Blue Nile Ideal Cut Vs. Astor Ideal Cut

Blue Nile offers an exclusive line of diamonds known as Astor Ideal, a collection that can be challenging for the average person to distinguish from the more common Ideal Cut diamonds.

Moving forward, we’ll explore the nuances in the cut precision, price differences, and other factors that can help you understand these two diamond varieties and make an informed choice.

So let’s dig into the details!

What is the Blue Nile Ideal Cut?

Blue Nile offers a vast selection of ideal cut diamonds that are highly valuable and sought after for their beauty and sparkle. The specific cut proportions and angles of a diamond is what makes it an ‘Ideal Cut’ diamond.

The criteria for ideal cut diamonds is quite stringent at reputable diamond grading labs, which is why, only 3% of the world’s diamonds meet the requirements of an ‘Ideal’ cut grade.

What is the Blue Nile Astor Ideal?

While each ideal cut diamond at Blue Nile may have slight variations in proportions, symmetry, facets, finishing details, and light reflection, Astor Ideal is a selection of super ideal cut diamonds that are cut very specifically to maximize brilliance. 

Due to an exceptionally strict criteria for symmetry, only 1 out of 1000 diamonds earn the ‘Astor Ideal’ status at Blue Nile. These diamonds reflect the most light possible, excelling in brilliance, fire, and scintillation.

Blue Nile Ideal Cut Vs. Astor Ideal Price and Value

Astor Ideal diamonds are ridiculously expensive in contrast to Ideal Cut diamonds at Blue Nile. The notable price disparity makes one wonder if paying the premium for Astor Ideal diamonds is actually worth it. 

If you’re in the same boat, the following price comparison between diamonds from the two high end collections vis-à-vis their specifications may turn out to be a true eye-opener for you.

A 1ct. G color, VVS2 ideal cut diamond by Blue Nile costs $5170 whereas an Astor Ideal diamond with exactly the same specifications is priced at $11,280. 

The price gap seems unfair given similarity in the features of both the diamonds. Upon taking a closer look, we found what the proportions of each diamond look like:

Now as per diamond experts, an ideal cut diamond has the following proportions:

  • Depth Percentage: 59 to 62.6%
  • Table Percentage: 54 to 57%
  • Girdle Thickness: Thin to Slightly Thick
  • Culet: None to Pointed
  • L/W Ratio: 1.0 to 1.03

As is evident from the image above, the Astor Ideal diamond mentioned above doesn’t fully meet this experts’ criteria of a perfect ideal cut diamond despite being twice the price of the Ideal Cut diamond in comparison. On the other hand, the Ideal Cut diamond misses the requirements with a close margin too only. 

With these facts in view, it is hard to justify the price gap between Ideal Cut and Astor Ideal diamonds. However, it is important to mention that Astor Ideal is a premium collection by Blue Nile and it sure has its perks, with one of them being the surety of getting diamonds with a light performance par excellence. 

With the Ideal Cut collection, you don’t get this guarantee and you’ll rather have to do comprehensive research to find diamonds, like the one above, that deliver the best light performance.

With that said, Astor Ideal is a signature line by Blue Nile and comes at premium prices that may not make sense to everyone.

Ideal Cut vs. Astor Ideal Cut: The Key Differences

While the differences between Ideal and Astor Ideal diamond collections aren’t many, a few factors make them stand out from each other. 

Light Performance

As per the claims made by Blue Nile, Astor Ideal diamonds are carefully designed to minimize light leakage and exhibit greater fire, scintillation, and brilliance as compared to Ideal Cut diamonds.

While the light performance reports of Astor Ideal diamonds support these claims, Ideal Cut diamonds lack such reports for a direct comparison. 

Now here’s the fun part – Both Ideal and Astor Ideal diamonds have a remarkable similarity in their symmetry and proportions, as confirmed by GIA and AGS reports. And because the proportions are so alike, there’s a good chance you can come across an Ideal cut diamond that can go toe-to-toe with an Astor in the light performance department. 

In simpler words, Blue Nile seems to be playing up the “unrivaled light performance” angle to make the Astors sound like a big deal, when in reality, there are definitely other Ideal Cut diamonds out there that shine just as bright. 

Diamond Shapes

While Blue Nile Ideal Cut diamonds are available in most shapes, such as emerald, pear, and round, Astor Ideal diamonds are limited to a few shapes only. Round brilliant, princess, and cushion cuts are the only shapes available in Astor diamonds.

This is particularly important because the exceptionally precise symmetry required for Astor diamonds is hard to achieve in other diamond shapes.

Cut Precision

While Ideal cut diamonds meet the industry standards for ideal proportions and symmetry, it is not uncommon for these diamonds to have variations within each other. 

In simpler words, the cut precision criteria for diamonds in the Ideal collection is not as stringent as it is for Astor Ideal diamonds. Astor by Blue Nile is an exclusive collection of super ideal diamonds cut very precisely to minimize light leakage for unrivaled sparkle and brilliance in the diamonds.

Nonetheless, these claims lack evidence since the term super ideal or “Astor” ideal is not officially recognised by either AGS or GIA. On paper, both Ideal and Astor Ideal diamonds receive an ‘Ideal’ or ‘Excellent’ cut grade. 

Inventory/Selection

Since Astor Ideal diamonds are one of the rarest diamond types, this collection offers a smaller range of options as compared to the Ideal Cut diamonds category at Blue Nile.

For instance, when we refined our search to 1ct. G color, VVS1 and VVS2 diamonds, we found 220 Ideal Cut diamonds and only 1 Astor Ideal diamond with these specifications. 

Price

Being a premium selection of diamonds, Astor by Blue Nile is priced higher than the Ideal Cut diamond range. From a general analysis, it becomes evident that most Astor diamonds are nearly double the price of an Ideal cut diamond. 

Fairly speaking, the most noticeable aspect for an average person is likely the substantial price difference. The distinguished brilliance and sparkle of the Astors, although significant to experts, may go largely unnoticed by a naked, untrained eye. 

Is Astor by Blue Nile Worth It?

Whether Astor by Blue Nile is worth it is a subjective decision, truly. It is possible to find a diamond in the Ideal Cut collection that exhibits the same amount of brilliance and sparkle as that of an Astor Ideal diamond. But of course, you’ll have to do thorough research and ‘find’ that perfect stone from a pool of diamonds. 

For your convenience, I’ve selected these three Ideal Cut diamonds that perform at least as good as an Astor Ideal, in different price ranges. All three of them have the above-mentioned ideal proportions:

Contrary to that, when you’re shopping from the Astor collection, a superior light performance is guaranteed. So if you’re seeking the highest cut quality and budget is not a problem, Astor by Blue Nile is a worthwhile choice.

Final Verdict 

Ideal and Astor Ideal diamonds both are exceptional in terms of cut quality, and light performance thereof. Even the most reputable diamond grading labs, AGS and GIA, do not make a specific distinction for Astor Ideal diamonds, but rather grade them as ‘Ideal or Excellent Cut’ diamonds at best.

So ultimately, the choice between the two comes down to your preferences, your budget, and your priorities for the purchase. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, ideal cut diamonds are just as good of a choice as Astor Ideals; you simply need to invest a little more effort in researching and selecting the right diamond.

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