Brilliant Earth Ideal Vs. Super Ideal | What Other Reviewers Won't Tell You?

The jewelry market of today is a highly competitive one, and it is not very common to see relatively new brands make it to the top. However, Brilliant Earth has been a noteworthy exception in this case and has been successful in gathering a huge following of loyal customers who swear by the brand’s ethically sourced, modern styled jewelry and gemstones.

Brilliant Earth offers an astonishingly huge variety of diamonds to their customers. Two of their most talked about collections are the Ideal and Super Ideal cut diamonds. If you are searching for an engagement ring in particular, you are very likely to have stumbled upon these two.

Here is a comprehensive comparison of the Brilliant Earth’s Ideal and Super Ideal diamonds, as choosing the better one can be difficult for the layperson and even some enthusiasts.

Table of Contents

Cut and Technical Specifications

The prime difference between the Ideal and Super ideal collections of Brilliant Earth is their cut. It is, in fact, the most definitive feature upon which the categorization of these diamonds is based.

Brilliant Earth Ideal Cut

The Ideal Cut diamonds of Brilliant Earth display great symmetry between the facets when viewed closely. The dimensions of these diamonds i.e, height, width and table length are nearly perfectly proportioned, which allows them to exhibit superb light reflection. Furthermore, the polishing of Ideal cuts is also done with particular regard to these measurements, so that they are not altered or affected in the process.

In simple words, this means that Ideal cuts have near to ideal dimensions that contribute to their fire, scintillation and brilliance. For this reason, they sit on the top of the GIA and AGS cut grading scales.

Brilliant Earth Super Ideal Cut

As the name indicates, the Super Ideal diamonds are one step ahead of the Ideal cut diamonds with respect to their cut. These are a rare subset of the Ideal cuts that display even better and almost perfect internal symmetry and precision.

While Ideal cuts may have some discrepancies that account for some degree of light leakage and incomplete reflection, Super Ideal diamonds do not. This results in total reflection of the light falling on them, thus making them exceptionally sparkly and lustrous.

For a diamond to qualify as Super Ideal, it needs to fulfill a strict criteria with certain measurements having narrow ranges. These are mentioned below for your guidance.

Proportion	Recommended Measurement
Table Size	54.0% to 57.0%
Depth	61.0% to 62.5%
Crown Angle	34.0° – 35.0°
Pavilion Angle	40.6° – 41.0°
Lower Girdles	75% to 80%
Star Facets	50% to 55%
Girdle Thickness	Thin to Medium

Appearance and Aesthetics

Brilliant Earth Ideal Cut

The Ideal cut diamonds of Brilliant Earth are among the best in their inventory in terms of aesthetics and appearance. As mentioned before, they have an excellent symmetry and polish which allows them to sit magnificently in the jewelry and makes them particularly pleasant to look at.

However, most importantly, this symmetry and precision allows them to reflect most of the light that falls over these diamonds. This makes them sparkle across the room and turn heads.

Brilliant Earth offers Ideal Cut diamonds in ten unique shapes, including round, princess, cushion and oval to name a few.

Brilliant Earth Super Ideal Cut

Owing to their perfect natural internal symmetry and precise dimensions, Super Ideal diamonds exhibit almost total reflection of light, which is as good as it gets. This means that they have the most superior shine and brilliance that you can get in the market.

It is, therefore, not surprising that they beat all other diamonds in terms of appearance. Some, but not all, of Super Ideal diamonds also display the esteemed heart and arrow pattern. In these diamonds, you can see eight arrows from above and eight hearts from below, making them especially popular.

The Super Ideal diamonds are also available in almost all the shapes as the Ideal cuts.

Although Super Ideal diamonds are known for their distinctive and superior shine, it is pertinent to mention that some good quality Ideal cuts have very similar appearance to these. In fact, sometimes they are indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Quality, Color And Clarity

Brilliant Earth Ideal Cut

Brilliant Earth has earned a stellar reputation for their top quality products, and the Ideal cut diamonds are no exception. These diamonds are extracted in an ethically sound and standard manner, and then cut and polished using the greatest skill.

The Ideal cuts are available in wide ranges of both color and clarity. They are available from D to J on the color grading scale, and between SI2 and IF on the clarity scale. This provides the customer with a huge variety to pick from, based on their budget and preference.

The color and clarity scales are attached below for your reference.

Brilliant Earth Super Ideal Cut

The Super Ideal diamonds excel in quality and are perhaps the highest quality diamonds that you are likely to find. This is mostly due to their premium cut, polish and handling.

Super Ideal diamonds are also available in a wide range of color and clarity grades. On the color scale, they lie between D and J. Meanwhile on the clarity scale, they lie between SI2 and IF. It is important to note that these are among the top most grades on the respective scales, which means that you get the best color and clarity with Super Ideal diamonds.

Price And Value For Money

Brilliant Earth Ideal Cut

Ideal cuts are among the top tier, excellent quality diamonds that Brilliant Earth offers. Naturally, they retail for a higher price than most other collections from the brand. However, they do fall lower on the price list when compared to the Super Ideal diamonds.

This 1.00 Carat round diamond, for instance, has top notch grades i.e, D in color and IF clarity, and costs $10,640. This is significantly lower than a Super Ideal diamond with virtually the same appearance and specifications.

You can get an Ideal cut for as low as $1490, if you are comfortable with a lower grade of color and clarity, such as this one. Most of the Ideal cuts with a higher grade of these, however, cost more than $10,000.

Brilliant Earth Super Ideal Cut

Due to their supreme cut and rarity, Super Ideal diamonds are much more expensive than Ideal cuts and retail for about 20 to 40% higher costs.

This can easily be seen by the fact that this 1.00 Carat round Super Ideal, with the same specifications as the Ideal cut diamond mentioned above i.e, D color and IF clarity, is priced at $20,600. This is almost twice the cost for a diamond that is apparently the same with no noticeable difference for the naked eye.

Even with a lower grade of color and clarity, you are unlikely to find a Super Ideal diamond for less than $3000. Thus, they are arguably one of the most extravagant investments that you can make.

Conclusion

From the discussion so far, it can be concluded that both Ideal cuts and the Super Ideal cut diamonds from Brilliant Earth are amazing with respect to most of the parameters that matter.

Although the Super Ideal diamonds are superior in their cut and appearance, they are not necessarily always that much better. It is quite possible for you to find a similar diamond which is an Ideal Cut, thus providing you with the same brilliance and quality without costing an arm and a leg.

In the end, however, this is a personal choice and largely depends on the customer’s preference and budget. Speaking of value for money, you might have once wondered Is Brilliant Earth Overpriced? Is it A Rip-off?