Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds

Q:

Hi Liz,

I read your website reviews and I’m very interested in  Brian Gavin Signature diamonds or a diamond from his Signature Blue line.

My budget is around 10,000 and under (would go slightly higher if necessary). I would like a carat or possibly slightly larger if budget will allow. I am mostly interested in round cut. As far as color and clarity, I only want to ensure that the ring will be eye clean with no yellow hues. I have noticed some stones in the 1.2 carat range with a J color and various degrees of clarity. I am just wondering if something like this is a safe option or should I be looking for better color grades and get a smaller stone? Can I really go wrong with any of the diamonds from his Signature or Blue series? As far as setting, I am planning to choose one of the settings offered on his site costing anywhere from $2-3K probably.

Last question, I also like the cushion cut diamond. Would the round be better as far as sparkle factor? Any suggestions you could make would be great. Thank you!

Karen

A:

Hi Karen,

Thank you for detailing out your diamond requirements. Brian Gavin has some truly beautiful and exceptional stones. Many people ask me about “J” colored diamonds. The truth is that these stones are graded as near-colorless. They are still white and do not appear yellow. However, when compared to a colorless diamond, for example, a ‘D’ then most people would be able to detect some ‘warmth’ in the J. Since most people don’t go around comparing diamond color like this, a J colored diamond is not only beautiful but also very popular. A very good video to help you see diamond colors compared next to each can be found on my Insiders Knowledge on Diamond Color page.

Brian Gavin’s Signature and Signature Blue collection of diamonds are all cut to super-ideal proportions. These diamonds are all AGS triple 0 ideal (ideal light performance, polish and symmetry) as well as showing hearts and arrows optical symmetry. The diamonds in these collections will all be gorgeously brilliant. Obviously the main difference is the strong/medium blue fluorescence found in his Blue collection. A lot of people like this diamond characteristic as it adds a bit of uniqueness to the stone. An advantage to these diamonds is that they are priced lower than non-fluorescing stones with consideration to color/clarity grades.

Brian Gavin has patented the first hearts and arrows Cushion cut diamond. Therefore, it will be just as brilliant as his round brilliant hearts and arrows. Cushion cut diamonds are priced a little lower than round brilliant diamonds due to popularity. However, cushion cut stones do tend to show more body color, so I would suggest getting an I or better in this shape.

Here are some diamond suggestions for you:

Best Bang For Your Buck Diamond $8,193.00: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.208-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104047809030 This 1.208ct J VS1 is eye-clean and 6.81 x 6.83mm in diameter. Overall a very nice near-colorless stone that offers a nice carat weight for under your budget.

Best Brian Gavin Blue For You $10,634.00: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.216-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104052029007 This 1.216ct H VS1 offers 2 color grade bumps while still giving you the carat weight that you are looking for. This VS1 is of course eye-clean and measures 6.83 x 6.86. The medium blue fluorescence will offer flashes of crisp blue in certain UV light conditions (as well as deep blue under black lights).

Best Cushion For You $11,349.00: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.253-g-vs1-cushion-diamond-ags-104066027011 This 1.253ct G VS1 cushion cut is colorless and eye-clean. A gorgeous stone that shows a nice bright red ASET image with excellent contrast.

Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the above. I look forward to hearing from you!

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Liz,

Thank you so much for the informative response. One thing I probably didn’t make as clear as I should is that I really would like to keep the total price (with setting included) around $10,000 mark.

Brian Gavin Diamond,s Novela Setting

The setting I have considered most is the Novela for $2,550. This will also have to come out of that budgeted amount. With that said, I am ok with going a little bit over if it really helps. I know you already looked for me, but are there any others that look good to you (at the slightly lower price point)?

I feel I’m pretty convinced that I would like round cut, and I do find the blue line intriguing and see that the prices are a bit better than the signature. Also, the Novela setting includes pave stones graded as D/F. Will putting something like the J from signature line you showed me not work well with the difference in color? In another words, will it be obvious the center stone is a warmer color up against the side stones? One of the blues that I considered is 104063639008 1.083 H VS2 for $7,639. I’d like to know your thoughts on that one as well as any others that look like good choices (signature line too).

I’ve noticed Brian Gavin says certain SI 1-2 clarity diamonds are eye clean. Would you ever consider one of these as options? Some SI2 I have seen are well priced, but I’m concerned one could visualize inclusions in them. Sometimes I feel I can visualize inclusions in the 360 degree diamond pics, but I’m not sure how magnified they are? If it was clean to the naked eye I would think it would be okay?

Last thought, I could elect to get a cheaper setting like the classic Tiffany for around $675. This is a solitaire setting but would free up a little more for the stone. Would it be worth it to consider this? Would the difference in carat weight the extra money could buy even be noticeable enough to justify “downgrading” settings? Okay, that’s quite a few questions for you, and I do apologize for my scattered thoughts. I appreciate the help you’ve offered so far and look forward to learning more from you.

A:

Hi Karen,

If your overall diamond ring budget is $10K, then here are new diamond recommendations:

.902ct I VS2 – http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.902-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104067043004 An ideal cut hearts and arrows cut just under the 1.00ct mark to save you cash. I don’t recommend going any further beyond 2 -3 color grades when setting a center stone diamond next to accent stones. Since the Novela has D/F pave accent stones, this ‘I’ colored diamond would look just fine. It is perfectly eye-clean and would fit within your budget perfectly.

This 1.083ct H VS2: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.083-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104063639008 has a very tiny crystal just under the main table facet. If you are clarity sensitive, then you might be able to see this. However it is very small and isn’t by any means ‘obvious’.

Diamonds are crystals and each is unique. There are some SI1’s that are very eye-clean. However, there are some VS2’s that do have a visible inclusion. Diamond grading is subjective and that is why you need magnified images to see for yourself what you can live with.

If you were to go with a solitaire setting then you could get a larger diamond such as this: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.215-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104055813021

The solitaire setting would allow you to spend up to $9K for the center stone. This is significant and you could get a nice sized 1.2ct as I suggested above. This 1.215ct I VS2 is perfectly eye-clean and is of course ideal cut grade.

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Hi Liz,

I have given my boyfriend all of the info I have gathered so far. I am letting him take it from here. I would like to ask you to look at one of the diamonds I have seen that looks interesting, and I will let him know what you think. I am considering one of the Brian Gavin blue diamonds that is a 1.203 G SI1 (104067041006) for wire price of $9,303. If you could take a look at this one for me, that would be great. It’s hard for me to know what to think about a diamond being eye clean when they are so magnified in these pictures (I believe she said 20x). It seemed to me that even if you see something in the diamond on the magnified view that it could still very well be eye clean. I know I would like a 1.2 carat and like that it is from blue line, but if you see a problem with it, I would like to know.

Thanks very much!

Karen

A:

Hi Karen,

I checked out this diamond for you: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.203-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104067041006

Karen’s 1.203ct G SI1 diamond with medium blue fluorescence from Brian Gavin Diamonds

I love the cut and the inclusions are negligible. I’d say that this is a perfect example of an eye-clean SI1 diamond. If you like the size then go for it, it is a lovely stone.

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Thanks so much Liz!

Karen