About GrownDiamond
Independent research. Honest reviews. No conflicts of interest.
Our Mission
The lab-grown diamond market is complex, fast-moving, and filled with marketing noise. Our mission is simple: give consumers clear, honest, data-driven guidance to help them make the best purchasing decision for their budget and values.
We research each retailer independently, test their platforms rigorously, and report what we find — including the negatives. We are not paid for rankings. Our only revenue is affiliate commissions earned when readers choose to click through and make a purchase.
Our Values
Editorial Independence
No retailer influences our rankings. We have given low scores to retailers with high affiliate commissions when their service warranted it.
Rigorous Research
Every review involves 10+ hours of testing, mystery shopping, price tracking, and customer service evaluation.
Transparency
We disclose all affiliate relationships clearly. We update our reviews when products or policies change.
Consumer First
We include the negatives in every review. We link to competitors when they offer better value for specific use cases.
Editorial Team
Sarah Chen
Editor in Chief
10 years in fine jewelry retail and gemology. GIA-certified Graduate Gemologist (GG). Has personally evaluated over 2,000 lab-grown diamonds.
Marcus Webb
Senior Reviewer
Former retail jewelry buyer with expertise in supply chain and pricing. MBA from Wharton. Specializes in retailer comparisons and price analysis.
Dr. Priya Sharma
Gemological Advisor
PhD in Materials Science, specializing in carbon crystalline structures. Advises on technical accuracy of all scientific content about diamond formation and grading.
Our Review Methodology
For each retailer review, we spend a minimum of 10 hours across these evaluation areas:
- Inventory audit: We browse 100+ diamonds per retailer, evaluating search functionality, filtering options, and stone presentation.
- Price benchmarking: We compare identical stone specifications across all 6 retailers over a 3-month period to establish accurate price differentials.
- Certification verification: We verify which grading labs each retailer accepts and check sample certificates for accuracy.
- Customer service testing: We contact each retailer's support team via chat, phone, and email with standardized questions and evaluate response time, accuracy, and helpfulness.
- Policy review: We read every retailer's return policy, warranty terms, and shipping terms in full and note any hidden conditions.
- Customer review analysis: We analyze 100+ verified customer reviews per retailer across Trustpilot, Google, and the Better Business Bureau.
We update each retailer review at minimum twice per year, or immediately when a retailer makes significant policy changes.
Questions about our research or methodology?
Contact Our Team →