Technology

Brilliant Earth Opens Showroom in Boston

TechnologyFeb 19, 2016

Brilliant Earth Opens Showroom in Boston

The e-tailer has opened another by-appointment-only brick-and-mortar location, this one located on Newbury Street in Boston.

Boston--Brilliant Earth, the online retailer that stresses its commitment to ethically sourced jewelry, has opened another by-appointment-only brick-and-mortar location, this one located on Newbury Street in Boston.


This photo provided by Brilliant Earth shows the interior of the e-tailer’s third store, which is located in Boston.The store is the third physical location for Brilliant Earth and the first outside of California, the state where the e-tailer is based (and where, by extension, it must collect sales tax).

Kathryn Money, Brilliant Earth’s vice president of strategy and merchandising, said customers can buy any of the rings or jewelry Brilliant Earth has in stock during the appointment and take it home with them.

This contrasts with the model of another online-only jewelry retailer, Blue Nile, which has a “webroom” in a New York mall where consumers can try on the jewelry but can’t buy it; all purchases still are made online.

Money noted, however, that when it comes to rings, many customers choose to customize theirs based on metal choice, center stone size, shape and ring size. They order them during the appointment, online or via phone.

The opening of the Boston showroom means that Brilliant Earth now will have to charge sales tax on all orders shipped to Massachusetts because the e-tailer now has a nexus, i.e., physical presence, in the state.

Hours for the showroom, which opened Friday, are 10 a.m. to 7 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

San Francisco-based Brilliant Earth opened its first showroom in San Francisco in 2011 and its second in Los Angeles in January 2015.

The e-tailer plans to open more appointment-only locations in 2016, though Money did not give specifics when asked how many and where they would be located, stating only that it is “continuing to evaluate several markets throughout the U.S. where we already have a strong online presence and brand recognition.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a paragraph explaining the sales tax implications of this new showroom for Brilliant Earth.

 

 

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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