As longstanding symbols of love, commitment, and elegance, diamonds need to be chosen with care. You want to make sure that you have the right stone to commemorate a special moment, to pop the big question, or simply to choose an excellent gift.
To that end, the quality and authenticity of your diamond matter a lot, making it even more important to be particular when it comes to where you buy your stone.
The world of online diamond shopping has been fast-growing and, aside from regular retailers, marketplaces like Rare Carat have emerged to provide a wholly new type of diamond shopping experience. Here, we’re going to review the e-commerce website to see how it compares to the traditional diamond buying experience.
Who Is Rare Carat?
Rare Carat is a US-based diamond marketplace that was launched in 2016 by Ajay Anand, who was frustrated with the process of trying to buy an engagement ring. As such, he created this website to try to offer an experience that was more transparent, convenient, and offered expert guidance for buyers.
Rare Carat is no longer an aggregator; instead, it is the merchant of record on all transactions and has been since 2021. Contrary to what is sometimes said online, Rare Carat doesn’t sell the jewelry of third-party jewelers, but sells its own branded products. Behind the scenes is a network of vetted suppliers of ethical diamonds, who never interact directly with customers (neither when placing an order nor when returning it). Rare Carat handles diamond inspection, jewelry handcrafting, quality control, packaging, and shipping, all within the USA. As a customer-friendly platform, it offers customers a host of tools to explore the jewelry collection, including smart search tools and quality scores, and the help of certified gemologists.
Why More People Are Turning to Online Diamond Jewelers
The traditional approach of diamond shopping is no longer the only way. In fact, it might not even be the preferred way. Compared to their brick-and-mortar cousins, online diamond jewelers offer a level of variety, competitive pricing, and transparency that is making them more and more popular.
Rather than being limited to the selection offered by one store alone, customer-first jewelers like Rare Carat offer users access to a much larger inventory of certified ethical diamonds and the ability to compare them based on factors like cut, clarity, carat, and price. Moreover, Rare Carat’s low overhead model allows it to offer flawless jewelry quality while keeping prices more reasonable than at standalone jewelers.
Although choosing the right platform matters a lot, the right ones can offer buyers peace of mind that they know the kind of quality they’re getting.
About Rare Carat’s Online Diamond Platform
Rather than just being a simple listing service, Rare Carats is a highly equipped, full-service shopping website. Their range includes natural and lab-created diamonds, an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional, which can be set on over a thousand different ring styles. Beyond engagement rings, the company launched over 2,500 unique fine jewelry pieces, including classics (like diamond studs, tennis bracelets, and solitaire pendants) and also designer pieces (Christian Siriano collection).
A standout feature is their customer-friendly UI, which combs over millions of diamonds and provides precise filters and recommendations to help shoppers narrow down their options and make smarter decisions. Each diamond comes with a “Deal Score” and a Rare Carat Report, combining AI analysis with the expertise of human GIA-certified gemologists. This process ensures that pricing and quality are both transparently clear.
For those who want a little more guidance, Rare Carat also offers free, unbiased chats with their gemology experts, as well as a Diamond Concierge Service, which provides a much more personal shopping experience than automated tools alone.
What Past Customers Say
Rare Carat was recently featured in a case study made by Trustpilot ( https://business.trustpilot.com/customer-stories/ecommerce/how-rare-carat-wins-with-trust) in which they deep dived into the reasons Rare Carat had been the best-rated jeweler in the USA for the past two years. One thing that stood out in the case study is how, with the internet being saturated with fake recommendations from paid affiliate websites, Rare Carat wanted to bet on real customer feedback, so that customers themselves would drive the word of mouth. By making sure every single customer ends up satisfied, Rare Carat ensured that they got the best online reviews, whether on Trustpilot or BBB, Google Maps, or Reddit. This customer-centric strategy (which is otherwise common in tech startups but not in jewelry) has earned them a much higher net promoter score (NPS) than their competitors. It’s worth noting that before endorsing them for this case study, the Trustpilot team thoroughly vetted the legitimacy of Rare Carat’s reviews and their review collection process.
As of today, Rare Carat has three thousand reviews on Trustpilot, an average rating of 5.0/5, and less than 1% of “1 star” ratings. In comparison, Brilliant Earth has 4.3/5 on Trustpilot, and as many as 17% of customers who rated them “1 star”. Blue Nile has a 4.1/5 average rating and 20% of customers rating them 1 star. James Allen has 4.2 on Trustpilot, and 13% of 1 star. Ritani, another competitor, has an even worse 2.5/5 Trustpilot average rating. This suggests a huge difference in either the quality of the products or the helpfulness of the customer support agents.
The Advantages of Shopping With Rare Carat
Rare Carat is one of the platforms getting a lot more traction among diamond buyers online, and one of those reasons is the benefits offered by unbiased expert insights. They assess not just the sticker price but the value of each stone. Each listing is also reviewed by GIA-trained gemologists, offering an extra layer of assurance. As opposed to the sales staff of competitors, Rare Carat gemologists are not paid on commission, ensuring their advice is never biased or pushy, and it makes a huge difference.
This approach to transparent and educational shopping improves their grading reports and insights on things like fluorescence and diamond treatments, which can help you get a better understanding of the quality of your stone.
Aside from the variety and quality of diamonds on offer, Rare Carat’s customer-centric policies stand out, such as their 30-day return window, which is crucial for high-stakes purchases like diamonds. They also provide a 90-day resizing guarantee, especially helpful if you’re guessing someone’s ring size.
What’s more, every purchase comes with free, insured shipping, with a signature required on delivery, to make sure that your investment is protected. This is vital when shopping online, and heightened by the elegant, thoughtfully packaged boxes which make for a special unboxing experience.
Potential Drawbacks to Consider
Like any option, rare Carat isn’t perfect. For all of its strengths, it has a few limitations, chief among which is the fact that it’s strictly online. High-quality images and 360-degree videos of products help you get a better idea of what you’re buying, but you may miss the experience of seeing or touching the stone in person before committing to it.
Although the site does provide helpful tools and expert access, the diamond-buying process can be a little intimidating, and it can take a little research to be able to reach the fully detailed reports.
Lastly, Rare Carat only ships to the USA and Canada; therefore, locations like Europe and Latin America are excluded.
Final Thoughts
Rare Carat has become America’s highest-ranked jeweler on review platforms by betting everything on top-notch technical customer support, which is crucial for a purchase as complex as diamond fine jewelry. Their low overhead model allows them to slash prices below competitors Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth while maintaining higher quality, as reflected in customer reviews. It’s a platform built for transparency, convenience, and value, offering users access to a wide range of certified stones and detailed tools to make informed decisions.
If you’re looking for a place to buy a genuine ring or a high-quality accessory, then Rare Carat is certainly the best choice you can make. With its excellent customer service, an extensive inventory, and a commitment to helping customers get exactly what they’re after.
