Your diamond jewellery, especially your diamond engagement ring is one piece you admire the most. It probably has a halo and its band is possibly studded with small diamonds. You may have spent most part of your life calling them side diamonds. While you’re not wrong, here’s a better word for them – melee diamonds.

Beautifying solitaire jewellery with melee diamonds

If you wear lightweight solitaire jewellery regularly, you know that it does not need any further beautification. But did you know that melee diamonds do not necessarily add too much weight to your jewellery? You could always look for a piece with just enough side stones that won’t overpower the solitaire.

One can use melee diamonds in any way on jewellery. You can either wear something with only small stones or make them a part of a design with a bigger stone. The purpose of these diamonds is to adorn the jewel and add more glitter.

How are they different?

Since melee diamonds are small stones, it is not necessary that they won’t be cut properly. In fact, there are two ways in which they are cut. The first one is called a single cut. Though it is not in trend today, this cut was the only one used on melees before.

The second one is known as the full cut. This cut is currently in fashion and more than 90% of melees used today are full cut. The way they are cut is nearly similar to that of a round brilliant cut but only smaller in size. Thus they are obviously shinier and more brilliant than the single cut ones.

One can wear these diamonds separately without a centrepiece. A single gold chain could be studded with a line of these stones and still look great!

How expensive are they?

Melee diamonds weigh 0.15 carat or less. While buying diamond jewellery, no one really chooses the ornament for the melees individually. It is the centre stone that grabs attention. While buying a solitaire engagement ring with side stones, the grading and certification of the solitaire is necessary. The side diamonds will not undergo the same process individually. So, the price you pay will be for the whole ornament.

A ring that is studded with only melee diamonds will weigh as a whole. Thus, one calculates the price accordingly. Also, the diamond certificate you receive will be that of the jewel and not the stones alone. Your jeweller may or may not be able to tell you about its quality. However, if you are somewhat familiar with diamond grading or feel that the quality is decent, go for it.

If you’re customising your own jewellery design, you could get to choose the melee diamonds yourself. With the help of a transparent diamond price list and a diamond price calculator, you can check the price yourself. That way, you can be sure that you have paid the right price for your jewellery.