Brian Gavin Signature vs Brian Gavin Blue Diamond

I’m sure that you see this sort of thing all the time Danny, but I’m trying to decide between this 1.513 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond with negligible fluorescence, and this 1.543 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue round diamond with strong blue fluorescence. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the effect of strong blue fluorescence on I-color diamonds, some people say that it will make the diamond look whiter, and other sites say that the fluorescence will make the diamond look cloudy. Is this why the BGD Blue Diamond is priced less than the Signature diamond? Insight appreciated. – Trent C.

Why are fluorescent diamonds discounted?

The first thing to understand is that the discount which is applied to fluorescent diamonds has nothing to do with the actual appearance of the diamond, rather it is the residual effect of a diamond investment scenario that occurred in the late 1970’s, wherein an investment firm decided to preclude diamonds with fluorescence from the parcels of diamonds which they offered for investment purposes.

Apparently other investment firms in Asia, followed the lead of the one investment firm, like lemmings jumping off of a cliff, and one by one, they began to preclude diamonds with fluorescence from the parcels of diamonds which they offered their clients, this resulted in the diamond cutters being left with an overstock of diamonds with fluorescence, which they offered a discount on in an effort to make them more attractive… for whatever reason, the discount on fluorescent diamonds stuck long after the diamond investment market came to a close.

Thus the reason why diamonds with blue fluorescence cost less than diamonds of comparable quality which do not exhibit fluorescence has nothing to do with the visual properties of the diamonds themselves. In fact, if you were to compare the 1.513 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond with negligible fluorescence, and the 1.543 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue round diamond with strong blue fluorescence, side-by-side under normal lighting, the odds are that the two diamonds would look exactly the same to you, just as they appear to be the same in the diamond clarity photographs and video.

Do all Brian Gavin Round Diamonds Look the Same?

One of the more common questions that we receive from clients is whether all Brian Gavin round diamonds look the same, or are Brian Gavin Signature round diamonds better than the round diamonds featured within the Brian Gavin Blue collection.

The truth of the matter is that all of the round brilliant cut diamonds that we sell under the Brian Gavin brand are produced on the same production line, by the same diamond cutters, and every diamond is cut to the same range of proportions, and a degree of optical symmetry which exceeds industry standards; which is why diamonds from both of the Brian Gavin collections are submitted to the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) to be graded under the provisions of their Light Performance grading platform. You’ll notice that both the 1.513 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature diamond, and the 1.543 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue diamond are accompanied by diamond grading reports from the AGSL which indicate that they have a cut grade of AGS Ideal-0.

As far as the effect of strong blue fluorescence on an I-color diamond, it is possible for the blue fluorescent molecules to cancel out some of the diamond color when the diamond is exposed to direct sunlight, or other light sources which contain high levels of ultra-violet, the rest of the time the diamond should look perfectly normal.

And Brian Gavin personally evaluates every diamond that is placed in the Brian Gavin Blue collection, to ensure that the fluorescence is not having any negative impact upon the appearance of the diamond. While it is possible for strong blue to very strong blue fluorescence to cause a diamond to be over-blue, and therefore appear cloudy in some circumstances, it is not something which you’ll experience with diamonds from the Brian Gavin Blue collection as a result of our strict screening process.