In the last several years, consumers have been turning away from natural diamonds and buying man-made diamond jewelry. There are several companies leading the diamond simulant industry: ASHA, CARAT, Russian Brilliants, and Diamond Nexus Labs. Each company has different policies for returns, exchanges, and guarantees.

How Much Time Do I Have?

You scroll through the various sites and decide on a piece of lab-created diamond jewelry, order, and wait for it to arrive. Now that it’s here, decide quickly if you need to take any further action if you ordered from Russian Brilliants, because they have a seven day refund policy (minus shipping costs). You have more than a week if you ordered from ASHA, with their policy being 14 days from the day you receive your shipment. If you choose to go with CARAT you have 30 days to return the package but you must notify them within 7 days that you intend to return the shipment, however you will have to return your purchase to China, as that is where they are based. With Diamond Nexus Labs, you have a full 30 days to inspect and enjoy your lab-created diamond jewelry. Additionally, only with Diamond Nexus Labs is it acceptable to actually wear your jewelry; both CARAT and ASHA state in their policy that the items must be returned unworn.

Returns

If you want the merchandise to be simply returned, each company will do their best to accommodate you. ASHA will charge a 10 percent restocking fee, as will CARAT. Keep in mind that with CARAT you will need to deal with customs for a return because they are based in China. This also means any phone inquiries must be handled during their business hours (the middle of the night in the United States). Russian Brilliants are vague about their return policy, while Diamond Nexus Labs extensive return policy details a no-hassle, no-questions-asked policy. Simply place a note with your request and your contact information in the package.

Exchanges

Your diamond simulant selection may be beautiful, but not what you expected from a picture. If you should wish to purchase something else, each company has a different procedure, and will provide phone support if you should have any questions (with the exception of ASHA – they have no phone customer service department; questions must be submitted via email). ASHA allows 14 days to submit an exchange, and somewhat cheekily specifies that after 14 days the company would be serving as your ‘personal jewelry library’ if they still permitted exchanges. CARAT allows you to decide on an exchange within 7 days, minus a 10 percent restocking fee. Russian Brilliants will also exchange within 7 days. Diamond Nexus Labs has no qualms about processing your exchange free of charge, no hassle or re-stocking fee, for a full 30 days.

Ring Resizing

When ordering a synthetic diamond ring, each company has a different policy regarding resizing the ring. This comes up quite frequently with weight loss or gain or simply an error in size selection. Russian Brilliants will resize your ring for a small fee. Carat does not indicate what their resizing policy is, and Diamond Nexus Labs will resize your ring, free of charge, within 30 days of your purchase. ASHA encourages you to take your ring to a local jeweler; however, if you find that you cannot find someone else to do it, they charge $35 to size white gold and $55 for platinum.

Lifetime Guarantees

Russian Brilliants and CARAT each warranty their lab-created diamond products against color changes for a lifetime. ASHA has recently withdrawn their offer of a lifetime warranty. They claim that the stones that were returned to them were due to customer or jeweler negligence. Diamond Nexus guarantees that if any Diamond Nexus Labs gemstone ever fades, discolors, or becomes damaged, a free replacement will be granted. They additionally ensure a free replacement if the stone is ever lost from its setting!

Clearly not all companies offering lab-created diamonds are equal, and customer service policies run the gamut from excellent to sub-standard. Now that you are prepared to shop around for diamond simulant jewelry with the guarantee information at your fingertips, you can enjoy browsing and selecting all the gorgeous synthetic diamond jewelry you desire.