BGD vs Cartier&Tiffany

[OCgirl]

One of my friends is shopping for an engagement ring and I am helping her. She has (or had) her mind set on a Cartier ring. I do understand the designer appeal so I told her I think you should consider all your options BEFORE you make your purchase. I have a Brian Gavin Blue six prong solitaire so I told her, "how about this - I'll go look at all the designer rings with you and put them next to my ring. If you tell me you can see a difference, and I won't get offended, then you can happily purchase your Cartier knowing your eyes like Cartier better!" And surprisingly... we DID see a difference. But the difference wasn't what I expected.

I have a 1.22 Brian Gavin Blue and the color is G (with medium fluor). She is considering a 1.5 ct E/F solitaire. The first thing we did is see if she can tell the color difference between a F and a G. Of course placing all the F Cartier rings next to mine, she couldn't tell the difference. So she made a quick decision to change her preference to a G.

Then we wanted to see sparkle, brilliance, SIZE difference. This is when it came shocking: I put a 1.50 G VVS2 and a 1.53 G VS1 next to my ring (Cartier rings are all four prongs and mine is a six prong), the 1.50 ct looked SMALLER than my 1.22 ct. The 1.53 ct looked only slightly bigger. And when I say slightly, I mean literally like a hair bigger. The measurement of my stone is 6.89 x 6.91 mm. How is it possible that a 1.50 ct GIA Ex/Ex/Ex (according to the sales lady) "look" smaller than mine? My friend was very puzzled and asked me if I'm sure my stone is 1.22 ct. I couldn't offer her a good explanation.

The same thing happened at Tiffany. She tried on a 1.33 ct and a 1.54 ct Tiffany six prong solitaire. The 1.33 ct was visibly smaller than mine. The 1.54 ct was slightly bigger.

My question is - Is it the cut? Do the stones really face up smaller? I don't think the Cartier and Tiffany stones look like they are poorly cut and we compared four rings against mine. If it was just one then I would've probably concluded that one was cut too deep (which was the explanation I offered to my friend and her boyfriend) but I am honestly confused. For a split second I even thought my ring got swapped somehow but that's just not possible. They all commented my ring look bigger... Has this happened to anyone else before?

 

[AprilBaby]

Sounds like the others are deep cut so they weigh more but look smaller. Tell her to get a BG

 

[arkieb1]

Without knowing the specs of your ring two things could be going on. You could have a spready diamond with a bigger face up size (and the other stones were overly deep as suggested), or it could be simply your diamond was THAT much better cut. A top of the line cut will always have this wonderful illusion of appearing bigger on the hand when put next to worse cut stones. I think its because the best cuts offer edge to edge brightness and therefore face up bigger.

I hope you did teach your friend something!!!! Unless you are buying preloved I think Tiffany and Cartier are a waste of money when for the same price you can find a larger better cut more desirable stone!!!

 

[swingirl]

Was your friend convinced to look eslewhere?

 

[OCgirl]

Without knowing the specs of your ring two things could be going on. You could have a spready diamond with a bigger face up size (and the other stones were overly deep as suggested), or it could be simply your diamond was THAT much better cut. A top of the line cut will always have this wonderful illusion of appearing bigger on the hand when put next to worse cut stones. I think its because the best cuts offer edge to edge brightness and therefore face up bigger.

I hope you did teach your friend something!!!! Unless you are buying preloved I think Tiffany and Cartier are a waste of money when for the same price you can find a larger better cut more desirable stone!!!

I think my diamond has a pretty normal spread for a 1.22 ct. I mean it is an AGS000 and all the scope images provided by Brian look superb. I do think it's the edge to edge brightness that created an optical illusion. I am just a little surprised to think four GIA ex/ex/ex and AGS000 could be that different? It makes me want to go back there next time with a scope and a caliper.

I do like Tiffany diamonds (and jewelry) though. They have this certain feminine, romantic and delicate design/appeal. I am not that impressed with Cartier, espeically with their rounds. They do have some pretty fancy cuts.

 

[OCgirl]

Was your friend convinced to look eslewhere?

I've helped several friends with their engagement rings since my own. My best guy friend ended up purchasing from Brian Gavin. His fiance's ring is absolutely gorgeous. I always end up staring at her finger everytime we meet. I forget I own a BGD diamond myself... but it's hard to see your own hand sometimes. I mean... you know what I mean!!! But the sparkle from her diamond is just freaking amazing! My best friend's fiance purchased her ring from GOG. He wanted a budget friendly halo ring so I told him GOG carries Gabriel & Co. I also picked a superideal H&A for him.

This friend of mine was pretty adamant about having a designer engagement ring. I did not want to dismiss it completey unfront because I think she would just not want to listen. I understand many girls "picture" what their dream rings would look like... etc. That's why I'm taking the time to walk her through the process and have her see it with her own eyes. Seeing is believing! Engagement ring shopping is a very personal and intimate process.

With that said, she told me last night she's open to look elsewhere. I think with her budget and preference, BGD or Whiteflash is probably two good places to start. I noticed BGD and Whiteflash are quite pricey these days though! I was doing some price comparisons. The price difference between a 2.0 ct G VS1 BGD signature and 2.0 ct G VS1 ex/ex/ex from Blue Nile is over $10k!

 

[Daisyoz]

Please tell us about your observation on sparkle and brilliance! Though that was partially described through the size impressions I guess. Very interesting post. Thank you!

Edit: Btw, I think there s about 3-4k difference between BG or WF branded 2.0 GVS1 and BN Signature Ideal 2.0 GVS1.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think WF and BG top stones are going to beat BN's, so I wouldn't even look there (not to mention better upgrade policy). My suggestion to your friend is that she might want to get the better diamond ring and setting outside of the designer stores and get her wedding band there. My wedding band is the Tiffany Legacy and I was glad to be able to buy a band I could try on and see with my e-ring. It is totally nuts to not buy a better cut and larger diamond for the same money as Cartier or Tiffany. Buy some of their other jewelry for the designer brand appeal that people can recognize. No one is going to recognize brand on an e-ring because we can get them made every bit as well elsewhere.

 

[recordaras]

I might be biased, but my 0.64ct BGD Signature (and a J color at that!) is the most incredibly sparkly stone I have ever encountered, including my mom's Tiffany solitaire that I got to try on a couple of months ago. The Tiffany was beautiful, no doubt about it - it's a 0.9 on the HCA with Excellent marks for everything, including spread. But it just didn't wow me - in fact, I first tried it on in various lighting conditions, and then had to go soak and clean it, as I just wasn't getting the brilliance I had come to expect.
Now the BGD - I can't begin to count the number of times people have commented on it being sparkly! In fact, just last week we had an office party and somebody came over from the other side of the room to ask about it, as the fire had caught their eye from so far away. And this in MA, where the average diamond size is much larger than mine! I honestly wasn't expecting all the attention it gets, but it just goes to show how amazing BGD stones are.

Oh, and on a side note, I've had the exact same scenario at least 3 times already (I've been engaged for only a month): somebody will come up to me, ask about the ring, comment on how sparkly it is, then glance down at their own, then back at mine, then at their own again, this time for a couple of seconds more, and then say: "Well, they sure are sparkly when they're new!"

 

[msop04]

Although I don't own a BGD (yet ), it seems that his are just the absolute best of the best cuts. I have yet to see one on PS or any other forum that was not breathtakingly beautiful. I think you can rest assured that a BG cut stone will out-perform most any other stone.

Oh, and on a side note, I've had the exact same scenario at least 3 times already (I've been engaged for only a month): somebody will come up to me, ask about the ring, comment on how sparkly it is, then glance down at their own, then back at mine, then at their own again, this time for a couple of seconds more, and then say: "Well, they sure are sparkly when they're new!"

^^ HAHAHAAA!! ^^

...only yours will stay sparkly all the time!

 

[recordaras]

^^ HAHAHAAA!! ^^

...only yours will stay sparkly all the time!

I know!!! The first time it happened I dismissed it as a random comment, the second time I was like, "hmmmm, I've heard this before", and the third time it was just in no way a coincidence anymore!

 

[TC1987]

...
I think my diamond has a pretty normal spread for a 1.22 ct. I mean it is an AGS000 and all the scope images provided by Brian look superb. I do think it's the edge to edge brightness that created an optical illusion. I am just a little surprised to think four GIA ex/ex/ex and AGS000 could be that different? It makes me want to go back there next time with a scope and a caliper.

...

I don't think it's optical illusion. Even two ideal cut RBs can have a different character. As people have said, cut matters. Digging and painting (and I can't recall the specifics without looking it up) iirc can result in a "dark" perimeter, and that would make a diamond look smaller than one that is bright from edge-to-edge. Any reduction of the amount of light reflected can make a diamond look smaller, actually.

We've discussed it before on here, that Tiffany might not be the best-cut diamonds out there. I can't recall Cartier being discussed but maybe it was. But you've done the side-by-side comparison. And as Wink of HighPerformance Diamonds has said, the customers will always gravitate toward better-cut stone in any comparison.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yes, BGD are beautifully cut stones.

 

[msop04]

Yes, BGD are beautifully cut stones.

DF, that pendant is amazing!!!

 

[OCgirl]

I mean of course I'm a BGD believer. I stare at my stone all the time. I can see how it's perfectly symmetrical and NO light leakage whatsoever (I owned non-ideal cut stones before so I know what light leakage looks like to the naked eyes). I also enjoy looking at the close up images of my diamond BGD had on the site when I purchased it (I saved them in a folder ). But it's hard to see how your diamond performs from a bystander's point of view from a distance. That's why I notice my best guy friend's fiance's ring ALL THE TIME. Her BGD Blue just sparkles like MAD all the time! I can't tell if mine performs like that because I'm wearing my ring! I can only see it from a CLOSE distance. See my dilemma here?

But I finally know why people always guess my ring to be 1.5 ct to 1.7 ct. Because it DOES look like a 1.5 ct. Not that I'm comlaining...

My friend is looking to get her ring in the next month or two. I already sent her a few BGD stones to look at. Whiteflash ACAs are SCARCE these days! I only found one that meets her spec!!! Too bad none of these vendors are located in SoCal

 

[OCgirl]

Please tell us about your observation on sparkle and brilliance! Though that was partially described through the size impressions I guess. Very interesting post. Thank you!

Edit: Btw, I think there s about 3-4k difference between BG or WF branded 2.0 GVS1 and BN Signature Ideal 2.0 GVS1.

To be really honest with you it was hard to compare sparkle and brilliance under jewelry store lighting. Anything that's remotely like a diamond will sparkle. I'm sure even my snot will sparkle under that kind of lighting

But I did notice the "appearance" of the diamonds look different. Even though BGD and Cartier & Tiffany diamonds all sparkle like mad, their cut proportions seem to give the diamonds very different looks. I'm not sure why that is so if anyone could chime in on that too? Trying to learn here!

 

[msop04]

Please tell us about your observation on sparkle and brilliance! Though that was partially described through the size impressions I guess. Very interesting post. Thank you!

Edit: Btw, I think there s about 3-4k difference between BG or WF branded 2.0 GVS1 and BN Signature Ideal 2.0 GVS1.

To be really honest with you it was hard to compare sparkle and brilliance under jewelry store lighting. Anything that's remotely like a diamond will sparkle. I'm sure even my snot will sparkle under that kind of lighting

But I did notice the "appearance" of the diamonds look different. Even though BGD and Cartier & Tiffany diamonds all sparkle like mad, their cut proportions seem to give the diamonds very different looks. I'm not sure why that is so if anyone could chime in on that too? Trying to learn here!

I've never been in Cartier or HW, but the lights they have in Tiffany will make anything sparkle like crazy! I've been in several stores with this lighting -- it's like, "WHOA!!! I'M BLINDED!!" ...but, IRL they may not be so impressive.

 

[0-0-0]

My impressions of Cartier and Tiffany rounds are that they tend to be cut slightly deeper (generally over 62% depth, so face up smaller at similar carat weights) and display more varied degrees of optical symmetry. There are certainly Cartier and Tiffany rounds that rival BGD/WF signature cuts, but from I have seen they are few and far between.