What are Melee Diamonds?
Melee diamonds are small diamonds used in diamond jewellery to accentuate a larger stone or give extra sparkle and brilliance to the entire piece. Jewellery retailers usually refer to melee diamonds in a finished piece of jewellery as 'accent diamonds' because their principal use is to accentuate the characteristics of larger diamonds or the whole item.
Melee Diamond Sizes
Melee refers to diamonds used in jewellery that are sized from around 0.07 to 0.16 carats. Smaller sizes are available but are unlikely to be used in fine diamond jewellery.
A 0.07 carat diamond measures approximately 1.17mm across with 143 diamonds per carat.
A 0.15 carat diamond measures approximately 3.5mm across with 6 diamonds per carat.
What Does Melee Mean?
The word melee has a French origin meaning 'mixed'. Melee diamonds used to be sold as a mixture of sizes and colures that were then sorted into sizes before manufacture. These days, melee diamonds are usually sold in batches of similar size and quality.
Consumers often call melee diamonds' diamond chips,' which is inaccurate as each melee diamond has been cut and polished as if it were a larger gem. They are not mere chips of diamond!
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The classically romantic heart shape, made with ethically sourced, sparkling diamonds then framed with a diamond halo and set in striking 18k white gold for an eye-catching sparkle and shine. Our UK craftsmen have pride and confidence that this will… read more
Are Melee Diamonds Genuine Diamonds?
Some people think that these tiny diamonds are not real, that they are crystal or some other simulant. Indeed, at All Diamond, they are real. In almost all cases across the jewellery industry, they are genuine diamonds. Confusion sometimes arises because it is impossible to provide grading reports detailing all the stones' characteristics as we do with larger diamonds due to their small size.
We use melee diamonds that match our central diamonds in terms of their colour and clarity to ensure that each diamond, large or small, matches all the others for a perfect appearance. If the diamonds were not genuine, it would be hard to get consistency between the melee and centre stones.
Types of Melee Diamonds
All melee diamonds are cut, faceted, and polished. There are just two types of cut used in melee, single and full cut. A single cut diamond has 16 facets, and a full cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets. It is cut to look like round brilliant diamonds giving much more sparkle than less expensive single cut diamonds.
The higher quality full cut melee diamonds account for more than 99% of all melees used to make jewellery.
How to Choose Melee Diamonds
Obviously, when buying diamond jewellery, the melee/accent diamonds will have been selected by the manufacture of the jewellery. The artisans making your jewellery will be careful to choose accent diamonds that are a close match to the larger central diamonds in terms of brilliance and colour. The melee diamonds should also be a good match for each other. When you receive your new jewellery, this is a point that you can check for yourself. Still, it should not be an issue in well-made diamond jewellery of the type that we at All Diamond design and sell.
Popular Engagement Ring Settings with Melee Diamonds
Melee diamonds can be used in almost all types of diamond jewellery. However, in engagement rings and most other types of diamond jewellery that All Diamond sells, there are three main ways that accent diamonds are used to bring out their full potential and enhance the appearance of our designs.
Pave Settings
A pavé setting is a style where many melee diamonds are set closely together with minimal spacing between them. The melees are held in place by tiny precious metal beads. Very often seen on the sides of engagement rings. The purpose is to make the whole ring appear to sparkle with a row of glittering diamonds.
Halo Settings
A halo is an arrangement of melee diamonds around a larger centre diamond. This has the effect of making the centre stone look larger than it really is without the cost of a larger diamond.
A halo setting can enhance the beauty of the ring. The smaller stones add to the brilliance and sparkle of the ring. When done well, the effect is beautiful in its own right and is not necessarily done as a compromise on price!
Three Stone (or sometimes more) Settings
In this style, there are three diamonds, a central stone more prominent than the others and one or more smaller diamonds on either side. Sometimes the diamonds used are larger than melee size. The look of a three stone ring is clean, beautiful and can be impressive with good design and good quality stones.
How To Take Care Of Melee Diamonds
In general, looking after melee diamonds is the same as caring for larger diamonds; however, there are several points to be aware of.
1) Because they are so small, melee diamonds have more nooks and crannies that can hold dirt and grime. Gentle cleaning with a weak solution of dishwashing liquid and warm water, with a gentle rub from a soft brush, is the best way to clean the melee. We do not recommend using ultrasonic cleaners as the vibrations can loosen the tiny stones from their settings.
2) Over time, these tiny diamonds can work loose. A jeweller's regular checks and maintenance will usually catch such issues before a loose setting causes the diamond to be lost.
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Melee Diamonds At All Diamond
Now that you know the answer to the question 'what are melee diamonds?' we can tell you that we love them because they can enhance the appearance of fine diamond jewellery at a very reasonable cost. Melee diamonds make small diamonds look larger, have more sparkle and make the entire piece of jewellery look more brilliant and beautiful.
We love melee diamonds so much that some of our designs are made entirely from them!
Please look at the examples of the different ways we use accent diamonds in the pictures above. Perhaps take a moment to check out our collections of diamond jewellery to see designs using melee. We might inspire you with ideas for the next time you buy diamond jewellery for yourself or a loved one!
