Frequently asked questions
What is a melee diamond?
A melee diamond is a small diamond used as an accent rather than as the centrestone. It is pronounced meh-lay. Ours run from 1.00 mm to 2.99 mm across, which is roughly 0.005 to 0.095carats a stone. The exact boundary of the word differs depending on who youask and there is no official standard, but anything in that range is melee byany definition.
What are melee diamonds used for?
They do the work around the centre stone.
A halo encircles the centre diamond with them. Pavé sets them close together along the band with very
little metal showing. They also appear as side stones, in channels, and as the whole of a pair of studs.
Our engagement ring settings guide shows what each of those looks like.
Is melee the same thing as an accent diamond?
Yes. Accent diamond is the plain English term and melee is the trade term forthe same stones. You will see both on specifications, sometimes on the same one.
Why is melee sold by millimetre size rather than carat weight?
Because it has to fit a setting. A jeweller needs every stone to sit in anidentical seat, so melee is calibrated to a narrow size band and sold thatway. A parcel can be quoted either way, in millimetres or in carat weight, and thestandard is millimetres.
You will rarely see melee offered at a single exactsize such as 1.85 mm, because cutting a whole parcel to that tolerance isimpractical and would cost far more than the stones are worth.
Are melee diamonds graded?
Yes. Melee is graded, it is just not certified,
and the two get used as though they mean the same thing.
Colour is graded into bands such as DEF or GHI, clarity into bands such as VVS, VS or SI, and size to a calibration band such as 1.80 to 1.89 mm. What melee does not get is an individual certificate, because a certificate describes one stone and melee is bought as a matched set.
Can I buy certified melee diamonds?
Not at melee sizes. Individual certificates generally start at around 0.20 carats, and melee tops out near 0.095 carats a stone, so the whole range sits below where certification begins.
Above that size you can buy certified
diamonds one at a time. Bought that way they are not calibrated, so they will not match each other across a row the way a melee set does, and matching is the reason melee is sold as a set in the first place.
How is melee quality described if it isn't graded individually?
By range, on the same scales used for
larger diamonds. Colour comes as a band such as DEF, clarity as a band such as VS, and size as a millimetre band.
At this size the individual grade matters much less than it does for a centre stone, because the difference between adjacent grades is not visible to the eye on a diamond two millimetres across.
Does melee quality actually make a difference?
Yes, but it is the consistency that matters rather than any individual grade.
Melee is seen as a group, so the eye reads the whole row before it reads any single stone. A tight band like DEF means every stone sits within three adjacent colour grades, which looks uniform. A wide band or a parcel that was never sorted properly, is where you get a row of slightly different whites and some seats looking dull beside their neighbours.
So the range is not a compromise. The range is the specification.
Can melee diamonds be laboratory grown?
Yes, and it is a large part of the market.
Laboratory grown melee has the same hardness, optical properties and chemistry as natural melee, and costs considerably less.
Carateu sells both and every listing states which it is. If you want the detail, our guide to lab grown diamonds explained covers how they are grown and how they are graded
How much do melee diamonds cost?
It depends on size, on whether they are natural or laboratory grown, and on how many you need. Larger melee costs more per carat than smaller melee, because fewer stones make up the same weight.
Melee is sold in sets of ten at each size band, so the page for our natural melee diamonds shows the price for the quantity you actually need.
How long does melee take to arrive?
Longer than a diamond already sitting in stock, because melee is cut to order rather than taken off a shelf.
Cutting and calibrating a set to your size band typically takes 10 to 12 business days. The stones then come to Stockholm
to be checked before they are shipped to you. If you are working to a deadline, say so when you order and we will confirm whether it can be met.
What melee does Carateu sell?
Round melee in DEF colour, VS clarity and
very good cut, in sizes from 1.00 mm to 2.99 mm. Natural and laboratory grown are both available.
Stones come in sets of ten within each size band, so a 1.80 to 1.89 mm set of ten comes to roughly 0.256 carats in total.
The lab-grown melee diamonds are listed separately from the natural stones, so you always know which you are buying.
Can I order a size or quality that isn't listed?
Yes, often. We can source melee in more
sizes and in all colours at a client's request.
Fill in the melee diamond request form with the size range, colour range, clarity and quantity you need, and we will come back on whether it can be sourced and what it would cost.
If you are not sure what your design needs, your jeweller can tell you the size and quantity, since they are the one setting the stones.
How should I look after jewellery set with melee?
Warm water, a little mild washing up
liquid and a soft brush. Melee sits close to the metal and collects more residue than a large stone, so it dulls faster and cleans up just as easily.
Have the settings checked from time to time. A row of small stones has many more seats than a solitaire, and a loose one is far easier to catch early than to replace later.
Our lifetime care policy sets out what to do if a stone ever needs attention.
Are prices inclusive of tax, and how is melee delivered?
Prices include European Union value added tax for buyers inside the European Union, and delivery across Europe is insured.
Norway and Switzerland sit outside the European Union, so local value added tax or import charges may be collected on delivery. Those are set by the destination country
Who checks the melee before it is sent?
Every order is verified in Stockholm before it is dispatched. The stones are counted and looked over for overall appearance.
They are not re-measured or re-graded here. Melee is calibrated when it is cut, and the size band on your order is what that refers to.
