Brilliant Earth Q1 Sales Rise as Premium Jewelry Demand Holds Strong
Premium buyers kept Brilliant Earth growing as lower price points softened, with fine jewelry bookings up 33% and sales led by affluent customers.
Brilliant Earth’s first quarter showed a sharper split in the jewelry market: higher-end shoppers stayed engaged while softer demand at lower price points dragged on the broader mix. Net sales rose 6% to $99.5 million, and fine jewelry bookings jumped 33% year over year, a clear sign that the San Francisco company’s push beyond bridal is finding more traction with affluent clients.
The numbers point to a brand leaning harder into premium jewelry rather than volume. Total orders rose just 3% and average order value increased 3%, while average selling price climbed across the assortment. Beth Gerstein, who co-founded Brilliant Earth and has led it since the company was formed in 2005, said the ASP growth reflected the resonance of the brand’s premium positioning and new design collections, with fine jewelry continuing to outperform and diversify the business beyond engagement rings.
That shift matters because Brilliant Earth’s most visible growth engine is no longer only the bridal category that built the company. Fine jewelry, the part of the assortment most tied to everyday self-purchase and giftable occasions, is now doing more of the work. For a retailer built around ethically sourced fine jewelry, the quarter suggests that meaning, design and a more elevated client base are carrying more weight than discount-driven traffic.
The company also opened its first flagship showroom in Beverly Hills, a move that makes its luxury ambitions more concrete. Brilliant Earth said the location had strong early retail orders and foot traffic, and it previously described the reimagined space as a “Showroom of the Future” when it unveiled the concept on Jan. 29, 2026. In a market where jewelry still relies heavily on trust and tactile selling, that kind of destination retail can matter as much as the product itself.
Profitability remained under pressure. Gross margin was 54.3%, down from 58.6% in the first quarter of 2025, when Brilliant Earth reported $93.9 million in net sales, 12% growth in total orders and positive adjusted EBITDA of $1.1 million. This year, the company posted a GAAP net loss of $8.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of negative $4.7 million, even as sales landed at the high end of guidance. Management said it still expects mid-single-digit sales growth for the full year, mid-50s gross margin and positive adjusted EBITDA, with profitability weighted toward the fourth quarter.
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