What are Signature Ideal Cut Diamonds?
Hello Danny, I’m in the process of shopping for diamond engagement rings and keep running across the term “Signature Diamonds” being used by Brian Gavin and other web sites which sell diamonds. However they all seem to use the term to describe diamonds with dramatically different ranges of proportions and polish and symmetry ratings. Is there an industry standard for what constitutes a Signature Diamond, or is it a term which can be used by anybody to describe virtually any diamond that meets their personal selection criteria? – Kelly C.
The Value of a Signature upon a Diamond:
In short Kelly, any company or individual diamond vendor can use the term “Signature Diamond” to describe a line of diamonds which they deem fit to be represented as their signature line of diamonds. The question then becomes, how much value does the signature of that person add to the diamonds which they are offering as their signature series?
With regards to the diamonds produced by Brian Gavin for his line of Signature Diamonds, the design of each diamond, from a very precise range of proportions which is significantly more restrictive than the range designated by the American Gem Society Laboratory for the zero ideal cut rating, or the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for the Excellent cut rating; to extremely precise parameters for the degree of optical symmetry that each diamond is cut to, which requires a level of symmetry of facet shape and alignment, which goes well beyond the level of symmetry considered by the gemological laboratories.
The knowledge and experience which Brian Gavin brings to the table as a fifth generation diamond cutter, who is world renowned for his expertise in the production of hearts and arrows quality diamonds, and who is regularly called upon by other people in the diamond business for advice regarding the grading and production of diamonds of this quality, adds considerable value to the diamond and thus we consider Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds to be Cut Beyond Brilliant™.
The Selection Criteria for Signature Diamonds:
While the selection criteria for Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds is extremely precise, with Brian Gavin supervising both the production and final selection of all the diamonds included in this collection of zero ideal cut diamonds, the reality is that most of the Signature Diamonds which we see offered by other vendors seem to have nothing going for them but a Signature, thus there is no added value.
For instance, these are the characteristics of a “Signature Diamond” which I found on the web site of a prominent diamond dealer online: Graded by the GIA with an overall cut grade of GIA Excellent, which is a cumulative grade based upon individual grades for polish, symmetry and proportions, it weighs 1.23 carats, is G-color, and VS-2 in clarity. According to the GIA, the diamond has a total depth of 61.6% with a table diameter of 57% and a crown angle of 35.5 degrees with a pavilion angle of 40.8 degrees and a medium to slightly thick, faceted girdle, GIA #2146543594.
At first glance, this probably seems like a pretty nice diamond, and it is certainly cut to better proportions than the majority of round brilliant cut diamonds which are available in the average jewelry store across America. However the reality is that this diamond could not possibly be considered for the Brian Gavin Signature collection, because while the pavilion angle is excellent, the crown angle could be a better.
In addition, this particular vendor offers very little to support their claim that the diamonds featured in their Signature Collection are actually any better than the ideal cut diamonds which they offer by means of mirroring the inventory published in the international database of diamonds which are available to dealers.
They offer a clarity photograph which is quite small and not very clear, but they do not offer any of the reflector scopes which are considered to be the industry standard for grading the light return and optical symmetry of the diamonds… therefore the only value added by their “Signature” is more or less the presence of a clarity photograph which is essentially useless because of the low resolution.
Every Brian Gavin Signature Diamond, such as the 1.238 carat, I-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature Diamond which is pictured above, is accompanied by a high resolution video of the diamond which shows it as a three dimensional object, a high resolution clarity photograph, an image of the diamond as seen through a hearts and arrows scope because all of our round and cushion shape signature diamonds exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows, as well as an image of the diamond as seen through an ASET Scope, and an Ideal Scope, so that the brightness and light leakage of the diamond may be accurately assessed.
Plus all of our signature diamonds are graded by the AGSL with an overall cut grade of AGS Ideal-0 as determined on their Proprietary Light Performance grading platform which relies on Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology to determine how bright the diamond is… there is nothing left for our customers to have to guess about, the diamonds featured in the Brian Gavin Signature Collection are quite simply among the best in the world.
