Please show me your Crafted by Infinity diamond....

[Lula]

duplicate post

 

[Lula]

A photo showing the inclusions in my diamond (taken on a sunny day with the face of my diamond facing away from the window). If you're going to live with an SI2 or I1 diamond, you need to be comfortable with the fact that the inclusions are "there" even if you can't see them under most lighting conditions, and even if others can't see them. They are "there" and are part of your diamond's personality!

 

[Andelain]

Hi, Andlain -- I'll be interested to hear your impressions of that I1. Wink's video will help. He's got a critical eye, so he'll be straight with you. My guess is the inclusion is in the middle will blend in with the sparkle and contrast in the center of the stone. Depending on your eyesight, you *may* be able to pick it out with your eyes once you orient the stone with the clarity plot and know where to look. I think the fact that the stone is under a carat helps, too. A larger carat weight, like the 1.28 I1 I was considering (see post above) is trickier.

I, too, am starting to like higher color in diamonds! I love the whitening effect that SB fluoro gives to a stone! I'm keeping my eyes open for a @ 1 carat G or higher stone with Medium or SB fluro for a future upgrade (don't want to change my setting).

Good luck!!!
If you end up with the CBI, you'll of course be expected to do the brand comparison LALove is asking about in the post above mine!!

Hi Portree! I hope you're right about the big center inclusion blending in with the sparkle. It's so big that I'm kind of concerned that it won't. If the stone wasn't an 'F' or higher and EXACTLY the size I want for a future project I wouldn't even consider it. You're right about the larger sizes making it harder to be eye-clean. Once again I wouldn't even consider it over about 1.0-1.1 carat.

I'm real bad about color, and made myself even worse by putting a 'D' in the ring I wear every day. Now even 'F's" are borderline to me. Would you believe I bought a pair of BGD studs that are .34 ct each 'G's' and I hardly wear then becase they're too tinted?
Geez! I think I need to put my ring up for a while and wear my 2 ct 'J' for a while. If you get a stone with floro it would be stunning with those purple sapph's.

I already owe Dreamer and a few others an Eightstar/WF ACA/BGD/JA Truehearts comparison, might as well add a CBI to the mix.

 

[Lula]

Hi, Andlain -- I'll be interested to hear your impressions of that I1. Wink's video will help. He's got a critical eye, so he'll be straight with you. My guess is the inclusion is in the middle will blend in with the sparkle and contrast in the center of the stone. Depending on your eyesight, you *may* be able to pick it out with your eyes once you orient the stone with the clarity plot and know where to look. I think the fact that the stone is under a carat helps, too. A larger carat weight, like the 1.28 I1 I was considering (see post above) is trickier.

I, too, am starting to like higher color in diamonds! I love the whitening effect that SB fluoro gives to a stone! I'm keeping my eyes open for a @ 1 carat G or higher stone with Medium or SB fluro for a future upgrade (don't want to change my setting).

Good luck!!!
If you end up with the CBI, you'll of course be expected to do the brand comparison LALove is asking about in the post above mine!!

Hi Portree! I hope you're right about the big center inclusion blending in with the sparkle. It's so big that I'm kind of concerned that it won't. If the stone wasn't an 'F' or higher and EXACTLY the size I want for a future project I wouldn't even consider it. You're right about the larger sizes making it harder to be eye-clean. Once again I wouldn't even consider it over about 1.0-1.1 carat.

I'm real bad about color, and made myself even worse by putting a 'D' in the ring I wear every day. Now even 'F's" are borderline to me. Would you believe I bought a pair of BGD studs that are .34 ct each 'G's' and I hardly wear then becase they're too tinted?
Geez! I think I need to put my ring up for a while and wear my 2 ct 'J' for a while. If you get a stone with floro it would be stunning with those purple sapph's.

I already owe Dreamer and a few others an Eightstar/WF ACA/BGD/JA Truehearts comparison, might as well add a CBI to the mix.

Oh, yes, you've definitely got to do an Eightstar/WF ACA/BGD/JA Truehearts/CBI showdown if you get the F I1.

I just checked out the link to the stone you're considering. Yeah, it's got a large crystal in the center, but if you look at the IS/Stars photos, you can see that the crystal is positioned at the base of one or two of the arrows. So I think that will make it tougher to pick out with your eye, but you'll be able to see it clearly with an H&A scope, loupe, etc. I know it seems odd, but inclusions in the center of the diamond are often harder to spot than inclusions along the edges. Wink told me that, and I didn't really believe it, but, in my own stone (see silhouette photo above) this is definitely true -- I can't see the crystals that I know are there in the center of the stone, but I can see them on the tips of the arrows at the edge of the stone. I guess that's just the way diamond optics work. From the side, I don't know what you'll see in that stone -- but how are you going to set it? The sides of my stone are not visible to me at all in this setting.

And about color -- I can definitely understand how wearing a nice-sized D color stone every day could "train" your eyes to see color in any stone lower in color.

My current I color stone has SB fluoro and in some lights, I can definitely see the whitening effects of the fluoro, which makes me think, hmmm....I like this whiteness; maybe my next CBI should be a higher color. And I'd to see a D-E-F stone with fluro. Yummy! I can't explain it, but the fluoro seems to intensify the prism effect of the colored flash coming from the stone. Could just be my imagination, though, since I don't have enough stones with fluoro to do a scientific study -- ha-ha.

 

[LALove]

rubyprincess, I'm not sure if you've made your decision yet, but I did find the link to my I color, I1 clarity Infinity that I said I'd post for you, so you could see its inclusion plot:
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=401

Portree your diamond and setting are spectacular!! I really can't believe it's an I1! I'd have NO problem rocking that ring no matter what the paper said! Crafted by Infinity diamonds look really gorgeous but what's the difference between those stones and BGD signature and ACAs?

Thank you, LALove! I haven't seen a BGD or ACA diamond next to a Crafted by Infinity diamond, so I can't say for sure what the differences in appearances are. They are all top-of-the-line cuts, though, and they are all what I call "broad-spectrum performers" cut to look great in all lighting conditions, so my guess is there are more similarities between them than differences in the way they look.

I have, however, owned three CBI stones, and last year when I was at Dimend Sccasi in Chicago, I saw a large number of CBI stones in varying sizes, and I can say that CBI stones have a remarkably consistent "look" to them. I don't have the technical terms for it, but to my eye, the nature of the sparkle is very crisp, a sharp on/off effect (contrast?) that is very noticeable in flat lighting, like an office. This makes them look very 3-dimensional. Other diamonds look flat by comparison.

The major difference between CBI and other top-of-the-line brands, and the reason I chose to purchase my diamond from CBI, is that CBI is a small, boutique cutting house, rather than a mass production house. This means Paul Slegers, the owner, and his business partner, Lieve Peters, have much more control over the cutting of each CBI diamond -- from selection of the rough to finished cut diamond -- than do the other brands, whose stones are cut by larger factories. I believe the control CBI has over their diamond cutting process allows them to take more "risks" with color and clarity and fluorescence than other brands. Most brands* "screen out" stones with flouro, lower clarity stones, and lower color stones because they are not cutting their own stones; they are selecting their stones from mass production cutting houses, and they need to make "safe" choices.

In contrast, Paul and Lieve are literally on site as each CBI stone is cut, and are able to assess the visual performance of each stone as it is cut -- again, more control along each step of the diamond cutting and polishing process. So they know each stone very, very well before it ever hits the market. Again, this is what swayed me toward CBI when I was looking for a diamond 18 months ago (I considered WF and GOG and JA -- I don't believe BGD was in business at that time).

A super-ideal, I color, I1 clarity (eye clean to me), 1 carat diamond with strong blue fluorescence is a very rare thing! CBI offers more choice and a wider range of color-clarity-price combinations in a super ideal cut.

To me, the I1 grade is really just the AGS paper grade and has nothing to do with how the stone performs in real life. I know this because I know that Paul and Lieve have shepherded my 1I through a multi-step process, and viewed it from all angles with a critical eye, so if it passes their standards, that's good enough for me! But if I was buying a super-ideal cut, 1I clarity stone, sight unseen, from another cutting house, I would not be as confident that I would like what I see! Quality control is everything.

*GOG is the only other vendor I can think of that offers lower color, lower clarity stones, and stones with fluoro. And I'd trust Jonathan's opinions of stones in his inventory (the ones with the GOG lifetime guarantee).

Thanks for the info- that's great to know about them (CBI)! I didn't know that. I did notice that they offer many ideal stones in the lower colors and clarity than I see any place else, which is awesome because it makes getting a killer stone at a relatively affordable price possible. It's funny how my perception of beauty in a diamond has changed so drastically from before PS. I used to think any stone in a lower color was "ugly" but I realize now that the stones I was basing that opinion on have been poorly cut. Now I've come to appreciate a well cut stone for what it is: a beautiful little piece of art - color, inclusions and all!

 

[OoohShiny]

With thanks to cflutist for reminding this thread was here I am necrobumping this thread because it deserves to be added to!

Fortunately I am able to do so myself so I point you to my thread over in Rockytalk that has lots of pics of the loose stone and also set stone (on Page 3 or so)
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/crafted-by-infinity-0-67ct-f-vvs2.202616/page-4']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/crafted-by-infinity-0-67ct-f-vvs2.202616/page-4[/URL]

Let's see some more!

 

[cflutist]

My Cut to Order 2.21 ct. F-SI1 CBI Diamond in a Vatche Serenity setting is discussed here:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-21-ct-f-si1-cto-crafted-by-infinity-in-a-vatche-serenity.208630/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-21-ct-f-si1-cto-crafted-by-infinity-in-a-vatche-serenity.208630/[/URL]

Here is a picture taken in natural daylight from our dining room:



Here are two pictures of the dispersion aka "fire" that this diamond puts out:





Here is a profile view (makes the pavilion accessible and easy to clean):

 

[egemnoel]

Thanks to CBI team, Wink, Todd and Vincent they found us this beauty!






Playing with the 'toys' Wink sent me.

 

[OoohShiny]

Thanks to CBI team, Wink, Todd and Vincent they found us this beauty!






Playing with the 'toys' Wink sent me.

Nice specs on that stone!
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/crafted-by-infinity-wink-hpd-leon-mege-why.212187/#p3861158']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/crafted-by-infinity-wink-hpd-leon-mege-why.212187/#p3861158[/URL]

I bought an F VVS2 for the other half and am very happy also, I'm glad I spent a little more for a CBI cut!

 

[cflutist]

OoohShiny and egemnoel:

You two don't mess around, do you.
The best of the best: High color and clarity, and of course the precision cutting of a CBI diamond.
Outstanding choices for both of you.

Congrats

 

[OoohShiny]

OoohShiny and egemnoel:

You two don't mess around, do you.
The best of the best: High color and clarity, and of course the precision cutting of a CBI diamond.
Outstanding choices for both of you.

Congrats

Very kind of you to say so!

I was very fortunate in that budget, CBI stone availability and my lady's size expectations coincided to let me get the perfect ring for her!

I would definitely recommend CBI stones (and Wink's services!) if you are considering them, I can lose hours just staring at the rainbow of colours

 

[cflutist]

OoohShiny and egemnoel:

You two don't mess around, do you.
The best of the best: High color and clarity, and of course the precision cutting of a CBI diamond.
Outstanding choices for both of you.

Congrats

Very kind of you to say so!

I was very fortunate in that budget, CBI stone availability and my lady's size expectations coincided to let me get the perfect ring for her!

I would definitely recommend CBI stones (and Wink's services!) if you are considering them, I can lose hours just staring at the rainbow of colours

Same here, I love looking at the dispersion that my CBI diamond produces. It just amazes me on how it performs in different lighting conditions. Here is a picture that dear hubby took showing rainbow colors aka dispersion aka "fire".

I have known and worked with Wink since 2004 and highly recommend him as well.

 

[CalicoKitteh]

CFlutist,

your ring is amazing!!!


-CK

 

[egemnoel]

The penny has just dropped, cflutist it was your cut to order Paul did mention about a 2CT F, that was cut to perfection. What a stunning ring and diamond. Also what a lovely bunch of people to work with. How many people can actually say that have had a diamond cut from rough to their specification!

 

[bigongit]

Here is my 1.08 J VVS2

 

[egemnoel]

2.16 G VS2

 

[Dancing Fire]

My friend's CBI..
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/showing-off-my-friends-1-23ct-g-si1-cbi-ring.229378/

 

[marcy]

Here is my f si1 .76 carat CBI pendant. I am loving it.

 

[junebug17]

So beautiful Marcy!!! Love it, gorgeous diamond and the setting showcases it so well!

 

[marcy]

Thank you Junebug!

 

[whitewave]

Here is mine!! It should be here soon

.56 G SI2

 

[cflutist]

@Lula
Can you please post your new gorgeous CBI ring here?
@whitewave
Please add your beautiful CBI ring too.
@partgypsy
Don't you have a new CBI diamond as well?
@Drizzle
You have videos of your beautiful CBI diamond as well.

 

[whitewave]

This one will eventually be a side stone in a 3 or 5 stone ring.

 

[Lula]

This is my right-hand ring, which commemorates a "big" birthday. 1.01 G VS2 Crafted by Infinity (CBI) diamond set in a platinum, custom-designed setting by High Performance Diamonds. Photo by Jamie of HPD.

I also own four .36 CBI diamonds, which are currently loose. I don't have any photos of all of them together, but I will work on that . They are slated for a five-stone band -- I need to get around to choosing and ordering the fifth stone for the suite.

 

[cflutist]

I guess I missed this while I was on a cruise. Just noticed it today.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/cflutist-custom-hpd-cbi-diamond-ring-jotw

 

[OoohShiny]

I guess I missed this while I was on a cruise. Just noticed it today.

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/cflutist-custom-hpd-cbi-diamond-ring-jotw

Awesome!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

@cflutist I am not seeing your gorgeous new addition on this thread! You must add pictures and a link to your thread!

 

[cflutist]

@cflutist I am not seeing your gorgeous new addition on this thread! You must add pictures and a link to your thread!

Here is my 2.79 F-VS1 CBI diamond set in a HPD custom "Symphonie" setting.





Here is the profile view:


I just love this photo showing the dispersion and fire in this diamond (taken by Jamie)



Here is the thread about the diamond itself:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...two-cbi-diamonds-that-weigh-5-003-cts.234373/

Here is the thread about the finished ring:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...nie-ring-with-2-793-f-vs1-cbi-diamond.234765/

Here is a video from Wink of the finished ring:

Here is a video of the ring at night in our bathroom under overhead LED lights:

Here are both of my CBI diamonds:
2.21 F-SI1 that was cut to order in 2014
2.79 F-VS1 purchased in 2017



A big thank you to the entire HPD/CBI team:

@Wink my personal jeweler and good friend since 2004
@Winks_Elf for working with me on the design and going through 3 CADs
@HPDJME for all of the glamour photos, they are all gorgeous
@John Pollard for his vast technical knowledge and friendship
@Paul-Antwerp for crafting such a gorgeous and exquisite diamond.

Back in 2014 after I took delivery of my cut to order 2.21 F-SI1 CBI diamond, Paul sent me an email:
Over time, you will get kind of used to certain aspects of your diamond. But beware, it has special powers. Regularly, you will receive remarks or compliments from complete strangers. I hope that you are ready for that. You will feel like walking down the street with a celebrity, on your finger this time.
More importantly, there will be instances where the diamond will suddenly grab your attention, showing off some light-show that you have never seen before. That is your CBI-family saying hello to you.
Those experiences make the difference between online-assessment and real-life, between CBI and others. I trust that you will cherish these.
Take care and enjoy.

Paul was certainly correct, I have been enjoying that CBI diamond for 3 years now. I love his diamonds so much that I bought a 2nd one.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Stop it Cheryl!...now I want a CBI RHR!...

 

[Stone Hunter]

This thread does a GREAT job of explaining the diamond cut, CBI. Love all of the stones shown. Has anyone gotten a matched pair and done earrings?