What Are Melee Diamonds?

Last updated on September 1, 2024

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A single high-quality round cut or princess cut diamond in a solitaire ring setting makes for a stunning engagement ring. This combines elegant simplicity with a truly gorgeous and fiery diamond. What could possibly make this any better?

The simple answer would be accent diamonds located on the flanks either side of the central diamond. This is where we come to the topic of this article: melee diamonds. What are they? How are they used? What do they cost? The answers to these questions and more can be found in this article so read on to learn about melee diamonds.

What Actually Are Melee Diamonds?

You may have heard the term melee in the past and be aware of its definition, “a confused fight, skirmish, or scuffle.” What on earth can that have to do with diamonds? When it comes to melee (pronounced may-lay) diamonds there are no connotations to violence unless you find extreme beauty aggressive.

Melee diamonds are tiny little diamonds that have been cut in the round shape and polished just as you would the larger versions. Generally speaking the maximum weight of a melee diamond would be 0.2 carat but they can be as small as 0.001 carat.

These miniature diamonds have been expertly crafted often with the help of lasers to be just like tiny versions of a round brilliant cut diamond. Not to be confused with diamond chips or irregular pieces these diamonds have been expertly cut to create the maximum possible sparkle.

They are cut to have facets which will give them similar yet more limited brilliance as their larger cousins. The purpose of performing this intricate work is to create a boost to the main stone in an engagement ring. The shine produced either side of the main diamond serves to accentuate the main diamond's sparkle hence these melee diamonds are also called accent diamonds as well.

Are Melee Diamonds Natural?

The simple answer is yes, melee diamonds are as real as any other diamond. They may have been created from spare diamond material from a larger rough diamond or crafted from smaller rough diamonds. They are generally not large enough to carry their own weight as a main stone but as an accent they often excel.

They work best in clusters or groupings as support for a larger quality diamond. A row of these types of diamond on both flanks of a pave setting can really set the central diamond on fire with brilliance.

What Size Are Melee Diamonds?

This can vary on what country you are buying the diamonds in but in general a melee diamond will range from 0.2 - 0.001 carats. Those gems around 0.2 carat are less common so you will often find most melee gems are between 0.17 – 0.005 carat.

In terms of a non weight measurement you are looking at small diamonds that may be between 1 – 3.6mm in size. This is obviously pretty small so these are fiddly little gems to play with for the jewelers. As mentioned laser technology today is such that you can cut these melee diamonds with relative ease to be just as well crafted as the larger stones.

Melee Diamond Cuts

Unlike chips or irregular diamonds these melee diamonds are treated in the same way as a full-size gemstone. There is more than polishing involved; tiny cuts must be made to create the shape and facets that make up the round brilliant shape.

There are three different cuts used on these tiny mini diamonds which make the very most of their diminutive size.

Single Cut

This was the traditional melee cut up until the first half of the 20^th century meaning it is a very tried and tested method. The cut is an 8/8 facet arrangement also known as “huit huit” which for the non French speakers out means 8/8.

There are usually eight facets cut along the crown. Eight facets around the pavilion and a table facet. In total you are looking at between 17 – 18 facets. This is far fewer than a full-size round brilliant but we are working on a much smaller scale.

The 16/16 Cut

As technology advanced the ability to add facets to small diamonds increased leading to the creation in the 1970s of the 16/16 cut. Created in Antwerp it essentially doubled the facets from 16 to around 32.

This is much closer to the type of cuts possible with a normal round brilliant. These extra facets helped boost the overall sparkle of these small gems

The Full Cut

Fast forwarding another decade we enter the 1980s and diamond cutting experts have perfected the ability to imbue the full 57-58 facets that you would normally find in a large round brilliant diamond.

The better technology allowed the craftspeople to make smaller and more intricate cuts creating a miniature version of the standard round design.

Which Is the Best Single Cut or Full Cut?

Well let's answer this question with a simple point well made. Since the mid 20^th century the use of the single cut has declined. Firstly the 16/16 cut came along in the 1970s making the single cut obsolete and antiquated.

It was a decade later that they finally perfected the full cut allowing them to mimic the sparkle of larger round diamonds. With the ability to add a full complement of facets to these small gems it should be no big surprise that the single cut has gone almost completely out of fashion.

You will of course still find single cut diamonds but they are usually crafted from poorer quality gems. If you have a high-quality center diamond there is no logical reason you would choose single cut melee diamonds. It would frankly ruin the look of an expensive diamond.

How Much Do Melee Diamonds Cost?

As you might imagine despite the hard work that goes into crafting these smaller diamonds their size makes them far less expensive than bigger ones. In fact it is often exponentially less expensive.

They will vary in price based on the same factors as the larger versions of these diamonds, essentially the 4 C’s. The 4 C’s of course being carat, clarity, color and cut. They won't be graded like larger diamonds are because this would be a long and expensive process.

Melee diamonds are often sold in groups of similar stones with the intent of being able to use multiple stones in one ring. Average grade melee diamonds will cost somewhere in the region of $300 - $400 per carat. Better quality stones however can go for between $800 - $1,000 a carat.

It is important to note that due to their size considerations such as clarity and color are less important although a vast difference in color between the melee gems and the main stone may be noticeable.

Caring for Melee Diamonds

There is one major drawback when it comes to using accent diamonds like melee. If you have a single diamond to clean from time to time that is one thing but if you have several small ones each side of the main diamond the cleaning task gets more complicated.

The facets and crevices on a full size round diamond are tricky to clean but imagine having to also clean several diamonds that are 1/5^th the size of the larger gem. Those too will have facets and crevices and they are even smaller but still catch dirt and bacteria.

You will need some mild liquid detergent, warm water, a soft bristle toothbrush and a microfiber lint-free cloth for drying. You simply soak the whole ring in a mixture of mild liquid detergent and warm clean water.

Once soaked for 20 – 40 minutes you will want to use the toothbrush to gently sweep away dirt and debris before carefully rinsing the ring in cold water. Use a plughole catcher just in case any gems come loose or you drop the ring.

Be very careful with these small diamonds as rough cleaning may dislodge the gems and these are not easy to find if you lose sight of them.

Final Thought

Melee diamonds are essentially tiny versions of the traditional round brilliant diamond that can be used as accent diamonds to a larger gemstone. They take a lot of work to craft but thanks to advancements in technology much of the work can be done using lasers.

Reference Diamond Size Chart

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