1.5 years at BE almost killed me. - Customer Experience Manager Brilliant Earth Employee Review

1.0
Jul 31, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There were some really great people. A lot of overqualified people were dangled the carrot of job growth, opportunity and sustainable business. I guess if you're going to be trapped in a nightmare dead-end job you may as well be trapped in a nightmare dead-end job with other people who are smart, driven, and gradually having their soul crushed by low pay, long hours, and the knowledge that really good marketing is masquerading as social justice at their collective expense.

Cons

I had like...6 managers. I worked incredibly long hours. My benefits were laughable. PTO was nonexistent. I often felt like I was lying to customers, or felt like I was being lied to by our supply chain/operations. The morality of the business practices that they laud were incredibly malleable, either to serve the ends of the bottom line, or the whim of customers who didn't really care. Often there was a mindset that excused questionable business practices as a result of the idea that at least BE was "better than the alternative." HR was given no budget to do anything other than provide the occasional stiff and creepy happy hour where you would look at the glazed over eyes of the senior management and realize that in no world could they relate to you, nor could they relate to their customers. I guess that's maybe a pro? There didn't really seem to be any malice in the way that they treated their employees/customers, just a willful ignorance and inability to relate. Also, HR was not an advocate for the employees. More than anything it seemed like they were terrified of upper management and would throw any number of various associates towards the gaping hungry maws of an executive team that didn't understand that a business is it's people, not how many eye-clean J SI2 lab grown diamonds they can pop into cheap settings that are most definitely made "in-house." I felt expendable the entire time I was there. There was no opportunity for growth, no work life balance, and poor salary/benefits. Sales bonuses? Give me a break. This is definitely a business that relies less on the carrot and more on the stick. I honestly can say that working here damaged my liver as well as my self esteem. #freeatlast

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.

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.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All