A cut above
Whether creating a Meghan-inspired ring or being early to online retail, Brian Gavin blazes sparkly trail
Meghan Markle’s engagement ring was the bling that sparkled around the world.
Earlier this year, all eyes were on the ring that Prince Harry had designed by Cleave & Co., the Queen’s preferred jeweler. The company used an ethically sourced center stone from Botswana, where he and Meghan first vacationed and fell in love. The ring also featured a stone from the late Princess Diana’s personal jewelry collection.
Industry experts, including Houston jeweler Brian Gavin, owner of Brian Gavin Diamonds, were in awe. Gavin was so taken with the ring, he created his own “inspired” one.
The Brian Gavin Diamonds made-to-order Markle “sparkle” ring can be created with multiple-stone combinations; it’s available in platinum or 18K white gold.
“We wanted to come up with our own inspired rendition,” Gavin said. “It’s not an exact copy because no one really knows the exact size of Meghan’s ring, but this is our take on it.”
Gavin, a native of South Africa, started selling gems in cyberspace (briangavindiamonds.com) in the late 1990s, when most in the industry were leery of doing business online. PayPal was just a startup then.
But Gavin wagered that if he made the most perfect diamond, people would buy it, sight unseen. Each was laserinscribed with the corresponding diamond-quality-report number by the American Gem Society. The report analyzes a diamond for cut, polish and symmetry and grades it accordingly. Buying a diamond that’s been graded by the gem society is like having a guarantee that you’re getting what you pay for.
“We were at the birth of the internet, and there was a demand for diamonds online,” he said.
His first web sale was a $20,000 diamond purchased by a Chicago attorney. He faxed over the contract, then the customer wired the money to Gavin’s bank account.
The Gavin family history in the diamond business runs deep. His grandfather was a diamond cutter and polisher in Amsterdam. Just before World War II, he moved to South Africa; he lost all of his 11 siblings in the Holocaust.
Gavin’s father was a musician who also became skilled at working with diamonds in South Africa. When Gavin married, his wife’s family also was in the business. He and his wife, Dana, relocated to Houston in the 1980s. They have two sons, Daniel, 32, who works in the company, and Avi, who is in graduate school.
Gavin uses only conflict-free diamonds, he said, with many coming from Botswana. His patented “cushion design” is the brand’s signature. The stone’s precision cut allows for more light to penetrate the diamond, he said, giving off more sparkle.
“We have the world’s sparkliest diamonds right in the backyard of Houston,” he said.