This is not a paid review. Sometimes I will mark a link as an affiliate link so that all readers have a way to support the site. Prosumer Diamonds does not receive any affiliate-marketing income from its fee-only clients.

My intention for these brand reviews is to provide a factual overview of how each vendor is positioned in the industry . For my unbiased opinions on any diamond vendor, please refer to my fee-only consultation.

**Fee-only clients who purchase from Brian Gavin Diamonds may be eligible for an instant rebate offsetting the cost of a consultation.**

In our industry, the name “Brian Gavin” is synonymous cut quality. That’s because before any of us could even agree to what a hearts and arrows diamond was, Brian Gavin was already driving his concept of the most symmetrically cut diamond and he became the one to eventually set the standard for what a hearts and arrows diamond is today.

“It’s a Brian Gavin”

Brian Gavin developed his brand of hearts and arrows diamonds by balancing what is technically possible and what is economically feasible in order to deliver some of the highest cut quality diamonds money can buy. To be fair, Brian Gavin’s hearts and arrows diamonds cannot be compared to your typical GIA excellent cut diamond, they must be viewed alongside brands such Tiffany or Hearts on Fire in terms of prestige while matching Crafted by Infinity diamonds in cut quality.

The first time I met Brian, he explained to me that every diamond is unique and that diamonds are not widgets. I had been so spoiled with all the data and the “numbers” that were available and I was looking for absolute perfection. I was curious why there was this variation in cut even among their diamonds which were supposedly one of the best in the world.

Well it turns out that the crystal structure of diamond makes it impossible to cut diamonds the same every time. This means that even at the highest level there are still going to be appreciable differences in diamond cut quality. If you want to have the best, it means you will need to pick the best from among the best so here is what you should expect as a minimum from a Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamond.

8 symmetrical hearts

When the pavilion mains in a diamond are cut symmetrically, the bottom of the diamond will form a distinct pattern of 8 hearts that should all be equal in shape and size. The pavilion mains are the most important because they are the engines driving light return in the diamond.

No large clefs between the hearts

When the lower girdles in a diamond exceed 80% in length, you begin to get a large clef between the hearts. It’s important to avoid this because longer lower girdle facets decrease the size of the virtual facets in a diamond and you end up losing sparkle.

Visible gap between the hearts and the Vs

When the lower girdles in a diamond are shorter than 75% in length, the bottom of the hearts will begin to touch the Vs below it. Short lower girdle facets are steeper, which tends to cause the diamond to have weaker light return. The ideal lower girdle length for a hearts and arrows diamond is between 77% and 78%.
 

Brian Gavin Diamonds Product Line

Brian Gavin Diamonds is an innovative company. Over the past few years, they have expanded their product line to suit every budget and taste. Their strategy is simple, take an unloved part of the market and show people how beautiful all diamonds can be.

Brian Gavin Blue^®

Diamonds with fluorescence have gained a bad reputation due to the fact that a very small number of strong and very strong blue fluorescent diamonds have been found to be hazy, oily, milky, or cloudy. Brian Gavin saw that many fluorescent diamonds when well-cut are just as beautiful as diamonds without fluorescence so he created the Brian Gavin Blue^®. Brian Gavin’s fluorescent diamonds are inspected and guaranteed to have no negative effects.

Brian Gavin Princess

Most princess cut diamonds are cut for weight retention instead of optimizing for light performance. This is why GIA Ex/Ex princess cuts, the highest cut standard offered by GIA, will typically have crown heights that are around 10% – 12%.

Brian Gavin Princess diamonds have ideal crown heights that are closer to 15% that produces a diamond with a lot more fire and sparkle. All Brian Gavin Princess diamonds are graded AGS0 in light performance by AGSL, which is currently the highest standard of cut available for princess cut diamonds.

Brian Gavin Hearts and Arrows Cushion

Most cushion cuts have even worse light performance than the typical princess cut. For his cushion cut, Brian took it as a personal challenge to create a cushion cut diamond that has the same light performance that is expected from his hearts and arrows round diamonds. The result was a super-ideal cushion cut that achieves AGS0 in light performance and has 8 symmetrical hearts that can be seen using a hearts and arrows viewer.

Brian Gavin Cape

Brian Gavin Cape diamonds are diamonds that range from M-color to Z-color. The diamond trade places a premium on colorless and near-colorless diamonds and you will almost never find a M-Z diamond let alone a super-ideal cut one.

If you ever had the chance to see an M-colored Brian Gavin Cape, you will know just how beautiful low-color diamonds can be. These diamonds give off just as much fire and sparkle as any super-ideal and if you’re looking for a unique looking diamond with some warmth to it then there is no better choice.

Brian Gavin Advanced Selection

Well-cut diamonds sell fast, and it’s a horrible feeling to make a decision to buy a diamond only to find out it was just sold to someone else. The Brian Gavin Advanced Selection solves this problem by allowing you to secure a stone while it is still at the factory.

Diamonds that have gone through the blocking stage will be available for pre-order. These diamonds have not yet been sent to AGSL for grading so a lot of the characteristics are not confirmed. However, Brian Gavin Diamonds will guarantee that the color and clarity of the stone will be as advertised.

The basic dimensions of the diamond as well as some of the major proportions are known, but the final weight and measurements of the diamond may vary slightly. I love that Brian Gavin Diamonds has made pre-orders available because it means you’re more likely to find the right diamond sooner.

The only down sides are the wait and the fact that you don’t have the idealscope, ASET, or hearts image to help you make a decision when you place the order (you will still get to see images once the diamond has been polished). Even if you decide not to keep the diamond, you are still protected by Brian Gavin Diamond’s return policy so there is no financial risk in pre-ordering a diamond.

Brian Gavin Pointers and Melee

Brian Gavin Diamonds is the only vendor I know that sells hearts and arrows diamonds down to 0.20cts in size, also known as 20-pointers. These are the perfect sized diamonds for those looking to create their own hearts and arrows eternity ring. You can also get Brian Gavin Signature melee diamonds that are hearts and arrows for that very special pavé setting.

Conclusion

Most people buy diamonds online to save money. I tell people to buy diamonds online if they want to get the best quality. Will you be paying more for a Brian Gavin diamond? You might think so if you’ve been basing your diamond pricing on other sites that primarily sell virtual diamonds.

Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples and don’t take a seller’s word for it. Read my article on Why Buy a Branded Diamond and decide for yourself what kind of diamond you want. In many cases, it makes a lot of sense to drop a color or clarity grade so that you don’t need to sacrifice cut quality.

If you’ve decided you want to buy a super-ideal diamond and you’ve done the right comparisons against brands like Hearts on Fire, then you might just find that you’re actually saving money by buying a diamond from Brian Gavin Diamonds.

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