Your Personal Diamond Shopper Makes It Easier to Buy with Confidence

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September 20

“Hello, I had bought my diamond for my wedding ring back in 2002 from you. I get compliments on it all the time (THANK YOU)! I am referring someone to you but it seems like you may have changed the way you did business back then. Can you help me to understand the differences?”

“I remember it being a family business, now I am seeing selections for diamonds that send you to sites for Brian Gavin, James Allen, etc. So I am confused..lol. Can you help me to understand how your business evolved in those 11 years? And how much does it cost to use your personal diamond shopper service? Thank you, Dana L.”

Thank you for remembering us Dana, being impressed enough with the quality of our diamonds and service, enough to refer somebody to us eleven years later is the most amazing compliment that you could give me! Thank you!

So much has changed over the past few years, both in my personal and business life. While I no longer sell diamonds directly, I continue to serve our customers by acting as their Personal Diamond Shopper. I still follow the same guidelines and procedures for selecting diamonds on behalf of my clients that I used when I was the primary diamond buyer for Nice Ice.

In some cases, I’m still selecting diamonds from the same suppliers from who I used to source diamonds for resale. However, they have also changed their business model over the years, and now sell diamonds direct to the public.

Brian Gavin Diamonds, formerly “A Cut Above”

I’ve been buying round brilliant ideal cut diamonds, both with and without crisp and complete patterns of Hearts and Arrows from Brian Gavin for about 20 years. Of course, his company name changed when he started selling to the public.

We used to sell diamonds produced by Brian Gavin under the Nice Ice brand name, and also his brand which was “A Cut Above” which is most commonly known as the “ACA Diamond” although the name is now being marketed by a different company, which Brian was actually a principle of until a few years ago.

The Hearts & Arrows Diamonds which we used to purchase from Brian Gavin are now marketed as his Signature Collection, and he also offers an exceptional line of Ideal Cut Diamonds with Blue Fluorescence which he markets as Brian Gavin Blue.

Black by Brian Gavin Cushion cut diamondBrian recently introduced a brand new rendition of cushion cut diamond, which exhibits exceptional light return and visual performance.

It is the Brian Gavin Signature Cushion Cut Diamond which is pictured to the left. The cut is so unique that it is patented, and they all have an overall cut grade of AGS Ideal-0.

I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate several of them in person and compare them side-by-side with his Signature Round Hearts and Arrows Diamonds and they are equally as impressive! Every one of them that I’ve seen exhibits a bright, crisp, sparkling personality, that is out of this world!

Crafted by Infinity Diamonds, Antwerp, Belgium:

Crafted by Infinity, which is owned and operated by Paul Slegers, has been a time-honored supplier of the Hearts & Arrows Diamonds which we specialized in, his diamonds were sold by us under the brand name of Nice Ice, and also the Crafted by Infinity brand. The CBI production is marketed here in the U.S. by a number of diamond dealers, including my friend Wink who operates High Performance Diamonds.

James Allen True Hearts Diamonds:

Another diamond cutting company which we worked with became a principle owner of James Allen Diamonds, they offer a broad range of diamonds in a variety of shapes and cut classes, including the James Allen True Hearts brand which encompasses their line of “Hearts and Arrows Diamonds”.

Evolution of the Diamond & Jewelry Industry:

The current trend in the diamond business is for companies that formerly sold diamonds only to diamond dealers and jewelry stores, to market their products direct to the public via the internet.

While this practice provides consumers with direct access to diamond cutters and manufacturers of fine jewelry, people face the challenge of trying to select diamonds from companies that are used to working with high volume customers who are expert diamond buyers, and who do not require any professional guidance.

Benefits of My Personal Diamond Shopper Service:

Let’s face it, the odds are that you don’t want to have to become a diamond expert in order to select a beautiful diamond for your engagement ring or special occasion. While the emergence of diamond dealers on the internet provides today’s consumer with a broad range of options and attractive price points, it can be challenging to buy a diamond online without the in-depth knowledge and experience to know what is and what is not a good diamond.

Terms like AGS Ideal-0, aka “Ideal Cut” and GIA Excellent, aka GIA 3X, as well as brilliance, dispersion, fire, scintillation, light return, light performance, visual performance, optical symmetry, sparkle factor, and a myriad of descriptive terms being applied across a broad range of shapes and cut qualities, can make it extremely confusing for the average consumer to buy a diamond with the confidence.

As a seasoned diamond buyer with more than 25+ years of experience buying ideal cut diamonds, I can help you to navigate the murky waters created by all of these confusing gemological terms…

Let’s face it, the years which I’ve spent selecting diamonds for our inventory, enable me to look at the details of a diamond grading report, and know whether the diamond is worthy of further consideration in less than 30 seconds.

Likewise, it only takes me a minute or two, to look at the results of the computerized proportions analysis to determine whether a zero ideal cut diamond is cut precisely, or just well enough to barely qualify for the zero ideal cut rating. And it doesn’t take me very long to look at the reflector scope images, such as the ASET Scope, Ideal Scope, and Hearts & Arrows scope, photographs to determine whether the diamond is a keeper or not.

But this is the kind of stuff that tends to drive more precise diamond buyers nuts because most people just want to be able to buy a stunning diamond without having to become an expert diamond buyer! When they look at the plotting diagram of inclusions provided on a lab report, all they see are a bunch of red lines and circles, they don’t know what is good, what is bad, and what should be avoided at all costs… and a lot of diamond vendors don’t care, they just want to move every diamond in their inventory.

I help people sift through all of the options and select the best options available from each supplier, and it doesn’t cost them a dime. My consultation fees are paid for by each supplier, so your price on the diamond and jewelry that you purchase is no higher, whether you choose to select something from their inventory on your own, or with my assistance.

About the Author

Dive deep into the glittering world of diamonds with Todd Gray, the CEO of Gray Matter Development, LLC. Todd has 35+ years of experience as a diamond buyer and trade consultant. He ghostwrites content for several online vendors and is an avid Freediver, currently exploring the Cenotes of Yucatan, Mexico. Dive into brilliance with Todd Gray!