Shopping for a wedding or engagement ring? Obviously, your first goal is that you and your partner are going to be madly in love with it forever, just like you two. We all know diamonds are forever, but are they an ethical choice? And can you have an ethical diamond? When you shop at Clean Origin, you know that you’re getting the highest quality in diamond jewelry with a sincere commitment to excellence. Because all Clean Origin diamonds are lab-created, you’re also making an ethical choice that you can be confident about for years to come. We chatted with Clean Origin to learn more about the wedding and engagement ring company that’s making headlines for its ethical alternative to traditional diamond rings.
Equally Wed: Tell us about Clean Origin’s beginnings.
Clean Origin: The founder of Clean Origin, Alexander Weindling, is a third-generation jeweler. He started Clean Origin to be on the right side of history. He believes that we only have one planet and we need to take care of it.
Science has evolved and given us the tools to create beautiful diamonds and stop the unethical and environmentally damaging sourcing of mined diamonds. Not to mention, since lab-grown diamonds are less expensive than mined diamonds, they give a lot more people a chance to make this monumental purchase.
What do you offer your customers?
Clean Origin offers environmentally friendly, ethically sourced, affordable engagement rings. This all comes with a customer-first mentality. Anyone you talk to when you call our customer service has years of experience in the industry. We want every customer to be happy and for their new spouse to be happy as well.
What can couples or individuals expect to get from the Clean Origin experience and ring? What’s the appeal in buying a lab-grown diamond?
The peace of mind that they are receiving a diamond ring that’s 100 percent ethical and did not require huge open pit mines so big many can be viewed from space. Not to mention, Clean Origin rings can be anywhere from 20 to 30 percent less expensive than rings with mined diamonds.
Are lab-grown diamonds as durable as organic diamonds? Tell us about the quality and the process behind Clean Origin diamonds and rings.
Yes! Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, physically and optically the exact same as mined diamonds.
The only thing that makes a lab-created diamond different from a natural is diamond is its origin. A lab-created diamond is “grown” inside a lab using cutting-edge technology that replicates (and accelerates) the natural diamond growing process. The FTC has even updated their definition of ‘diamond’ to include those grown in a lab.
How do you make the experience of shopping at Clean Origin engaging and rewarding for customers?
What many customers love about Clean Origin is that we’re not a brick and mortar store. There aren’t any pushy salesmen trying to upsell you and pushing you to purchase that minute. Since we’re an eCommerce company, you can take all the time you need to browse our selection. If you do need help, we have 24/7 customer service representatives that are available to help answer any questions.
Plus, we have a 100-day return policy. So if, for whatever reason, you need to send back your ring (maybe you want a new color, different setting or bigger/smaller size), you have 100 days to do so—no questions asked—and the return shipping charges are on us.
Why is Clean Origin an excellent choice for conscious customers who care about the environmental and human impact of traditional diamond sourcing?
Shopping for a lab-grown diamond is what helps our environment. But even in the lab-created world, Clean Origin is competitive in pricing and products. We offer more than 200 gorgeous ring settings, wedding bands, earrings and even bracelets. We are also the only lab-grown e-commerce store I am aware of founded by jewelers. We are diamond and jewelry experts. Most all the others are founded by Stanford Business School graduates with private equity companies financing them. It’s a big cultural difference.
An engagement ring is a universal sign of commitment that can exude love in a way that words cannot.
What assistance do you offer for couples or individuals who really have no idea what they want from a ring? How do you personalize the experience for them?
Our founder has been in the jewelry business for more than 30 years. Totaled, our team has well over 100 years of experience in the jewelry industry and has sold billions of dollars of diamond jewelry. Our customers come first and there is no problem too big or too small for our committed diamond experts to handle.
As previously mentioned, we have 24/7 customer service, and that customer service is with a diamond expert, not just a salesman. Our No. 1 goal is to find you a ring that you’re over the moon about. We understand that every single customer is unique and their engagement ring should represent that. Our customers will admit that shopping for a diamond online is daunting at first, but with the help of our reps and our 100-day return policy, it is easy and safe.
What’s your view on marriage equality? Have you worked with LGBTQ+ couples before?
In our eyes, love is love! If you are blessed enough to find someone who loves you as much you love them, your life will be fulfilled in the most important way. Your love is what defines you and nothing else is relevant. No matter what, our goal is to create happy, satisfied customers and we achieve this by helping them find a symbol of love for their significant other. We all struggle to express love. But an engagement ring is a universal sign of commitment that can exude love in a way that words cannot.
