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Annual March Diamond Madness - Meet Our Champion - Up to 11% Off
Annual March Diamond Madness - Meet Our Champion - Up to 11% Off
Brian Gavin Signature Cushion vs Chunky Vintage Cushion Cut Diamonds

Brian Gavin Signature Cushion vs Chunky Vintage Cushion Cut Diamonds

Since the Brian Gavin Signature Cushion Cut Diamond made its debut a few months ago, hardly a day has gone by where I have not received an email asking about how it compares with chunkier, vintage cushion cut diamonds. Quite simply, the only similarity between the two variations of cushion cut diamond styles is that they both exhibit broad flashes of dispersion, which is most commonly referred to as fire.

Beyond that, the two variations of cushion cut diamond offer completely different levels of light return and visual performance. To begin with, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chunky, vintage cushion cut diamond that was capable of earning the overall cut grade of AGS Ideal-0 for Light Performance, let alone polish, symmetry and proportions… which is something that every one of the cushion cut diamonds featured in the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collections has received.

Let There Be Light!

Consider for a moment, the fact that most of the vintage cushion cut diamonds being marketed today, are modeled after the chunky cushion cut diamonds of yesteryear, when people lit their homes and workspaces with candlelight and firelight. The proportions of the diamond were designed to reflect as much firelight as possible, and the facets were “chunky” so that they could reflect the light created in the room by the firelight, this is where the term “fire” comes from… a time when the majority of sparkle created by the facets of a diamond were the result of reflected fire light.

But we don’t live in an era where most of the light that we live and work under is created by fire light, we live and work under lighting which is provided by various forms of electric light, and under these types of lighting conditions, the average chunky, vintage cushion cut diamond will appear dull and lifeless. While the concept might be romantic at this time when vintage products and concepts are all the rage, I’m not so sure that you want to buy a diamond which is only going to look great when you’re sitting by the fire, or enjoying candlelit dinner.

Especially since the Brian Gavin Signature Cushion Cut Diamond is designed to look spectacular in practically all lighting environments, from natural sunlight, to incandescent light, to fire light, and candlelight, and even fluorescent light, such as the type of light which is used in most office environments. Since the majority of fluorescent lighting does not produce any ultra violet light, diamonds tend to flatten out and look dull and lifeless in an office environment.

Our Signature Diamonds tend to look great when viewed in fluorescent lighting however, and it’s not because they are sparkling more than a chunky, vintage cushion cut diamond would either, because diamonds don’t really sparkle without being exposed to UV Light. It is actually the high levels of contrast exhibited by our Signature Diamonds, which is a result of the facet structure and proportions, that gives our diamonds an extremely crisp appearance and depth. Our eyes tend to interpret the difference in crispness and depth between the facet sections of the diamonds as sparkle, and thus our diamonds appear to sparkle in fluorescent lighting, while other diamond cuts and shapes do not.

The Sparkle Effect Created by Hearts & Arrows:

One of the reasons why our Signature Cushion Cut Diamonds exhibit such a high degree of contrast, and a superior volume of sparkle factor, is that they are cut to exhibit a stunning pattern of hearts and arrows. The presence of a crisp and complete Hearts and Arrows pattern within a diamond is a clear indication of superior optical symmetry, which will result in a higher volume of light return, as well as produce a greater number of virtual facets, more brilliance, more dispersion, and more scintillation.

Not only will our Signature Cushion Cut Diamond outperform a vintage chunky cushion cut diamond in terms of brilliance, dispersion, and scintillation, it will also outperform it in terms of the overall volume of light being created by the precise alignment of the facets and the overall proportions of the diamond. The proof can be found within the results of the Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) scan which is provided on the Diamond Quality Document issued for each of our diamonds by the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL), under the provisions of their Proprietary Light Performance grading platform.

The difference between the Brian Gavin Signature Cushion Cut Diamond and a Vintage Chunky Cushion Cut Diamond is clearly visible when the diamonds are evaluated through any of the reflector scopes which are used to grade optical symmetry and light return... it is a difference which we think you will enjoy year after year.

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