I just wanted to let you know that on Saturday I proposed to my girlfriend, Alyssa, with the BEAUTIFUL ring you made for me. SHE SAID YES!!! The ring is absolutely stunning. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. Thank you so much for all of the help, advice, and service. The team there was great at responding to my inquiries, and Brian himself even took time to talk to me about the stone I was purchasing (A Brian Gavin Signature Cushion Cut). The stressful process of finding the perfect ring and the perfect stone was made simple and easy by your staff. I will be recommending Brian Gavin Diamonds to everyone I know!! The service is top notch, and the product is amazing! Thank you again for all of your help and for being part of the special time in our lives.

-Mike

P.S. Here's a picture of the ring on her hand

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Alani contacted us at the beginning of November with a reset project in mind:

Hi Denise, Leslie, Brian and friends! Hope you are all well and nice and busy leading up to Christmas. I am currently researching the idea of resetting my engagement ring (1ct, in a simple solitaire setting) as I recently broke my wedding band and I'm not too sure if I want to stay with the traditional e ring / w band. I'm pretty hard on my rings and everything that I am drawn to with a lot of bling (pave, halos) isn’t really right for my lifestyle.  Anyway, I was thinking of resetting into a 3 stone, but then I'm not sure if that will be enough bling so I'm looking at a Graduated 5 stone using my current 1ct stone as the center.

Denise worked with Alani to come up with the best combination of diamond sizes to get the flowing, graduated look she was after and also worked on several different ideas for the setting. The final diamond specs were as follows:

• Center stone 1.05ct F SI1 is a GIA XXX round diamond.
• 2 x 0.423ct F SI1 Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamonds.
• 2  x 0.20ct F VS Brian Gavin Signature diamond melee.

Alani decided not to ship her center stone to us and searched to find a qualified local Australian jeweler to set it. We had all the measurements of the stone and were able to create the CAD with that information. We tweaked the center prongs to make sure that only the prongs showed from the top view, and that the trellis wires were not visible from the top. We sent the updated CAD, received approval and proceeded to caste the ring in platinum and then set the 4 side stones. We e-mailed Glamor Shots of the almost finished ring and then shipped it:

I picked up the package and the ring is beautiful! I can't wait until I get the center stone set…

A few days later we received this e-mail:

Hello Denise, Lesley, Brian and the team at BGD! I am please to let you know that the ring has been completed with the center stone being set today!! I am in love with the ring and it is exactly what I imagined it to be. It's amazing how you guys can take a drawing and bring it to life! The ring is just one ball of sparkle at the moment. It is really unbelievable! I find myself laughing every time I catch a glimpse of it because it is just so unreal. Thanks again, Alani.

Feast your eyes on the picture gallery below!!

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Brian Gavin recently launched the next generation of his popular Truth head with his beautiful “Truth” friction back stud earring settings. The settings are available in 18K White, 18K Yellow and 14K Rose Gold as well as in Platinum.**

Dear Lesley and Brian,

I got the earrings yesterday! They are so beautiful, I am extremely happy how they turn out. I absolutely adore the truth setting, it’s so delicate, unique and compliments the stones beauty. My worries regarding the clarity are blown away as I truly can’t see the difference to my IF ering. I might try and get the loupe though, as I am very curious to see those "birthmarks of the stones".

It was a pleasure to work with you, Lesley. I definitely have never experienced that great customer service here in Germany. Talking to Brian was a highlight in my diamond education, I felt I could trust his opinion and experience. Please, let him know that I am a very happy customer, he mentioned on the phone that that is very important for him to know:)

With many thanks and best wishes from Berlin, Ekaterina F

**The Truth Settings are eligible for our Diamond Stud Earring Sale which ends on February 10, 2012. Get $175 off the earring setting of your choice when you purchase  a pair of Brian Gavin Signature diamonds. No other discounts or offers apply.

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Ian contacted us by e-mail in mid November interested in having us create a custom setting for him. He was away from home when he wrote in and described it verbally: I wanted to see if you could line up 2 hearts that would twist head to head. Within each heart the .25 carat diamond would sit and right in the middle where the hearts meet, the larger diamond would sit. Also I would like to put some small diamonds into the band.

When he got back to his PC he sent us a rough free-hand sketch of what he had in mind. Jamie discussed the details with Brian Gavin and then e-mailed Ian a quote. He approved the quote and then Jamie worked with him to select a beautiful one carat K VS2 Brian Gavin Signature “Blue”.

We e-mailed him the first rendition of the CAD and he requested that the head be integrated into the shank. We fine tuned it and sent him the second and final rendition which he approved. We cast, set the and shipped his beautiful ring. He e-mailed us, thrilled with the result:

Jamie! This is even better than I thought it was going to be! I can't express how great of job you and everyone else did on my journey to get this ring made. Thanks for all your hard work. You guys truly have a gift of not only designing but bringing stories of love to life! Although it was a lengthy process it was very much worth it. Please express my gratitude to everyone else who played an important role in this wonderful ring. I look forward to working with you in the future and I know alot of people will also too! If I have any more questions I will contact you. Thanks a bunch again! I'll keep you posted. Take care! Ian

Customer's sketch, CADs and Glamor Shots:

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Anthony contacted us in October. He had been shopping at several internet companies and wanted to come in and meet with Brian and look at several Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamonds in the 0.80 – 1.00 carat range. After a couple of visits he selected a beautiful 0.918 H VS2 Brian Gavin Signature H & A. We then started discussing the setting and he wanted to know if we could custom make a diamond wedding set comprising a cathedral style fishtail pave setting with the Truth head and a matching fishtail pave band using our Brian Gavin Signature Melee. He e-mailed us the specs and some inspiration pictures and we set to work to create the CAD. Once he had approved the CAD, we cast the setting in 18K White Gold and set the F/G VS Brian Gavin Signature Melee. We set one "surprise" diamond and one "surprise" sapphire on the inside of the engagement ring shank. A few days after he had received the rings, his fiancee Erika e-mailed us this wonderful testimonial:

Hi Lesley,

This past Saturday on Dec 17th, Anthony asked me what I wanted to do during the day. I noticed that he was looking at his phone for the weather updated and said, "Oh good, it's sunny." I told him I wanted to go to the museum. He was opposed to that. So I thought of another idea-the Houston Zoo, which was one of our most fun dates ever since we've been dating. His reply was, "Actually I was thinking about that too." Sometimes I like to get all made up on the weekends. I curl my hair and/or wear my "weekend" outfits. As I was curling my hair, I heard Anthony shuffling in his study closet and I was a little suspicious that he was messing with the engagement ring. It was a beautiful and fun day at the zoo. I had the best time there. After a while, Anthony asked me what I wanted for dinner. I told him I wanted some hot pot, which would require us to go to Chinatown. He was not up for it. He asked me if I wanted Italian food. I was neutral about it at the time until I was starving a few hours later and didn't care where we were going. While he was driving, I asked him where we were going to eat. He played dumb and said, "I don't know where we are going?" I replied, "TELL ME!" He again said, "I don't know where we are going?" As he turned onto Ella Blvd., I knew right away where we were eating. He was taking me to our first date restaurant called Cavatore. As we walked into the restaurant, he asked the owner if we could sit by the live music. There was a live duet playing that night-a guitarist and singer who were a couple. Since it's around Christmas time, they sung Christmas songs. Throughout our delicious Italian dinner, I noticed that Anthony had his "thinking face" on. I asked him a few times if everything was okay. He just gave me a short, "yeah" reply each time.

After dinner was over, I had to run to the restroom before we left. I came back and Silent Night was being sung live. As I sat down, Anthony looked at me deeply into my eyes and said, "It's a silent night, isn't it?" I looked at him funny and said, "Yeah…sure is…" As he reached out for his glass of water, I then reached out for mine and noticed that the engagement ring was sitting right on top of an ice cube. I was shocked and said, "OH MY GOD!" I looked at him and he got down on his knees and proposed.  He made me cry. It was a very emotional moment. After I said yes to him I had to remind him that he had to put the ring on my finger (it was still in the glass after all this time). The live singer came up to us and told us that nobody has ever proposed while she was singing and congratulated us. Shortly after, the owner of the restaurant came up to us and congratulated us. He surprised us with some champagne on the house. We both told him we didn't think anyone noticed the proposal, but he claimed that everyone in the restaurant did. After dinner, we called it a night and left the restaurant as a newly engaged and very happy couple. =) Erika O.

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

VIDEO

A Gallery of Some of Brian Gavin's Jewelry Highlights…

© 2012, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

In June 2010 Shane contacted us to discuss his upcoming diamond engagement ring purchase. He was planning to propose to his girlfriend of 8 years and wanted to purchase a very high quality center stone and a magnificent setting. He selected the Platinum "Summer" 3 stone open basket setting with a 1.10 ct Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamond.

About a year later he contacted us to get started with the wedding bands. After much discussion he decided to order the Platinum Dream Half Eternity Band and a Palladium 6 mm Men's Three Textured Band. We set a "Surprise" Emerald and Diamond inside both bands and engraved a special note.

About 2 months before the wedding Shane contacted us for the wedding jewelry.  We created a magnificent Custom 18k White Gold Necklace set w/ 0.99 ctw F/G SI Brian Gavin Signature diamond melee for him and he added the 14k White Gold Leverback Huggies to his order.

The wedding was on Saturday, October 15 and we received this e-mail and the beautiful pictures below:

Hi Lesley,

Thanks for making stunning pieces of jewelry for my wife and I.

Your helpful advice helped us choose the perfect combination for our BGD wedding

© 2011, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Gwyneth contacted us at the end of August after she had seen her aunt’s beautiful 5 stone trellis band.

 “Hi Lesley!!! I recently visited with my dear Aunt Lynn and saw her new Brian Gavin 5 stone .33 diamond ring w/trellis setting and WOW!  Any chance of getting a quote of the SAME ring but in size 8.5? Platinum setting – same type of stones??

 Denise worked with her to select 5 magnificent 0.40 – 0.44 ct Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamonds to set into the Platinum 5 Stone Trellis II setting.

 I'm going on to a conference Sept. 21 – it would be cool to make my friends swoon! But if that's not doable – don't wanna rush ya! I can create jealousy at another venue!

 We shipped the ring in time and received the following e-mail a few days ago:

Denise, Sorry haven't written sooner but my ability to compose a coherent sentence has been hampered by the distraction this ring is making in my life! Even now I glance down at its sparkly goodness and stop typing amazed at the fire, the sparkle, the evident hearts & arrows of these brilliantly cut rocks sitting pretty on my hand! I could not be more pleased by a ring…it's everything I dreamed of and more! Here's a pic on my hand! Thank you again for such an easy and lovely buying experience for a lifetime of sparkly blingtastic fun! You're a doll! ~Gwyneth

© 2011, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Ben contacted us via e-mail at the beginning of July looking for a 0.75ct Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamond and a custom setting too. He had about a month before he was moving from California to Massachusetts and wanted to propose before he left.

Denise helped him to select a beautiful Brian Gavin Signature H & A diamond. He e-mailed inspiration pictures of the style he wanted us to create for him. It was a platinum custom solitaire with Brian Gavin Signature diamond melee accents and our popular Novela Head, with a pink diamond set inside the shank right under the head.  We e-mailed him the CAD rendering for approval and then proceeded to cast and finish up the ring.

Ben proposed and Gabi was thrilled with it. They sent the ring back for a complimentary resize and then we received this lovely e-mail along with the pictures below:

I remember we said we'd email you pictures of the proposal for your blog. On our first date, we went to take pictures in San Francisco since he is into photography and I had just gotten a camera. The last place we went to shoot that day was to a beach near the Golden Gate Bridge. I attached the picture of the first date (a silly picture and blurry because we didn't quite get the correct lighting that night) and the one where he proposed. I also attached a more normal one of us and a photo of the ring! Thank you for all your help. I'm so happy that Ben chose to order the ring from Brian Gavin… it's perfect! Gabi

© 2011, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Brian Gavin's Tapered Tiffany Style Half Round solitaire continues to be one of our most popular solitaire settings.

At the end of last year Mike wrote in:

My inquiry is regarding product ID 5540, the Tapered Tiffany Style Half Round engagement ring.  My (hopefully) future fiancé and I are from Canada and haven't had much luck finding the perfect ring for her style and my budget up here, so we are now exploring our options south of the border and over the internet. What I'm looking for at this point is some more pictures of the ring from different angles, preferably at least one from the top down because the tapered effect is what really attracts us to the ring….I hope this is not too much to ask. It's challenging shopping for something so important and specific from such a distance! Thanks for your help, Mike

Mike waited a couple of months and then wrote back in ready to move forward with his purchase. He worked with Denise and in April purchased a 0.78  Brian Gavin Signature Hearts & Arrows Round Diamond set into an 18K White Gold Tapered Tiffany Style Half Round Engagement Ring.

When he received the ring in May he e-mailed in the following:

Denise, I finally received the ring today after it got held up with customs, plus we had a long weekend up here so FedEx wouldn’t deliver, but the wait was worth it! The ring is gorgeous, I couldn’t be happier. I definitely know I couldn’t purchase anything like that in a store around here. I think it’s perfect and I know Brittani’s going to love it. Thank you so much for making it easy and I have no doubt we’ll be returning customers for any future jewellery purchases (stay tuned for wedding rings?)! Take care, Mike

Denise, It’s been a while but… I just wanted to let you know that the proposal went great and Brittani is absolutely in love with her ring! We took it to get appraised today by a local gemologist and he was pretty impressed with how it was cut, calling it flawless. It was nice to receive that validation that we made a great choice and confirm what we already knew in that Mr. Brian Gavin does amazing work. We couldn't be happier with the ring and the whole experience. We don’t have a date set yet, but there’s no doubt in our minds we’d love to bring all of our future jewellery business to BGD, especially our wedding rings. Thank you so much for your time and help, I’ve been recommending you guys to anyone that will listen! I’m sure we’ll be in touch. Mike

© 2011, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.