces a diamond’s origin and ownership. They were one of the first retail jewelers to apply this technology at scale and now offer more than 10,000 diamonds traced with blockchain technology. In an industry that has historically had issues maintaining sustainable and fair labor practices, Brilliant Earth wants to give back and focus on steering the industry in a positive direction. “Caring about the planet and its people is part of who we are,” Money said. “That’s why we established the Brilliant Earth Foundation, focused on three critical areas: responsible sourcing, social impact, and climate action.” In 2015, the company helped fund the Brilliant Earth Mobile School in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which offered education and safe space for children who otherwise might have been working in the diamond mines. Their newest showroom is just steps away from the ocean and Santa Monica Pier. “It was important to create a space that felt welcoming, approachable, and relaxing while still delivering an elevated, premium experience,” Money said. According to a study through IBM: “Purpose-driven consumers, who choose products and brands based on how well they align to their values, now represent the largest segment (44%) of consumers.” These numbers reflect the majority of Brilliant Earth’s clientele, who care deeply about conscious based consumerism. “We’re proud to serve a new generation of jewelry consumers who want thoughtfully designed, unique, beautiful jewelry, who care where their jewelry comes from, and who share our vision for giving back and positively impacting the world,” Money said.
Brilliant Earth
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 100, Santa Monica 424-388-5939 brilliantearth.com
