Brilliant Earth Sees Fine Jewelry Growth as Showroom Strategy Gains Momentum

Brilliant Earth’s second-quarter performance exceeded expectations: Net sales rose 6% year over year to $115 million, adjusted EBITDA reached $5.8 million, and gross margin improved to just under 58%. The company ended the quarter with $75 million in cash and no debt.

Fine jewelry and showrooms are driving growth: Fine jewelry bookings increased 32% year over year and represented about 18% of total bookings, while the company expanded to 43 showrooms and reported strong gains in metro-area and walk-in bookings.

The company expects profitable growth in 2026: Full-year guidance calls for net sales of $459 million to $462 million and adjusted EBITDA of $13 million to $15 million, supported by continued investments in product development, omnichannel retail, technology and operational scalability.

Brilliant Earth Group NASDAQ: BRLT Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Kuo outlined the jewelry retailer’s growth strategy, recent quarterly performance and 2026 outlook at the IDEAS investor conference, emphasizing the company’s asset-light operating model, expanding showroom footprint and push into fine jewelry.

Kuo described Brilliant Earth as a next-generation fine jewelry company focused on transforming and modernizing the industry through sustainable sourcing, product design and an integrated digital and physical shopping experience.

The company operates 43 showrooms and offers customers access to a broad jewelry assortment through supplier relationships and technology integrations.

Kuo said the global jewelry market represents a $350 billion opportunity and remains highly fragmented, with roughly two-thirds of the industry composed of smaller independent businesses.

He said the market is expected to grow at approximately a 5% compound annual rate from 2025 through 2030.

Brilliant Earth represents less than 1% of the overall market, according to Kuo.

He pointed to about 2 million annual marriages in the U.S. as a foundation for demand in the bridal category, while also highlighting the company’s opportunity to grow its presence in fine jewelry.

From 2019 through 2025, Brilliant Earth grew net sales at a 14% compound annual growth rate and total orders at a 23% six-year compound annual growth rate, Kuo said.

The company’s customer base is primarily affluent millennials and Gen Z consumers between ages 25 and 44, with annual household income of $100,000 to $200,000, he said.

Kuo noted that couples increasingly shop together for engagement and wedding jewelry, shaping the company’s approach to customer experience across showrooms, its website, social channels, phone and chat.

Kuo said Brilliant Earth’s inventory model enables the company to provide customers with access to hundreds of thousands of diamonds while keeping most of those products off its balance sheet.

The company works with suppliers to bring in products after they are ordered, allowing customers to receive items within two or three weeks, he said.

The company reports inventory turns of about four times, compared with what Kuo characterized as an industry average of roughly one to two times.

He said the model supports efficient working capital management while preserving product breadth.

Brilliant Earth also uses data, technology and artificial intelligence in areas including pricing, customer journey analysis, marketing deployment and showroom placement, according to Kuo.

The company’s 43 showrooms complement its digital operations.

Kuo said most showroom openings have delivered a strong double-digit increase in metro-area bookings during the 12 months after opening.