Rocksbox Reviews: Is This Jewelry Rental Service Worth It?

Looking for a neverending collection of trendy jewelry?

Then Rocksbox might be for you. This monthly jewelry subscription service lets you rent three pieces of jewelry at a time, with a credit to buy what’s in your box.

But not every Rocksbox review is positive. Today, you’ll find out what real customers have to say about this brand so you can decide for yourself if it’s a good choice for you!

(Looking for durable, stylish jewelry that’ll turn heads? Check out some of our gold vermeil pieces below!)

Entrepreneur Meaghan Rose founded Rocksbox in 2012 to simplify the jewelry buying process. She had previous experience working with large retail brands through her positions at McKinsey & Co and Bain & Co.

Rocksbox is based in San Francisco, California, and is a jewelry subscription service that rents out pieces.

If you sign up, you’ll get three different rotating jewelry pieces for a monthly fee of $21. Let’s look in more detail at how the plan works.

When you first sign up for a Rocksbox subscription, you’ll enter some basic preferences to create a style profile. When I took the style survey, it asked my metal preferences (rose gold, silver, or yellow gold), necklace, bracelet, ring, and earring styles, what I’d be willing to try, and my ring size.

Once you enter this information, a personal stylist will select jewelry for you. In each box, you’ll get three pieces you can wear as long as you like.

If you like a piece, you can buy it with a monthly $21 credit (note that it doesn’t roll over into future months). If you’re ready for something new, you can ship pieces back and get a new subscription box.

You can create a wish list with your favorite pieces, but future boxes will always contain surprises and at most two items from your wish list.

Rocksbox also sells jewelry separately in their shop, but the $21 credit doesn’t apply to these pieces.

Rocksbox says they have designer jewelry, but their definition isn’t quite the same as mine. The brands you’ll see are mostly Instagram favorites like Gorjana and Kendra Scott, which create mass-produced jewelry few would consider “designer.”

They also have many brands I couldn’t find anywhere else, like SLATE, Rudiment, and Perry Street. I believe these are in-house brands you can’t find anywhere else.

Nearly everything Rocksbox sells is fashion jewelry. Except for one brand, all jewelry is brass or zinc alloy plated with rose gold, gold, or silver. This thin plating is notorious for wearing off quickly, leaving a base metal that turns your finger green.

But one interesting advantage of a jewelry rental service like Rocksbox is that you won’t wear these pieces long enough for that to happen!

The jewelry selection at Rocksbox is excellent, mainly focusing on modern, trendy pieces like what you’ll see on social media.

But this isn’t high-quality jewelry. The fact that the brand doesn’t charge you if you lose a piece should give you an idea of how much the jewelry costs.

In general, Rocksbox seems to charge retail price. While they claim to have a discounted price, every piece I found on another site was within a dollar or two of what Rocksbox charges.

It also looks like most of the pieces are from exclusive Rocksbox brands. Since they aren’t sold elsewhere, there’s no retail price to compare. In short, Rocksbox pieces aren’t a better deal than you’d find somewhere else.

But is the subscription service worth your money?

If you’re the type of person who wears jewelry often and always wants to add fresh pieces to your collection, Rocksbox is one of the cheapest ways to go.

You could get a different set of posh earrings, flashy necklaces, eye-catching bracelets, and statement rings to wear every week for just $21. That’s a great deal! And if you’re a serial fashion jewelry buyer, being able to own a piece you like with a monthly discount is a nice perk.

However, if you like a minimalist collection or prefer a few staple everyday pieces, there are better choices than Rocksbox. You must return all pieces at once, so if you fall in love with a set of earrings, you can’t get anything new unless you buy the earrings or return them.

Each new set is also a bit of a gamble. If you’re picky about what you wear, you’ll probably find yourself with lackluster sets often.

Finally, the pieces aren’t designed for frequent wear since the thin plating will wear off in a few months. So even if you love a piece and buy it, it won’t last for very long.

Overall, there aren’t many Rocksbox reviews online, but what’s out there is mostly negative.

On Trustpilot, the brand has three one-star reviews. All three complain of charges after canceling their accounts.

On the Better Business Bureau, Rocksbox has a rating of B- but only 1.07/5 customer review stars based on 14 reviews. The biggest complaints are poor customer service, confusing charges, and difficulties in canceling accounts.

On Influenster, the brand has three of five stars based on 52 reviews. The biggest complaints are how cheap and overpriced the jewelry is, difficulties canceling, and unexpected payments.

So, should you sign up for this jewelry membership service?

It depends on your shopping habits and the jewelry you normally wear. I’d say if you are always looking for new styles to wear and expect to buy gold-plated jewelry every month anyways, Rocksbox is a good deal.

You’ll probably save some money and get to try lots of new styles along the way.

But if you tend to wear the same set of pieces most days and aren’t adventurous enough to wear jewelry someone else picks for you, you’re probably better off buying jewelry for the long-term.