Best setting for super ideal diamonds
“What is the best setting for super ideal diamonds like those sold by Brian Gavin? My girlfriend and I are shopping for a diamond engagement ring. She really likes bezel settings like this one from Brian Gavin, but a local jeweler who we spoke with indicated that bezel settings are not the best settings for super ideal diamonds. He told us that the bezel will cut down on the volume of light return, and affect the sparkle of the diamond. This is confusing to me however, since Brian Gavin offers what seems to be a broad selection of bezel settings. Can you tell me what setting is best for a super ideal diamond? Should we buy a traditional solitaire setting instead?”
Bezel setting a super ideal cut diamond:
I’ve got to admit, sometimes I wonder where people in the diamond industry get this stuff. It’s like they have no understanding of how diamonds gather and reflect light. Rest assured that a Brian Gavin Signature round hearts and arrows diamond is going to look fantastic, whether you set it in a bezel setting, or a classic six prong solitaire, or pack it down in mud, so that all is facing upward is the top half of the diamond, which is known as the crown.
The reason why a Brian Gavin Signature round diamond is going to look spectacular, even if you set it down in a bunch of mud, is because diamonds gather light from all over the hemisphere, and then that light bounces around the inside of the diamond, and is reflected back out through the crown, or upper half of the diamond.
So whether you set a Brian Gavin Signature round diamond in a bezel setting, as pictured above, or in a six prong classic solitaire like this one. People frequently express concern about whether a bezel, or a four, or six prong setting is going to affect the light performance of a diamond. But the reality is that the setting style really has no measureable affect upon the light return that a diamond is going to exhibit. Light Performance and Sparkle are dictated by the proportions and the degree of optical precision exhibited by the facet structure. This is not something taken into account by gemological laboratories when grading diamonds, but is something we focus upon.
The only way to judge the degree of optical precision exhibited by a diamond, is to view the diamond while unmounted through an Ideal Scope, and a Hearts & Arrows scope. The ASET scope image provided on an AGS Diamond Quality Document will tell you how bright a diamond is going to be, but it does not enable you to judge optical precision.
Fortunately, we provide ASET Scope, Ideal Scope, and Hearts & Arrows scope images on the diamond details page for every Brian Gavin Signature round diamond. Which enables you to judge the optical precision of our diamonds, and make a more informed decision. These images are provided for your reference, but you don’t need to be an expert to interpret them. The fact is that Brian Gavin has already personally inspected every diamond selected for inventory, is going to look incredible, regardless of how you set it.
