Q&A: Help Finding a Beautiful Brian Gavin Diamond Within a $6k-$8.5k Budget

The diamonds you found have strong or medium fluorescence which is a kiss of death on such high color grades. For DEFG diamonds, only none or faint fluorescence is acceptable. Also, they are not eye-clean.

I found this one that looked great to me and had no red flags in the certificate. It’s equally well cut and would make an amazing ring:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.21-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8891113?a_aid=dmnd1357

I also found these options from Brian Gavin. BG cut is incomparable to others. Brian Gavin makes sure that every single detail of his diamonds is perfect. There is a reason he’s one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds.

www.briangavindiamonds.com/1.015-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104089117005?a_aid=y
‘Brian Gavin Blue’ is a selection of diamonds with blue fluorescence (and thus cheaper), however, each diamond was handpicked and inspected by them to make sure fluorescence has no negative effect whatsoever. That’s why we believe that diamonds from this line offer a great value. You get the added brilliance of the BGD perfectly cut diamonds for a lower price. The cut on this diamond is spectacular and it will be extremely brilliant.

www.briangavindiamonds.com/1.134-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104108734026?a_aid=y
With them, you can for sure choose a lower color as those diamonds will always be absolutely gorgeous.

1) The three diamonds you found had inclusions that would be noticeable in person/reflect light differently. Eye-cleanliness is a bit tricky. The actual clarity grade is not so important. Clarity grade only tells you the size of the inclusion. That is one factor in determining eye-cleanliness. But harshness, location and reflection matter as well: https://www.diamonds.pro/diamond-clarity/.

You can find an SI1 (even an SI2) diamond that’s eye-clean as well as a VS2/VS1 that’s not. It always depends on a particular diamond and its inclusions. Generally said, large and dark inclusions (such as crystals or large feathers) often are noticeable while twinning wisps are fine in most of the cases. Sometimes the diamonds look just perfect but the ‘clarity grade is based on clouds not shown’ note is an issue. That means that there’s a large cloud that saps the brilliance from the stone. I also recommend avoiding diamonds with knots and cavities and diamonds <1ct with clouds – they don’t have a clarity plot in the certificate so you wouldn’t know the size and location of the cloud and the diamond might end up being hazy and less brilliant.

2) BGD diamonds come with a premium to be paid because of their perfect cut. https://www.diamonds.pro/reviews/brian-gavin/. The lower color grade is not really a big deal since it’s cut, not the color, what makes a diamond beautiful and brilliant. Even their I color would be fine for the ring you designed, those diamonds tend to look much whiter thanks to the way they are cut. Of course, if you like the bigger size or lower price of the JA options, then there is no reason not to purchase from James Allen. You might see the difference in brilliance when comparing them side by side. But that doesn’t usually happen in real life that often, so decide what you prefer.

3) Faint fluorescence is not at all an issue on all color grades.

4) We love to recommend Brian Gavin, we saw their diamonds in person and were truly amazed. As a diamond expert (and a woman) I wouldn’t hesitate twice if I had to choose which diamond to go with. However, you have to decide if the added brilliance is worth the premium to you. All my suggestions would look great in real life.

If you look at the real measurements, the size difference between my original suggestion and your newest findings is ~0.2mm. You wouldn’t notice it unless you saw the diamonds, unmounted, side by side (and even then the difference would be absolutely negligible). Larger carat weight doesn’t always correlate with larger actual size, keep in mind that the carat weight is, well, the weight of a diamond. The two newest diamonds are absolutely lovely and would be colorless and eye-clean. Their Black collection is supposed to have the best cut diamonds. However, their Signature ones are already fantastic.

Precisely so. My original BGD Blue suggestion is a great value and I don’t think it’s necessary to spend another grand on the extra 0.2mm. Appearance-wise, all BGD diamond would have maximum brilliance and fire so it all comes down to the size/price ratio and for me, the 1.134ct is the surefire winner.

I’m glad you liked my original suggestion so much. If you can let me know how the purchase went, I’d appreciate it.

I’m glad everything went smoothly and that the diamond met (or exceeded) your expectations. I’m glad I could help you find it.