I thought I could build a career in BE. I assumed too soon. - Retail Sales Associate Brilliant Earth Employee Review

1.0
Nov 10, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My immediate co-workers were great during my time here. That's all.

Cons

During the two years, the mistake of thinking of building a career was made. What a naive thought. Everything imaginable going wrong, went wrong. It was a disaster, plain and simple. Management: A quick glance at Glassdoor reviews reveals a fascinating and consistent narrative: a slight dissatisfaction with upper management. And for total transparency, that consensus is entirely accurate. The core issue is a consistent failure to empower showroom management, as upper leadership frequently bypasses them to issue directives. This fascinating top-down, 'management-lite' approach creates numerous inconsistencies, triggers perpetual changes in policy, and results in a notable lack of stable, supportive direction for the frontline associates. Perhaps a novel idea would be to trust the people hired to manage the showrooms." PTO policy: This company has a TERRIBLE PTO policy. I repeat, TERRIBLE. - No sick PTO - No mental health PTO Employees who utilize earned Paid Time Off (PTO) for essential personal reasons are obligated to use the accruals they have earned. Due to my disclosed health condition, I managed multiple, recurring health issues during my tenure. Rather than receiving support for these health-related absences, the outcome was unsatisfactory; I received a formal warning regarding exceeding my PTO usage. Which was my turning point to finally leaving this place. Blackout Dates: Plans for the holidays? Hilarious. You can basically shred that planned vacation itinerary now. This workplace makes it abundantly clear that your personal life doesn't exist in November and December. You want to work here? You better not get sick, have a family emergency, or expect any time off, because calling out is simply not an option." Overall Thoughts: "The 'decent' compensation was just enough to stick around for the wonderful showroom coworkers—the actual human beings who saved the situation from the management vortex. Now that there is a way out, the 'grass is greener' cliché is 100% accurate. It's almost shocking how much better things are when you don't hate your workplace.

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Brilliant Earth Response
4mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.

Explore other reviews about Brilliant Earth

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Brilliant Earth I feel truly cares about you as an individual. Great work life balance. Good benefits. The people you work with are very supportive.

Cons

I do not have any cons so far.

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Brilliant Earth Response
4d
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so glad to hear you feel supported here.
1.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits Bonus “opportunities” Jewelry Discount

Cons

Complete mismanagement from the top down. The company has aggressively expanded its showroom footprint over the past five years despite many locations struggling to generate meaningful profits. Instead of fixing operational issues, leadership continues opening new stores while the business and stock price have steadily declined. Product quality has noticeably deteriorated over the years. Precision, craftsmanship, and consistency are nowhere near what they once were. Manufacturing has largely been outsourced to third-party vendors, primarily in India, yet the company continues to market itself as a premium luxury brand. The company’s values have also become increasingly performative. It promotes a “Beyond Conflict Free” mission while sourcing diamonds from Angola under the justification that the country is “on the pathway.” At the same time, leadership seems more focused on replacing human expertise with AI wherever possible than investing in employees or improving the customer experience. Sales expectations are completely detached from reality. Sales Consultants are expected to hit quarterly targets as high as $330,000, and falling below 100% of quota can lead to disciplinary action regardless of market conditions, inventory shortages, or showroom traffic. Management roles are equally unsustainable. Managers are expected to be administrators, salespeople, recruiters, trainers, conflict mediators, HR partners, coaches, and upward managers—all simultaneously—without the staffing or support needed to succeed. The workload is excessive, accountability flows only downward, and leadership consistently prioritizes unrealistic growth metrics over employee well-being or operational excellence.

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Brilliant Earth Response
4d
We appreciate you sharing your honest perspective. Thank you for your feedback.
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