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Brian Gavin Canada
Everything to know about buying a diamond or engagement ring from Brian Gavin when you’re in Canada
Brian Gavin Diamonds is well-known for its extremely strict standards for Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Black diamonds.
While they do also offer a wide range of ‘virtual’ diamonds (ie. the stones are held by suppliers rather than in-house), it’s the signature stones where Brian Gavin really stands out.
Their website may be a little trickier to navigate than some, but if you’re after extremely high quality diamonds and are willing to overlook this, then you’ve come to the right place.
Read on to find out what more to expect when you buy a diamond or an engagement ring from Brian Gavin.
Import fees and taxes when importing an engagement ring from Brian Gavin to Canada
Brian Gavin does not include any import fees and taxes at check out, which means you’ll act as the importer and are responsible for paying all taxes.
Taxes for any diamond you buy online and have shipped to Canada will be collected by the courier company before delivery.
Thanks to the CUSMA free trade agreement between Canada, United States and Mexico, there’s no duty or import taxes charged on a ring or diamond bought from Brian Gavin.
The only tax you’ll have to pay are your usual Province Taxes, namely the Province Sales Tax (PST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Goods and Service Tax (GST), just as you would if you were buying a diamond ring within Canada.
These taxes vary from province to province – please see the table below to confirm the tax in your province.
| Province / Territory | Type | GST (%) | PST (%) | Total tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | GST | 5% | 0% | 5% |
| British Columbia | GST + PST | 5% | 7% | 12% |
| Manitoba | GST + PST | 5% | 8% | 13% |
| New Brunswick | HST | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | HST | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Northwest Territories | GST | 5% | 0% | 5% |
| Nova Scotia | HST | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Ninavut | GST | 5% | 0% | 5% |
| Ontario | HST | 5% | 8% | 13% |
| Prince Edward Island | HST | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Quebec | GST + PST | 5% | 9.975% | 14.975% |
| Saskatchewan | GST + PST | 5% | 6% | 11% |
| Yukon | GST | 5% | 0% | 5% |
We’ve carried out a simple exercise to show you how the taxes in different provinces works. Using a 1 carat diamond as an example, if you purchase an engagement ring from Brian Gavin that cost US$5,258.16 or CA$6,632.01 and want to buy it from Alberta you need to pay an additional CA$331.60 (5% GST).
That’s total of CA$6,963.61.
One thing to note is that the Brian Gavin website only displays American Dollars, so you’ll have to do all the currency conversions yourself.
Meanwhile if you order from New Brunswick with 15% HST it will add CA$994.80 to the diamond’s original price, bringing the total to CA$7,626.81
Your budget and what you are looking for might be different to the example used. To see how your budget will be affected by taxes it’s handy to use the Canadian Border Service’s tax calculator
Brian Gavin Canada Shipping
Apart from taxes, you also need to consider the shipping process from Brian Gavin to Canada – the cost, security and how long it will take.
How much does shipping cost?
Brian Gavin guarantees that shipping to Canada is free and insured via FedEx Priority.
How long does shipping from Brian Gavin to Canada take?
We contacted Brian Gavin chat support to know more about their shipping process.
They let us know that production times for diamond and engagement rings vary. When your order is ready, they will email you a shipping confirmation with a tracking number.
For engagement rings, the production lead time is typically 3-4 business weeks from receipt of payment.
Loose diamonds that are held in stock will be shipped within a few business days, while if the diamonds are held by an external supplier it can take up to 10 business days to ship.
Once your package is ready it is shipped fully insured via FedEx Priority to Canada.
How do Brian Gavin returns work in Canada?
Brian Gavin provide a 15 day period for every purchase to make sure you’re fully satisfied with your purchase. If for any reason you’re not 100% happy with the item, you can return it, but they’re quite strict with the returns process.
For example you’ll need to have the return postmarked no later than the 16th day after you received it. You can read more about it in their FAQs in the returns section.
Please note that bezel settings and custom rings that have hand engraving as part of their design are final sale and cannot be returned.
What if you need to get the ring resized?
Brian Gavin offers free resizing for one size up or down, while a small charge will apply for less than or more than one size adjustment.
Any shipping fees and insurance to and from Brian Gavin is the customers’ responsibility. It usually takes 5-7 business days to fully resize a ring depending on the capacity of the workshop at the time.
Do we recommend buying from Brian Gavin if you’re in Canada?
Brian Gavin is known for their extremely high quality, precisely cut diamonds and extensive collection of original and custom jewelry designs. They have customer-friendly services and a lifetime warranty.
Compared to buying locally, they can also offer significantly more value. The comparison below shows how much money you can save by choosing Brian Gavin Diamonds rather than a local Canadian jeweller.
We used the following specifications in comparing two loose diamonds:
- 1.00 carat
- H color
- VS2 clarity
- Excellent cut
- GIA certificate
The tax rate used is based on the 12% (GST +PST) in British Columbia.
A diamond with these specs from Canada Diamonds Inc. based in BC is priced at CA$9,587.25:
When BC’s GST and PST is added, the price totals CA$ 10,737.72:
A diamond with the same specs from Brian Gavin is priced at US$4,535.49, or CA$5720.52:
If we add the 15% GST and PST in British Columbia which is CA$686.46, its total cost will be CA$6,406.98.
That’s a huge difference of CA$4,330.74 compared to buying locally.
Buying a ring online from a US retailer might sound daunting but hopefully we’ve been able to put your mind at ease that the service and value more than compensate.
Check out Brian Gavin’s website for exceptional quality and great value diamonds.