Super Ideal comparison and milgrain differences - HPD vs BG

[BlingDreams]

For your viewing pleasure and edification, I present to you some photos and videos of my milgrain pieces by Brian Gavin and High Performance Diamonds. We often discuss "who makes the best super ideal/setting/milgrain/etc", so I'm throwing this out for you to decide which you prefer more. The earrings are by BG (my recut earrings that earned "signature cut" status) and are each .85ct D/E color. The pendant is by HPD (CBI diamond) and is .72ct G color. To take away bias of 2:1, I only used one earring.

Disclaimer: it's super hard to get a pendant to lay at the the same angle as an earring since there's no post to stabilize it. I came pretty close, but just take note of it as you look at things since the light won't be hitting the diamonds at the exact same angle. Also, we're full of clouds with the impending hurricane so I used my phone's flashlight to simulate sunshine

And lastly, a photo of how they look together on me

 

[GG MAMA]

Wowza! Both incredible. And both look amazing on you!

 

[lovedogs]

Love both, but I'm a sucker for more "pronounced" milgrain so I slightly prefer the earring. But it's clear both are very well done and gorgeous stones!!!

 

[imitcan]

I want both!! You are lucky to be able to wear these beauties. They look awesome on you.

 

[lilysweet]

Thanks for posting this! They both look beautiful on you. Do you have a preference for either stone or setting?

 

[luv2sparkle]

I can’t really see much of a difference to my eye, can you? I haven’t seen a HPD diamond in person, and maybe there is a difference that can be seen with the naked eye.

 

[BlingDreams]

Wowza! Both incredible. And both look amazing on you!

Thank you so much!

Love both, but I'm a sucker for more "pronounced" milgrain so I slightly prefer the earring. But it's clear both are very well done and gorgeous stones!!!

I agree. I prefer larger/more pronounced milgrain too. I didn't realize it until this comparison! That being said, I also like that the HPD setting adds a bit more width to the pendant and makes the 5.8mm diamond look equal size to the 6mm diamond.

I want both!! You are lucky to be able to wear these beauties. They look awesome on you.

Thank you . And I don't take for granted that I have these beauties. I know how fortunate I am that I've been able to acquire them and truly enjoy their sparkle every time I look in the mirror

Thanks for posting this! They both look beautiful on you. Do you have a preference for either stone or setting?

I'm glad you found it helpful! To me, after a lot of studying, all three diamonds look equivalent. They sparkle like CRAZY and put on a true display of fireworks. If they were in the same settings I don't think I could tell which was HPD and which was BG. I also can't see any tint in the G-color diamond (which is great news for my wallet when I want more - ha!), and I'm very color sensitive; caveat though that I might say differently if it was fully exposed vs bezeled. For the settings, I think they both are constructed with equally high quality. Going through this process has taught me that I prefer larger/deeper milgrain but I'm sure HPD could have executed that if I had requested it. As is, these pieces are SO delicate that the difference is almost unnoticeable unless under a macro lense (like my photos are).

 

[BlingDreams]

I can’t really see much of a difference to my eye, can you? I haven’t seen a HPD diamond in person, and maybe there is a difference that can be seen with the naked eye.

Nope. I just replied to Lilysweet saying the same thing. To my eyes, they are equally incredibly cut.

 

[whitewave]

Thank you so much!



I agree. I prefer larger/more pronounced milgrain too. I didn't realize it until this comparison! That being said, I also like that the HPD setting adds a bit more width to the pendant and makes the 5.8mm diamond look equal size to the 6mm diamond.



Thank you . And I don't take for granted that I have these beauties. I know how fortunate I am that I've been able to acquire them and truly enjoy their sparkle every time I look in the mirror



I'm glad you found it helpful! To me, after a lot of studying, all three diamonds look equivalent. They sparkle like CRAZY and put on a true display of fireworks. If they were in the same settings I don't think I could tell which was HPD and which was BG. I also can't see any tint in the G-color diamond (which is great news for my wallet when I want more - ha!), and I'm very color sensitive; caveat though that I might say differently if it was fully exposed vs bezeled. For the settings, I think they both are constructed with equally high quality. Going through this process has taught me that I prefer larger/deeper milgrain but I'm sure HPD could have executed that if I had requested it. As is, these pieces are SO delicate that the difference is almost unnoticeable unless under a macro lense (like my photos are).

My CBI g is in a 6 prong setting and it’s white. Now it’s small but I don’t think it would change in a larger stone. I think CBI G is safe for tint sensitive people.

 

[LightBright]

Thank you for this comparison, ILikeShiny. The two diamonds look very similar to me. As a very happy owner of a CBI I’ve wondered about the similarity of these two types of superideal cuts. In the process of searching for a diamond with the criteria I want, knowing that I can select from either company is great. I know that’s what experienced PSers say, anyway.

My specific question regards the scintillation factor of your CBI. My CBI has a really special quality of flashing extremely bright light from internal facets in all kinds of light. It’s something I haven’t seen before in any other cut (but I’ve never seen an “A Cut Above”). In some light, it darkens but flashes bright light from random facets like a sparkler. I’m just wondering if the ACA does the same. From your video, it looks like light performance is similar. I love my CBI for this unexpected quality.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Nope. I just replied to Lilysweet saying the same thing. To my eyes, they are equally incredibly cut.

I did have a Whiteflash stone prior to my BGD, and I could tell a diffence between the stone. With the Whiteflash stone, I could always view the arrows. I could get good photos of them with a little camera. My BGD stone, I can’t view them as easily and have a hard time getting a good photo. The BGD stone is about a carat larger, and it sparkles like crazy. I don’t let it bother me anymore, like it did at first because I do love the stone. They just have slightly different specs, I believe.

 

[Tekate]

Interestingly I could not tell any difference in color. As to bling they both rock! both are totally gorgeous.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Both are beautiful - enjoy all your new sparklies!!

 

[kindred]

Thanks for sharing the photos and videos. They look equally beautifully cut. I like the definition on the BG bezel better, but I'm not sure how noticeable the difference would be in person. In any case, it looks like a perfect 3 piece set!

 

[marcy]

They are both gorgeous.

 

[iluvshinythings]

Thanks for sharing the pics. I love how they look on you!

I slightly prefer the more defined milgrain from BGD, but they both look fabulous and I probably couldn't tell a difference IRL.

 

[missy]

The earrings and pendant are gorgeous on you @ILikeShiny Sparklicious! You wear them well!
Thanks for the comparison pics and video.

 

[tkyasx78]

Looks Gorgeous!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

What a beautiful set! Both diamonds are gorgeous, as super ideal cuts generally are! It’s great that the bezel on the pendant equalized the size appearance with the studs. It almost makes me wish I had bezeled my ACAs!

 

[mrs-b]

What a beautiful set! Both diamonds are gorgeous, as super ideal cuts generally are! It’s great that the bezel on the pendant equalized the size appearance with the studs. It almost makes me wish I had bezeled my ACAs!

I reeeeeally wanted you to do that when you got your gorgeous new earrings. Bezeled earrings have such great presence!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I reeeeeally wanted you to do that when you got your gorgeous new earrings. Bezeled earrings have such great presence!

They do! Sounds like I need another pair of diamonds?!

 

[Katya DXB]

Thank you so much for posting this! I love seeing how top quality diamonds compare in real life. Can't notice any difference in sparkle, they both are drop dead gorgeous!! I think I can see a very, very slight tint in CBI in the first video (was it indoors?) side by side with BG. Not under the spotlight though! I absolutely love the settings, too. They both look so beautiful on you!