Brian Gavin Signature vs Virtual Selection Diamonds

“Can you tell me what the difference is between Brian Gavin Signature and virtual selection diamonds? My girlfriend is helping me select the diamond for her engagement ring and is entranced with the idea of a Brian Gavin Blue fluorescent diamond, and she’s got her eye on this 1.094 carat, I-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin round diamond that exhibits medium blue fluorescence; but I found a diamond with similar characteristics in the Brian Gavin Virtual Selection category that is less expensive… I’ve learned from experience that price is often a factor of quality, but the diamonds have an overall cut grade of AGS Ideal and GIA Excellent, so they’re comparable, right?”

AGS Ideal vs GIA Excellent cut grade:

It is fair to assume that the polish and symmetry grades of AGS Ideal and GIA Excellent are comparable, however the range of proportions that each gemological laboratory considers to be the best are different, and this is one of the primary differences between the overall cut grades of AGS Ideal and GIA Excellent.

Another critical difference between the AGS Ideal and GIA Excellent diamond cut grades is that diamonds graded by the American Gem Society Laboratory on the Light Performance grading platform are subjected to Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) which measures the brightness of the diamonds and provides insight into how evenly light is distributed throughout the diamond, as demonstrated by the ASET image provided for the 1.094 carat, I-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin round diamond that appears to the left. The GIA Excellent cut classification does not use ASET because it is technology which is proprietary to the AGS Laboratory, which is why we use the AGSL for grading.

The difference between BGD Signature and Virtual Selection diamonds:

It is important to realize that the virtual selection diamonds offered by Brian Gavin represent “virtual inventory” that is not produced by Brian Gavin, nor is it part of the Brian Gavin Signature collection; these diamonds are not comparable to the diamonds produced by Brian Gavin because they are not cut to the same range of proportions, nor the same degree of optical symmetry, they are however comparable to the majority of GIA Excellent cut diamonds that you’ll find represented in the virtual inventory of many online diamond dealers.

One of the reasons why Virtual Selection diamonds are less expensive than Brian Gavin Signature diamonds is because they are cut to a broader range of proportions, which enable the cutters to retain more diamond rough during the cutting process; and because they are not cut to the same degree of optical symmetry, they can take up to four times less time to produce… the volume of light return and overall sparkle factor is not likely to be comparable however.

How proportions affect the light return of a diamond:

In this particular instance, the 1.094 carat, I-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin round diamond that you are considering has a pavilion angle of 40.9 degrees, which is going to produce a high volume of light return; whereas the pavilion angle of the virtual selection diamond that you are considering is 41.2 degrees, which will not be as effective in reflecting the light which enters the diamond back up towards the top.

In addition, the virtual selection diamond has a crown angle of 33 degrees, which is significantly shallower than the crown angle of 34.7 degrees that is present on the Brian Gavin Signature diamond that exhibits medium blue fluorescence. The effect of the shallower crown angle will be that the diamond exhibits more brilliance (white sparkle) than dispersion / fire (colored sparkle) whereas the 34.7 degree crown angle is going to provide a virtual balance of brilliance and dispersion.

Therefore while both the Brian Gavin Signature round diamond and the diamond from the Brian Gavin virtual selection appear to be similar, because of the AGS Ideal and GIA Excellent cut grades, and the fact that both diamonds exhibit medium blue fluorescence, the reality is that the diamond produced by Brian Gavin is going to exhibit the highest volume of light return and the best sparkle factor, thus it is the best value even though the other diamond is less expensive.