Melee, centre stones, and why they price differently
Small accent diamonds, known as melee, are bought and priced by parcel and by size range rather than individually. Anything from roughly 0.5mm up is available in calibrated sizes, and this is what fills pave, halos and tennis lines. Centre stones above about half a carat are bought individually, priced individually, and are where certification starts to earn its cost.
A design that uses one certified centre stone and matched melee around it is far easier to reproduce at volume than one built from many mid-size stones, because mid-size is exactly the range where matching is hardest and parcels are thinnest.
Specifying quality without over-specifying
The 4 Cs matter, but not equally at every size. On melee, colour and cut consistency across the run matter far more than the grade of any single stone, because the eye reads the line rather than the stone. On a centre stone, cut does most of the visible work: a well-cut stone a grade lower in colour will usually outperform a poorly cut stone a grade higher.
Tell us the price point you need to hit and the look you want, and we will tell you where to spend and where the customer will never see the difference. That conversation saves more money than negotiating on the quote does.
Volume, matching and repeatability
The question we get asked least and should be asked most is whether a specification can be repeated. If your first order sells and you reorder in six months, the stones have to match the ones already in your customers’ hands. We will tell you at quoting stage whether a specification is repeatable or whether you are buying a one-off, which is a fair thing to know before you build a range around it.
















