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Buying from Brian Gavin Diamonds (BGD) online

U

USAF_RxIST

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
2
Hi All,

I am a "new user" here on PS. I have been scouring the forums here and other websites trying to figure out the best of the best for my girlfriend and future bride to be. Just a little background, I am a recent graduate and thus starting to actually SAVE $$ for a ring while she will graduate in just over a year. The issue with ring buying/proposing is her college is partially funded by her grandparents and one of their "rules" for helping out is she can't get married until after she graduates. Now this doesn't mean she can't get engaged, just can't actually get married. However, I am not one that wants to have a particularly long engagement (>1 year), and so I am planning to wait till around this time next year to actually propose, plus I am in the military and we are currently doing the long distance thing.

I am wanting to get a BGD signature line due to the great reviews and relative value of these diamonds. Unfortunately, I know significantly more about diamonds than my girlfriend does, and she doesn't quite get why I want to spend the extra money to get a higher quality diamond. We talk about rings and whatnot and I am finally getting her to go ring shopping with me over Valentines Day. Although the ultimate decision on what ring to purchase rests with me, I want her to be on board with my choice. I have partially convinced her to let me pick out the diamond and then we can look at settings together so I can gauge what she REALLY wants. The part that doesn't have her completely convinced is the fact that I would be spending upwards of $10k for something online and she is concerned about them "baiting and switching" me. I have tried multiple times to make her realize the reputability of BGD, but she still isn't totally convinced. What have you all, the experts, experienced with purchasing BGD online? I have considered taking a trip to Houston to check out their diamonds in person, but something tells me that might be a waste of a trip.

She really wants to get her ring locally because she wants to be able to take it somewhere to someone she trusts, get it cleaned, get it fixed, etc. etc. While I have some diamond knowledge, I am total novice to jewelry buying in general. Will most local jewelers set a BGD into one of their settings and still honor the typical "lifetime guarantees"?

I am also curious what you all think, too, about BGD signature line in general. I keep trying to convince her that the sparkle that the "super ideal" cut will make a smaller stone look slightly larger and catch eyes more than, say, a typical ideal cut 1.25ct. At this point, I guess I should state what specs I'm looking for, but we got her sized and she is about a 5 1/4 to 5 1/2, round, 1.15-1.25ct, Brian Gavin Signature hoping to stay <$12,000 for the diamond alone. As far as color and clarity, that's where I need some advice on the signature line. It seems most of the diamonds with these specs are G or H and VS1 or VS2 - some SI1. How much does the super ideal cut offset color and any of these types of inclusions?

I am trying to be very proactive about ring shopping so that I will have a pretty good idea for how much more I am going to need to save up when the time comes to actually put my money where my mouth is. I know my post is wordy, but thank you so much in advance for your advice!
 
I'm a several time customer of theirs. You do NOT have to worry about them baiting and switching you. I'd be a lot more worried about the local jeweler swapping your diamond than I ever would be about them. The quality of their diamonds is top-notch, and with your budget you can get a really good one. High color and clarity with a BGD cut, what more could a girl want? As for her not knowing the difference, just wait till she sees it on her hand and it outshines every diamond around her!
 
I would encourage you to go to some local jewelers and look at GIA or AGS-graded diamonds to get a feel for the types of color and clarity grades that you're comfortable with. For the vast majority of people, a G or H color diamond is extremely white -- those people won't see any color in the diamond. Some people are very color sensitive and would prefer something in the D, E, F range. Clarity is more of a stone-by-stone basis kind of thing, but again, the vast majority of stones that are graded VS1 or VS2 by GIA or AGS will be completely eye-clean. I have a VS1 that has a pinpoint, and I've never been able to see the inclusion, even with a loupe. There are many stones graded SI1 that are also completely eye-clean, and some SI2 stones are also eye-clean. You have to remember that those pictures are enormous, and when you look at the diamond in real life it's going to be much smaller than that.

When you keep in mind that most people don't read Pricescope and have purchased rings from mall stores -- those diamonds are typically ungraded or graded by soft labs like EGL or IGI -- a lot of women you'll see walking down the street will be wearing diamonds that are lower color and clarity than the ones you're looking at (and the cut won't be anywhere near what you're looking at!).

I usually hear about the reverse situation -- the girlfriend has done a lot of research into diamonds and wants to get a premium cut from a Pricescope-preferred vendor, and the boyfriend thinks that all diamonds are the same and never wants to buy online. Good for you for doing your research! I'd go ahead with your plans -- I'm sure she'll appreciate the thought and effort in the end.
 
I agree with the above posters re: the quality of BGD signature stones.

However, quite recently I returned a purchase to BGD within their return period and complying with their return process, and had quite a bit of trouble getting my refund - it was not provided within their posted 3-to-5-business-day range, and I had to basically hunt down my refund by filing a complaint. I did receive the refund the evening of the 6th day (not a business day); however, no apology or explanation for the untimely refund was provided. Based on this experience, and due to what I perceive as a profound lack of professionalism and customer service, I will not do business with BGD again.

That said, I know many others have excellent experiences with BGD and without doubt they do have quality diamonds and settings.
 
I would not worry about the "baiting and switching" - their brand and reputation are worth far more than a 1.2ct diamond. It's also easy to verify if the diamond that you receive is the one in the certificate (you can loupe the inclusions yourself or bring it to a jeweler/appraiser).

My 1ctw studs are from BGD (they are BGD Blues). I think they are super duper sparkly. If I had to do it again, I would likely not pay the premium for BGD as I can't really tell how they're significantly better than my GIA triple Ex diamond from James Allen.

If you're considering BGD, I'd also look into Whiteflash ACA diamonds as well. They're basically super ideal diamonds like BGD's and Whiteflash has a more generous upgrade policy.
 
I would never worry about bait n switch or not getting what you are paying for with Brian Gavin. I have purchased from them and they have some of the most beautiful, best cut diamonds you will find anywhere.

With that said, some have had communication problems, no returned phone calls or emails as I did on my last dealing with them. I have no idea if they get overwhelmed, understaffed or what.

I will continue to do business with them, but they need to improve customer service for me to give them an A+
 
First off, thank you for your service, it is always interesting for me to see all of the different roles which people serve in the military and I rather enjoyed your signature line, it gave me a chuckle.

There are all sorts of fears and concerns that people need to address when considering whether to purchase a diamond or diamond engagement ring online, and the famous "bait and switch" is certainly one of them... however the reality is that online vendors like Brian Gavin, White Flash, High Performance Diamonds, James Allen, and other high profile sites which find themselves being discussed regularly here on PS wouldn't last another day if they conducted in such activity, the reality is that they'd burn to a crisp here on the forum and people who take the time to research their reputation prior to making their purchase would be well aware of it because PS threads tend to rank pretty high in Google search results, etc.

As a former online vendor, I can also attest to the fact that issues do occur from time to time, and I tend to measure a company not only by the quality of their product, but also by how they choose to resolve problems when they do occur. One of the challenges that online companies face, especially those involved in the diamond business, is that there are a lot of Jewish people involved in the industry who strictly adhere to the practices of their religion and are therefore closed early on Fridays, completely unavailable on Saturday and every other religious holiday.

Over the years, I've seen some pretty heated threads here on PS involving a customer who felt that they were being ignored by a vendor, when in fact the vendor was completely unplugged in observance of the Sabbath. There was another time, way back in the day, when Jonathan from Good Old Gold couldn't be reached because an ice storm had knocked out communication on the East Coast. Sometimes delays in responding to the needs of a customer have nothing to do with the desire to do so, or not, but are merely a matter of circumstance.

I'm going to go further out on a limb and suggest that you should simply take the lead with regards to buying the diamond for the engagement ring from whichever vendor appeals to your sense of quality, I'm quite familiar with the quality of the different vendors here on PS and you can't go wrong if you take the time to learn about diamond proportions, overall cut quality, optical symmetry, and such prior to making a purchase.

A local jeweler may or may not set a diamond sourced elsewhere, but I'd venture to say that there will be one in your area who will, and who will be willing to provide the same after purchase service that they would provide one of their own clients with, we certainly didn't care where somebody purchased a ring when they brought it into our store for cleaning or service, we were focused on the opportunity to earn their future business and their praise with regards to earning their referral business... also keep in mind that as an active member of the military, the odds are that you'll relocate more than once during your years of service. Best of luck to you and your bride and thank you again for your service!
 
As a Former Marine, I too thank you for your service.

Even though BGD and I are competitors I can second the recommendations you have been given. I get to break bread with Brian most years in Las Vegas for the JC-K jewelry show and we have the honor of being friends as well as competitors.

I second Todd's comment that having a local jeweler is always a good thing too, whether or not they set your diamond. You do not want to be mailing your ring back and forth for simple things like prong tightening and cleaning.

Hey Rhino, didn't you get bounced off that old dried up forum for ignoring that lady while you were ice stormed? I seem to recall that was about the time that Leonid was just getting Pricescope off the ground and several vendors ended up getting bounced for one silly reason or another and were lucky enough to find our way here, good thing we did, I have heard that place is now a museum.

I actually got kicked off because I was supporting EightStar diamonds prior to becoming a Crafted by Infinity convert. Seems a couple of the vendors selling normal junky cuts did not like it that some of us touted the better cutting so anyone who sold EightStar was kicked off.

Eventually they kicked off enough people that the forum basically died.

Oops.

Wink
 
I haven't bought anything from BGD, but I used another PS vendor (Whiteflash). I think Todd explained it nicely, high profile PS vendors value their reputation much more than doing a 'bait and switch' on a stone. If that had ever happened to me, I would have negatively reviewed the vendor on every possible thread and forum out there, something I'm sure many would do the same thing. It would be disastrous for the vendor. There's a reason why PS vendors are recommended time and time again.

I can understand your FI's concern though, I imagine the mistrust of online vendors (especially with such a significant purchase) is a common feeling. My FI for example, would be shocked to find out that her diamond was bought online, and her immediate worry would be that I got scammed. But online is now the only way I'll be buying diamonds.

If easing her fears is a priority, you can ask BGD (or probably any PS vendor) if they could ship the stone to an appraiser of your choosing for a third party evaluation. You'll likely have to pay the shipping from the appraiser to you, plus the appraisal fees, but that's probably as safe as it could possibly get.

You don't have to worry about her not knowing the difference between normal and super-ideal cut stones. She'll see it for herself.
 
hawk25|1391206790|3605342 said:
I haven't bought anything from BGD, but I used another PS vendor (Whiteflash). I think Todd explained it nicely, high profile PS vendors value their reputation much more than doing a 'bait and switch' on a stone. If that had ever happened to me, I would have negatively reviewed the vendor on every possible thread and forum out there, something I'm sure many would do the same thing. It would be disastrous for the vendor. There's a reason why PS vendors are recommended time and time again.

I can understand your FI's concern though, I imagine the mistrust of online vendors (especially with such a significant purchase) is a common feeling. My FI for example, would be shocked to find out that her diamond was bought online, and her immediate worry would be that I got scammed. But online is now the only way I'll be buying diamonds.

If easing her fears is a priority, you can ask BGD (or probably any PS vendor) if they could ship the stone to an appraiser of your choosing for a third party evaluation. You'll likely have to pay the shipping from the appraiser to you, plus the appraisal fees, but that's probably as safe as it could possibly get.

You don't have to worry about her not knowing the difference between normal and super-ideal cut stones. She'll see it for herself.
Click to expand...

Right you are!

Hey, take her to the local Hearts on Fire dealer to see, then go back to your favorite internet vendor to buy it for soooooo much less.

Wink
 
I took my Brian Gavin diamond into the high end jewelery store in the city in Australia where I live and showed it to the gemologist, who I know quite well. She was impressed by the cut and graded the diamond that was a G, VS2 as an H SI1/VS2. I stress this is her opinion with nothing to do with AGS grading. She marks hard, she will only take for example the best Gs and the best SI's to use for their jewelery. However I found my stone (it was switched out for an AVR now) to be super white and super sparkly, with no visible inclusions. And even if the stone was a Signature Ideal H SI1 I paid literally a fraction of the price I would have needed to have paid for the same thing here is OZ.
 
hawk25|1391206790|3605342 said:
I haven't bought anything from BGD, but I used another PS vendor (Whiteflash). I think Todd explained it nicely, high profile PS vendors value their reputation much more than doing a 'bait and switch' on a stone. If that had ever happened to me, I would have negatively reviewed the vendor on every possible thread and forum out there, something I'm sure many would do the same thing. It would be disastrous for the vendor. There's a reason why PS vendors are recommended time and time again.

I can understand your FI's concern though, I imagine the mistrust of online vendors (especially with such a significant purchase) is a common feeling. My FI for example, would be shocked to find out that her diamond was bought online, and her immediate worry would be that I got scammed. But online is now the only way I'll be buying diamonds.

If easing her fears is a priority, you can ask BGD (or probably any PS vendor) if they could ship the stone to an appraiser of your choosing for a third party evaluation. You'll likely have to pay the shipping from the appraiser to you, plus the appraisal fees, but that's probably as safe as it could possibly get.

You don't have to worry about her not knowing the difference between normal and super-ideal cut stones. She'll see it for herself.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea Hawk25, perhaps there is even a Gemologist located near where USAF_RxIST lives, then BGD could ship the diamond there, and he could see it while it is being evaluated, there is a list of appraisers located within the Resources tab located at the top of this page... we used to do that a lot when I was still selling diamonds online ;))
 
It is my pleasure to serve people like you all.

Thank you all for all of your advice. I am pretty excited to check out rings over valentine's day and see what style of ring she is really in to. I will most likely be asking for more advice as the time to buy gets closer, but I will keep you all updated. I'm thinking having an independent verification by a local grader would be to my advantage.

One other question I just thought of. On the ASET scope, is having the central part of the diamond being "less bright" a good or a bad thing? To me it would seem like you would want as bright as possible, but any thoughts? I'm sure it is somewhere here on the forums, but it is late and don't have time to search and you all just seem so helpful!

Here is an example stone:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...ls/1.220-g-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104067957019

Thanks again for your help!

P.S. I like ya'lls use of acronyms! Makes me feel like i'm talking about military stuff you know?
 
If you are talking about the center of the ASET. makes no difference if it is Green, Red, or Green/Red....the diamond you referenced is beautiful, check the lab reports as it is a AGSL Ideal cut and a Brian Gavin Signature.
 
USAF_RxIST|1391493062|3607546 said:
It is my pleasure to serve people like you all.

Thank you all for all of your advice. I am pretty excited to check out rings over valentine's day and see what style of ring she is really in to. I will most likely be asking for more advice as the time to buy gets closer, but I will keep you all updated. I'm thinking having an independent verification by a local grader would be to my advantage.

One other question I just thought of. On the ASET scope, is having the central part of the diamond being "less bright" a good or a bad thing? To me it would seem like you would want as bright as possible, but any thoughts? I'm sure it is somewhere here on the forums, but it is late and don't have time to search and you all just seem so helpful!

Here is an example stone:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...ls/1.220-g-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104067957019

Thanks again for your help!

P.S. I like ya'lls use of acronyms! Makes me feel like i'm talking about military stuff you know?
Click to expand...

There is a tutorial available on the BGD web site under their education section, titled "Visible Perfection" that I believe will answer your question pertaining to the difference in ASET colors, specifically as it applies to the center of the table facet.
 
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