Are Canadian diamonds worth more?
“I’m curious to find out whether Canadian diamonds are worth more than diamonds mined in other countries. The reason I ask is that they seem to be priced more expensive than non-Canadian diamonds that I’ve found with similar characteristics. I like the idea of buying a Canadian diamond, because I’m living in Canada at the moment. But don’t really see the point of paying more for something if it is more expensive, simply because it is mined in Canada. It seems to me like they are charging a premium for Canadian diamonds for that reason. I don’t see any Canadian diamonds in your inventory. Does Brian Gavin offer Canadian diamonds?”
Canadian diamond rough is more expensive:
The price of diamond rough sourced from Canada tends to be about 10% higher than the price of diamond rough that we can buy through other legitimate channels of distribution. This is partially because of concessions being made to the Canadian government to allow continued mining and exploration operations. This photograph of Canadian diamond rough is provided by Rio Tinto.
The diamonds were mined from the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada. While I can appreciate the romance of diamonds mined in Canada, I don’t see a point in paying more for rough diamond crystals, simply because they are from Canada. Not when I can buy diamond rough produced through other legitimate mining operations, of the same quality, for less.
The Kimberley Diamond Act of 2003 evens the playing field in terms of ensuring that the diamond rough we purchase for the production of Brian Gavin Signature diamonds comes from legitimate sources.
Determining the value of a diamond:
You asked whether Canadian diamonds are worth more. From my perspective, the value of a diamond is not only determined by the carat weight, color, clarity, and cut quality, but also by the volume of light return and sparkle factor that it exhibits. I’ve yet to see a Canadian diamond that holds a candle next to a Brian Gavin Signature round hearts and arrows diamond. Every time I’ve searched for Canadian diamonds on behalf of a client, I find myself shaking my head from side-to-side as an expression of my disappointment. Perhaps it is because as a diamond cutter, I see more potential in the diamond rough. Tighten up the proportions, fine tune the optical precision.
Produce something truly impressive that lives up to the hype being used to promote diamonds from Canada. Because based upon the Canadian diamonds that I’ve seen, the only thing they’ve got going for them at the moment is location, location, location. And that really has nothing to do with the potential for a diamond crystal to be transformed into something incredibly beautiful.
The team of diamond cutters that produces diamonds for the Brian Gavin Signature brand is focused on one thing: producing diamonds that exhibit incredible light performance. It is a little known fact that diamond cut quality can affect the price or value of a diamond by as much as sixty percent.
Thus I’m inclined to think that the cut quality of a diamond is what determines its value. Provided that diamond rough is sourced from legitimate sources, it doesn’t matter to me whether it is from Canada or another developing nation. What gives a diamond value, is the degree of skill employed to transform it from a dull and lifeless opaque crystal, into a sizzling, bright and shiny star which sets upon her finger for all the world to see. That’s what we focus on at Brian Gavin Diamonds.
