First of all, I want to commend both Brian and Lesley for how hard they work, and how incredible of a job they do. Making such an important, expensive purchase over the internet from someone you have never met in person is an incredible leap of faith, and all I can say is that Brian and Lesley did such a wonderful job of always being there to answer any questions to put to rest any fears I may have had. I can honestly say that this was one of the easiest, least regretful purchases I have ever had, and I am extremely happy now that I have received the ring. Thank you Brian and Lesley.
Also, a thank you is also in order to the PriceScope community. Without you, I would never have found BGD, and never would have been nearly as educated about my purchase. I now have an understanding of my diamond, the ring itself, and the entire process of creation of the ring. This is something I never would have had if I would have went to a B&M, so thank you all.
Now, on to the ring!
I will be very honest, I really enjoy classical, clean settings. After talking with my FF, I decided that we both really liked the Tiffany Novo setting. I had originally intended on buying from BN, but once I found PriceScope, I realized that I would never feel comfortable purchasing a diamond without seeing the ASET, IS, and a Sarin report. As I was looking at the beautiful rings on the site, I kept coming across these beautiful pictures of rings from Brian Gavin Diamonds. Not only were the pictures beautiful, but every single person who purchased a ring from BGD had nothing but wonderful things to say about the entire process. I was impressed to say the least.
Originally, I thought that there was no way I was going to get anything other than a RB. The Tiffany Novo however, has a cushion-cut diamond, and as I continued to look for ideas (and with continued input from the FF, and seeing all the beautiful cushions on PS), I decided to entertain the idea of a cushion. I personally love the look of GOG''s August Vintage, but for this ring, I really felt that a modern brilliant cushion was the way to go. Then, once I saw the cushion from BGD, I became intrigued. I really want to replicate the Novo, and since BGD also had the Novela setting which in my opinion is equal or superior to the Tiffany Novo setting, I realized this was potentially a match made in heaven. However, after reading some of the comments in the posts about the new BGD cushions, I was a little apprehensive and decided to give Brian a call to discuss. I explained to him exactly was I was looking for in the diamond, and he patiently answered all of my questions. He even had no problems taking additional pictures of the stone from different angles.
At first, I was quite worried that the stone was a little too squarish, almost like a rounded princess cut. However, after seeing the additional pictures as well as the diamond in person, I can say that pictures do not do the stone justice. It is hard to describe, but as the light plays over the stone, right before you think it is going to hit a corner of the stone and make it look square, it hits a rounded facet and continues along the stone. Your eye cannot see where one facet begins, and one ends. I know that probably doesn''t make a whole lot of sense (I am definitely not a writer), but that is the best way I can describe how the stone looks in person. In short, it is STUNNING.
Now, on to the pictures: