Selecting A Brian Gavin Signature Diamond With $5K Budget
Q: Hi Liz, My budget for the round brilliant diamond is $5000. I will upgrade the diamond in a year or two so upgrading is important to me. I was looking at Ideal Scope and ASET images all day today. In my rookie opinion, a Brian Gavin Signature diamond beats all the other hearts and arrows champions. BGD’S Ideal Scope and ASET images of the hearts and arrows were sharper, tighter and brighter when I compared them to other champs H&A diamonds images. I might be wrong in this but that tells me his H&A cuts are more precise and consistent.
My girlfriend is very traditional and I will be having the BGD diamond set on a six prong 18kt yellow gold solitaire setting. We can upgrade the setting in the years to come. The diamond that I like is the link I posted below and it gives me room to upgrade in size, color, and clarity.
What do you think?
Brandon
A: Hi Brandon, That is a very beautiful stone. 🙂
Kind Regards,
Liz
Q: Hi Liz, Ok, I passed on the .854 BGD because upon closer inspection of the AGS report it showed over 15 inclusions on that diamond plus others not shown. I am surprised that it was rated a VS2 with so many inclusions. That is too many inclusions for me to have in an e-ring. I did stick with BGD and decided to go with this .804ct I VS1, but it does not have the hearts and arrow scans of the diamond that will hold me back from buying it. I will talk to them today about that plus ask about the diamonds girdle. Should I be worried about the feathers on the diamond? The diamond’s table appears to be free of any inclusions.
My second choice is this .816ct I VS1, but it has inclusions on the table and the reports says additional clouds not shown.
I thought I had this e-ring wrapped up but not yet. I am too darn picky!
Brandon
A: Hi Brandon, The first Brian Gavin Signature diamond is very clean. Hence the reason for it’s VS1 clarity grading. The tiny feather near the girdle is nothing to worry about. Feathers are only an issue if they are exceptionally large or extend to the surface of the stone. In these cases they would pose a vulnerability issue and make the diamond more susceptible to cleaving.
Your second diamond has miniscule inclusions under the table facet, but these are not eye-visible. You’d need magnification to see these inclusions. Additional clouds not shown is a remark made when tiny pinpoints are clustered in such a way that they appear as a “cloud”. This isn’t a worry as this diamond is graded VS1 and the clouds are not obstructing the light reflection of the diamond. There are simply too many small clusters and it wouldn’t be feasible to mark these up on the plotting diagram.
Another nice stone is this .804ct H VS1. The hearts and arrows image is clear, sharp and proportionate to one another. A color grade bump and mind-clean. If you were willing to go for the .854ct, then this would be the better buy overall.
Hope this helps you! Diamond buying can be frustrating, but sounds like you are very close to a decision. Yay!
Liz
“I Need Your Professional Woman’s View” – Which Brian Gavin Signature Diamond Would You Choose?
Q: Hi Liz, I need your professional woman’s view and now that you know all of my choices which diamond do you think I should go with for an e-ring. I am willing to look outside of BGD if I have to so you can throw any other suggestions. My budget for this ring is $5,000 but I am willing to bump it up for a better optical diamond. I know there will be a few upgrades in a year or two.
The diamond you suggested below is very very nice and I like it a lot. It looks like a perfect cut TIC type diamond.
It scored an HCA 0.7 and AGA/NAJA score of 1A all around. I know it means nothing with all the IS and ASET images but it tells me its a very well cut diamond. Am I wrong?
The .854 diamond is nice scored AGA/NAJA scored 1A overall with just 1B for pav depth. The HCA score was 0.7. It’s just the 15 plus inclusions that get me. I wonder if they are visible.
I need your expertise.
By the way, when I buy the diamond I will tell BGD how you helped me a A LOT in selecting the diamond.
Brandon
A: Hello Brandon, Yes the .804 H VS1 is indeed a very nice diamond. In my opinion, it hits all your sweet spots and you aren’t compromising with any other aspect. That is the best situation to be in when considering a big diamond purchase.
Since you are upgrading, Brian Gavin will honor your purchase and use this diamond towards an equally beautiful but bigger diamond in the future. Other considerations is that Brian Gavin Diamonds has a large and diverse diamond inventory that is constantly updated, so when you do decide to upgrade in the near future you will be sure to find something that fits all your specs. They are a small family owned business and they do really take pride in their diamonds and custom creations.
If you were to compare the .854ct to the .804ct with regard to clarity, although the .854ct has more inclusions it is still eye-clean. but, if it were me, I’d go with the H VS1. They are virtually the same price and same size, with the difference being that the .804ct has improved color and clarity. I would feel very happy about this decision.
.816ct I VS1 Brian Gavin Signature Diamond
What does your gut say? 🙂
Liz
Q: Hi Liz, I bought the BGD diamond yesterday and decided to go with the .816ct I VS1. This diamond was $600 cheaper than the H diamond. I used the savings to upgrade the setting.
I went with Brian Gavin’s Classic Tiffany style knife edge solitaire setting in 18kt yellow gold with a platinum head. This is a custom made ring made by BG and will show off the diamond.
I will upgrade the diamond for an anniversary present. 🙂
Brandon
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