Brian Gavin
The Cutter

Amsterdam to South Africa

Brian Gavin's family has been in diamonds since the 1880s. The great-grandfather of Brian's mother belonged to the Deutz family — established merchant bankers who recognized the opportunity when diamonds were discovered at Kimberley, South Africa. They entered the growing diamond trade, learning rough diamond evaluation and the art of diamond cutting in Amsterdam's workshops.

Brian's grandfather was a master diamond cutter in Amsterdam before leaving for South Africa ahead of World War II. Seventy members of the family who remained were lost in the Holocaust. That history — the weight of what was carried and what was lost — is inseparable from the work.

The Family Factory

Through the 20th century the family built its place in the South African trade, developing relationships with mining companies and international dealers. It became known for investing in the finest rough and for the patience to cut diamonds for beauty rather than simply for weight — a philosophy Brian would later carry further. The marriage of Barend Deutz's daughter to Benjamin (Ben) Gavin united two families with shared values in the trade.

Brian grew up in the family's diamond polishing factory in South Africa, handling rough diamonds from childhood. His father Ben Gavin was a master cutter, as was his maternal grandfather Barend Deutz before him — both respected figures in the South African diamond trade. By the time Brian came of age, four generations of cutting knowledge had been passed down: the instincts, the judgment, the understanding of how light behaves inside a diamond.

The Complete Diamond Education

From childhood, Brian was immersed in the world of diamonds, learning rough evaluation, how light behaves in a cut stone, and the subtle art of color grading from his father and grandfather. By his teenage years he was spending hours with gemological equipment, studying how light interacts with diamond facets — the groundwork for what he would later publish on round brilliant anatomy and optical symmetry.

His formal apprenticeship took place at Goldstein Diamond Cutting Works in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he trained for two years under master cutters including Allen Goldstein and Bobby van Creveld. There, Brian worked through every segment of the cutting factory — marking, planning, design, sawing, bruiting, blocking and brillianteering — with particular emphasis on marking, planning and design: the decisions that determine whether a rough diamond becomes an exceptional gem or merely an adequate one.

A New Standard

Dissatisfied with the Hearts and Arrows diamonds available at the time, Brian developed a specific combination of crown and pavilion angles for exceptional optical balance. He cut the first of these diamonds in 1997, introduced them as "A Cut Above" in 1998, and in August 1999 began selling them online — among the first precision-cut diamonds sold that way.

Industry Authority

His 1999 venture was one of the first online diamond businesses, and he has since created several branded diamond lines sold online. He served as an acting supervisor to a major diamond grading laboratory, has consulted for diamond factories worldwide, and in 2004 presented his paper on Hearts and Arrows formation and grading standards at the first International Diamond Cut Conference in Moscow — work that has been widely referenced by appraisers and precision cutters since. How laboratory grading and optical tools such as ASET assess cut is covered in our education pages.

In 2009, he launched Brian Gavin Diamonds with his Signature Hearts and Arrows line, raising the standard he had already set.

The Influences

Beyond his family training and Goldstein apprenticeship, Brian's cutting philosophy was shaped by the work of South African master cutter Basil Watermeyer, whose Barion cut (around 1970) showed how mixed-cut faceting could improve light return in non-round shapes. Watermeyer's book Diamond Cutting: A Complete Guide to Diamond Processing remains, in Brian's view, essential reading for anyone serious about the craft — and, he says, its principles influenced his own patented work on emerald and cushion cut light performance.

Optical Balance

Most diamond cutters face the same decision with every stone: maximize weight or maximize beauty. The market rewards weight. Brian has always chosen beauty. His cutting philosophy — what he calls "Optical Balance" — prioritizes how a diamond handles light over how many carats it retains. It is a more costly approach and a less common one. It is also the reason his diamonds look the way they do. Our cutting services page explains how that philosophy is applied today.

The Transition to Rare

After decades of cutting tens of thousands of diamonds, Brian experienced a fundamental shift in perspective. The diamonds that captivated him most deeply weren't simply the best-cut stones — they were the truly rare ones. The fancy color diamonds that seldom cross a cutter's wheel. The Type IIa white diamonds of extraordinary purity. The stones with provenance connecting them to legendary mines and historic collections.

This realization led to the creation of RARE.DIAMONDS — a departure from conventional diamond selling and a return to the curated, relationship-based model of diamond dealing that characterized earlier generations of the family business. A practice focused exclusively on rare natural fancy color diamonds, exceptional Type II stones, and the discerning collectors who seek them.

Houston, Texas

Today, Brian works from Houston, Texas — an unlikely center for the world's finest diamonds, and the place where he has built his business. Known in the trade as "Brian the Cutter," he brings the same precision, integrity and generational knowledge to every acquisition — applying five generations of expertise to rare natural fancy color diamonds and Type II stones.

The same uncompromising standards. The same refusal to prioritize commerce over craft. The same conviction that extraordinary diamonds deserve extraordinary care in how they are selected, evaluated and presented to collectors.

Our Standards & Services

• Why RARE.DIAMONDS — Our philosophy, standards, and what sets us apart
• VIP Advisor Services — Advisory, custom sourcing and collection guidance
• Authentication & Appraisal — Verification, valuation and scientific testing
• Press & Recognition — Industry coverage, speaking and endorsements

Education

• Understanding Rare Diamonds — Complete education hub
• The Gavin Effect® Round Brilliant · Patented Emerald Cut · Patented Cushion H&A
• Blue · Pink · Yellow · Colorless Diamond Guides

All consultations are complimentary and without obligation.