Whether for engagement rings or Haute Joillarie watches, these tiny diamonds accent either the center diamond on rings or the dials, in the case of watches, are called melee diamonds. Melee diamonds are one of the most effective ways to produce sparkle for diamond rings or high-jewelry watches.
What are Melee Diamonds?
As defined by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), these tiny diamonds weigh less than 0.2 carats. The smallest melee diamonds can be as small as 0.001 carats. Melee diamonds are not meant to be used as a single piece. However, when clustered together in a piece of jewelry, they can add a mesmerizing sparkle in pavé or halo settings that plain rings can not match.
What are Lab Grown Melee Diamonds?
Lab grown diamonds are genuine diamonds produced using manufactured methods. These methods are either through Carbon Vapor Deposition (CVD) or High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) processes.
In the CVD process, carbon atoms are deposited in a substrate inside a vacuum chamber under controlled temperatures. The controlled conditions produce crystalline structures that are identical to natural diamonds.
In the HPHT process, extremely high temperatures and pressure simulating what happens in nature produce diamonds.
Melee lab grown diamonds are grown or produced using the same process as other sizes of lab grown diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds’ chemical, crystalline, and physical properties are almost identical to natural diamonds. Only jewelry experts using specialized instruments can distinguish lab grown diamonds from natural diamonds.
Both processes produce colorless diamonds. These are typically grade Type IIA with no measurable traces of nitrogen impurities. Trace amounts of Boron are present in HPHT-grown diamonds, which have phosphorescence in particular lighting conditions.
Nevertheless, the colors of lab grown melee diamonds are ideal for jewelry setting to produce the snow effect coveted by customers.
What are The Most Popular Cuts of Lab Grown Melee Diamonds?
Like natural diamonds, there are two typical cuts made for melee diamonds. All melee lab diamonds available from CVD Diamonds Inc. are round. Cuts are mainly single-cut, and full-cut.
Single-cut melee diamonds:
Single-cut lab grown melee diamonds contain a table with eight crown and pavilion facets, with a round girdle outline of 17 facets. When a culet is present, a single-cut melee diamond has 18 facets.
Full-cut melee diamonds:
Also known as a complete brilliant cut, a lab grown diamond with a full cut has 57 or 58 facets. These brilliant diamonds have 24 pavilion facets and 32 crown facets, and occasionally, a culet. Most larger-sized melee diamonds are typically full-cut.
Because lab grown diamonds have identical structural, crystalline, and physical properties, they are cut the same way as natural diamonds. Because both natural and lab grown diamonds are similarly hard, the effort it takes to cut melee diamonds is identical for both types. The labor-demanding and complicated process are why lab-grown diamonds will never be considered “cheap.” Moreover, the results are similar. The brilliance and fire you expect for melee diamonds set on jewelry are identical whether you use natural or lab grown diamonds.
The Power of Lab Grown Melee Diamonds In Adding Sparkle To Jewelry
Melee diamonds allow jewelers to add more sparkle to jewelry. The more diamonds a piece have, the more sparking they will be. Because of their diminutive size, melee diamonds are affordable compared to center stones. Generously adding melee diamonds in jewelry is a more economical method of adding sparkle than opting for a larger center stone.
The near-colorless quality of lab grown diamonds makes them ideal melee diamonds. As dazzling accents in engagement rings, pendants, or watch faces and bracelets, these diamonds produce the “snow effect” coveted by those who see them.
Halo Setting
In a halo setting, tiny melee diamonds surround the center stone, which adds sparkle to a ring and makes the center stone appear more prominent.
Pavé Setting
In a pavé setting, tiny diamonds are set close together in an interlocking pattern forming a honeycomb. Many of these, taken together, produce a mesmerizing and sparkling look. When set further apart, these can make more economical jewelry designs.
Lab Grown Melee Diamonds Wholesale is an Excellent Investment for Jewelry Retailers
There are several reasons why melee diamonds present excellent value for jewelry retailers:
1. They are near-colorless:
Their colorless quality makes them ideal for producing the desired brilliance and sparkle, whether set in pavé or halo in engagement rings, watch faces and bracelets, pendants, or any jewelry piece. Each lab grown diamond sold by reputed lab grown diamond manufacturers are Type IIA, which means they have the quality reserved for rarer natural melee diamonds.
2. They have up to 30% lower price per carat than natural diamonds:
Despite requiring the same effort to cut natural melee diamonds, lab grown diamonds cost lower. Technological advancements and manufacturing techniques have yielded more high-quality lab grown melee diamonds than ever before. The economic potential provided by lab grown melee diamonds gives jewelers the flexibility to produce more jewelry of the same quality as natural lab-grown diamonds.
3. Lab grown diamonds last a lifetime
Being among the hardest substances on earth, diamonds, whether natural or lab grown, are durable. Like natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds won’t cloud either. Because they have the same chemical, physical, and structural properties as natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds are just as hard.
4. Lab grown diamonds are conflict-free and sustainable alternatives
The efficiency of lab grown manufacturers today means jewelry-grade melee diamonds can be produced with a lower carbon footprint per carat than jewelry-grade natural diamonds, making them more sustainable alternatives than mined diamonds.
Moreover, with lab grown diamonds, you can rest assured that they are not acquired from conflict areas or in places where blatant violations of human rights or labor occur.
For The Ideal Lab Grown Melee Diamonds Wholesale, Choose Only Reputed Lab Grown Manufacturers, like CVD Diamonds Inc.
The safest way to buy the best lab grown diamonds wholesale is by entrusting the best manufacturers, such as CVD Diamonds Inc. With decades of experience in the jewelry industry that has built a sterling reputation for excellence among jewelry retailers, we ensure that we provide you with the highest quality melee diamonds that will fit your most sparkling pieces. All our diamonds are Type IIA grade, ideally suited to produce the intended effect as melee diamonds, whether on watch faces and bracelets, engagement rings, pendants, earrings, or bracelets. Aside from melee diamonds, CVD Diamonds Inc. also offers certified and non-certified lab grown diamonds, lab grown diamond rings, tennis bracelets, and stud earrings. To know more about lab grown melee diamonds wholesale, call us at (213) 629-1091, or fill out the form on our contact page.