Brilliant Earth jeweler opening in Birmingham

By Lisa Brody

Brilliant Earth, which bills itself as the global leader in ethically sourced fine jewelry, will be opening a store in downtown Birmingham in late spring or early summer in the new building under construction on Pierce Street where The Varsity Shop once stood.

According to sources, Brilliant Earth, which recently went public, will take the first floor of the new five-story mixed use building. It is believed Schecter Financial Group will occupy floors three and four, and another commercial user will be on the second floor, with residential on the fifth floor.

Brilliant Earth currently has 14 stores and an active online presence. The business was created in 2005 by founders Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg in San Francisco, where it is headquartered.

According to its website, Brilliant Earth's mission is to cultivate a “more transparent, sustainable and compassionate jewelry industry. We believe in creating jewelry you can feel good in wearing, without ever compromising between quality and conscience,” Gerstein said on the website.

They are a certified and audited member of the Responsible Jewelry Council, the industry's leading ethical standard. Brilliant Earth uses Beyond Conflict Free (TM) diamonds, which are selected for their ethical and environmentally responsible origins, and strives to use 100 percent recycled precious metals “to help diminish the negative impacts of metal mining.” The firm's ring boxes are crafted from wood sourced from certified forests.

Brilliant Earth is a certified Carbonfree® company, partnering with Carbonfund.org to offset carbon emissions by contributing to tropical rainforest conservation in Brazil.