What are the Pitfalls of Buying a Diamond Online?
Hello Danny, I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and appreciate the advice which you provide. I have a question that I haven’t seen addressed and that is what are the pitfalls of buying a diamond online and how can I avoid them? One concern that I have is that if I buy a Brian Gavin Signature round diamond, how can I know that it actually is a superior diamond? I’m an engineer by trade, I have no way of being able to verify that the diamond which I’ve purchased performs any better or worse than other diamonds which I might purchase from a local jewelry store, just your word per se that the diamonds which you sell offer better light return and visual performance, but my automatic response to a statement like that is as compared to what? Your insight with regards to this concept is appreciated. – Anthony W.
Evaluating diamonds for light performance:
The first thing to understand is that when we talk about the superior volume of light return and sparkle factor exhibited by the diamonds featured within the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collection of diamonds which exhibit blue fluorescence, we’re not making random claims which are based solely upon our own opinion.
We submit our diamonds to the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) to be graded independently and objectively on their proprietary Light Performance based grading platform, which incorporates Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) which enables them to analyze the diamonds as interpreted as three dimensional models, as opposed to the two dimensional approach which is being used by other gemological laboratories.
The Light Performance based grading platform used by the AGSL takes three categories of diamond cut into account when determining the cut grade of a diamond:
- Light Performance
- Proportions
- Finish
Within the framework of these three categories, there are eleven additional factors which are taken into account: Brightness | Dispersion | Leakage | Contrast | Durability | Tilt | Weight Ratio | Girdle Thickness | Culet Size | Polish | Symmetry.
The first nine factors outlined above are determined using a sophisticated software program which the AGSL developed with the help of Dr. José Sasián at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and other experts in diamonds, optics, and computer programming. The last two factors, polish and symmetry, are determined by a trained diamond grader.
Judging Optical Symmetry in Round Diamonds:
In addition to submitting our diamonds to the AGSL to be graded for proportions and light performance, we provide all the reflector scope images required for our clients to verify the cut quality of diamonds like this 1.255 carat, D-color, Internally Flawless, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond, on our diamond details pages, along with high resolution video and a clarity photograph of the diamond. All of this adds up to substantially more information than is provided by the average online diamond dealer and most jewelry stores, where sometimes customers even experience difficulty obtaining a diamond grading loupe!
By comparing the Hearts and Arrows images, ASET Scope images, and Ideal Scope images of the diamonds which you may be considering online, and/or consulting with an independent Gemologist to evaluate the diamond, I believe you will be able to ascertain that the diamonds which we offer are cut to a superior level of diamond cut quality; and as a result, it stands to reason that they exhibit a higher volume of light return and more sparkle than diamonds cut to a lesser degree of precision.
