Are WhiteFlash Melee Diamonds Worth the Extra $?

[FancyDiamond]

OK. I am convinced that diamond stones sparkle a lot more if they are well cut. Now, what about the tiny, decorative diamonds on the engagement and wedding rings?

I was doing comparison shopping between BlueNile''s and Whiteflash''s diamond rings. I notice that for a similar ring deisgn and diamond choice (F/G/H, VS quality), the WhiteFlash price is higher. Whiteflash claims their "melee" diamonds are special cut (ACA mentioned in description of some rings), so they sparkle more. To the owners of WhiteFlash diamond rings that have these melee decorative diamonds, do these "special-cut" diamonds really sparkle more than those of BN or other manufacturers?

 

[chrono]

It depends on which vendor you are comparing the ACA melees to. I don''t know about BN, but Signed Pieces, BGD, and a few other PS vendors who carry ideal cut (or very close to ideal cut) melees would be comparable for the layperson. When the diamond is very tiny, it becomes more difficult to differentiate the cut unless the stone it is compared to is quite bad or just average. All you will see are the pinpoint sparkle.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/23/2009 12:11:52 AM
Author:FancyDiamond
OK. I am convinced that diamond stones sparkle a lot more if they are well cut. Now, what about the tiny, decorative diamonds on the engagement and wedding rings?

I was doing comparison shopping between BlueNile's and Whiteflash's diamond rings. I notice that for a similar ring deisgn and diamond choice (F/G/H, VS quality), the WhiteFlash price is higher. Whiteflash claims their 'melee' diamonds are special cut (ACA mentioned in description of some rings), so they sparkle more. To the owners of WhiteFlash diamond rings that have these melee decorative diamonds, do these 'special-cut' diamonds really sparkle more than those of BN or other manufacturers?

Yes they really do sparkle and shimmer, I can't compare them to BN or those of the other vendors melee as I haven't seen those but my ACA melee are little firecrackers.

 

[Abril]

I almost went with Whiteflash for something like that, but then I came to my senses. For diamonds that small, the precision cut of an ACA won''t have much of a chance to sparkle and show off its stuff. IMO, save the money and go with something that performs well enough.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/23/2009 4:53:12 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/23/2009 12:11:52 AM
Author:FancyDiamond
OK. I am convinced that diamond stones sparkle a lot more if they are well cut. Now, what about the tiny, decorative diamonds on the engagement and wedding rings?

I was doing comparison shopping between BlueNile''s and Whiteflash''s diamond rings. I notice that for a similar ring deisgn and diamond choice (F/G/H, VS quality), the WhiteFlash price is higher. Whiteflash claims their ''melee'' diamonds are special cut (ACA mentioned in description of some rings), so they sparkle more. To the owners of WhiteFlash diamond rings that have these melee decorative diamonds, do these ''special-cut'' diamonds really sparkle more than those of BN or other manufacturers?

Yes they really do sparkle and shimmer, I can''t compare them to BN or those of the other vendors melee as I haven''t seen those but my ACA melee are little firecrackers.

Yep. I own their cluster flower pendant and scattered diamond band, both with .03''s. I am seriously amazed at how sparkly they are for being so darn tiny. (if kept clean of course)

I haven''t seen BN''s, so I can''t say. My educated guess would be, their melee is not H&A quality. How well cut they really are is anybody''s guess.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 6/23/2009 5:18:26 AM
Author: Abril
I almost went with Whiteflash for something like that, but then I came to my senses. For diamonds that small, the precision cut of an ACA won''t have much of a chance to sparkle and show off its stuff. IMO, save the money and go with something that performs well enough.

That''s the problem, we don''t know how well they are and how good is their quality assurance work. With ACA melee, it is a guarantee as it is part of WF''s trademark.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/23/2009 6:58:50 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 6/23/2009 4:53:12 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/23/2009 12:11:52 AM
Author:FancyDiamond
OK. I am convinced that diamond stones sparkle a lot more if they are well cut. Now, what about the tiny, decorative diamonds on the engagement and wedding rings?

I was doing comparison shopping between BlueNile''s and Whiteflash''s diamond rings. I notice that for a similar ring deisgn and diamond choice (F/G/H, VS quality), the WhiteFlash price is higher. Whiteflash claims their ''melee'' diamonds are special cut (ACA mentioned in description of some rings), so they sparkle more. To the owners of WhiteFlash diamond rings that have these melee decorative diamonds, do these ''special-cut'' diamonds really sparkle more than those of BN or other manufacturers?

Yes they really do sparkle and shimmer, I can''t compare them to BN or those of the other vendors melee as I haven''t seen those but my ACA melee are little firecrackers.

Yep. I own their cluster flower pendant and scattered diamond band, both with .03''s. I am seriously amazed at how sparkly they are for being so darn tiny. (if kept clean of course)

I haven''t seen BN''s, so I can''t say. My educated guess would be, their melee is not H&A quality. How well cut they really are is anybody''s guess.

They absolutely are incredibly sparkly, Ellen and I are speaking from personal experience that they are very beautiful little diamonds.

 

[atroop711]

my WF Melee have as much BLING to it than my center stone...those little guys hold their own when up against the big dude

 

[acmoon]

I have seen both (WF & BN) side by side on my finger. The WF ACA melee was NOT more sparkly than the sidestones on BN band.
Just my personal experience.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 6/23/2009 9:32:46 AM
Author: acmoon
I have seen both (WF & BN) side by side on my finger. The WF ACA melee was NOT more sparkly than the sidestones on BN band.
Just my personal experience.

Its great to hear about your experience. When did you get the chance to compare both at the same time?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/23/2009 9:39:49 AM
Author: Maisie

Date: 6/23/2009 9:32:46 AM
Author: acmoon
I have seen both (WF & BN) side by side on my finger. The WF ACA melee was NOT more sparkly than the sidestones on BN band.
Just my personal experience.

Its great to hear about your experience. When did you get the chance to compare both at the same time?

Ditto, did you compare them in different lighting conditions?

 

[acmoon]

To answer the questions above:
I bought a WF e-ring and a BN band, and then returned both of them for some reason.
They were on my finger side by side for about one month. Both were beautiful and sparkly, but I couldn''t tell which one was better.

 

[Ellen]

ac, thanks for posting your experience. Sounds like maybe BN is using good quality melee.

 

[shelleydog]

I think you have to be sure you are comparing Whiteflash''s ACA melee versus other melee that is in some of the rings that Whiteflash carries. Their ACA melee definitely outshined others I compared it to. However, you have to read their descriptions. Some of the rings just list "melee" and not "ACA melee." I asked them about a ring that just listed "melee" and they confirmed it was not "ACA melee." Here''s a description I specifically asked about for the Petite Open Cathedral: "This delicate engagement ring has 14 melee diamonds, approximately .20ctw G/H VS2/SI1 and measures approximately 1.5mm wide. This ring is made to accommodate the center stone of your choice from .50ct up to 2ct with any head. When purchased with the matching band the melee count jumps to 31 diamonds, .45ctw G/H VS2/SI1. The matching band measures 1.5mm. Please allow 4 weeks for order completion."

 

[FancyDiamond]

Thanks to all for your valuable insights. Let me conclude what I have learned.

1. Well cut melees are worth the price if the melees are big enough to see the difference in sparkles. Can''t differentiate difference in tiny (less than 3 pts) melees.

2. Great quality melees offered by some vendors can be comparable to WF ACA melees, and may cost less.

3. Must make sure the particular WF ring has the ACA description. Otherwise, I can get ordinary melees. That is, pay extra for nothing.

 

[shelleydog]

I believe you can see a difference in melee even under 3 pointers. Also, I don''t think you pay a premium for the Whiteflash rings that don''t have ACA melee, meaning they are priced appropriately for the particular melee used.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I can''t speak for BN, but I have a ring with 5poit BGD ideal melee, which is the same as that used by EF, and it is definitely brighter and more firey than my other eternity band, which uses commercial grade melee. I think you need to remember that it isn''t just sparkly that is affected by cut, but also brightness. So my little ideal diamonds look much much brighter than the larger, less well cut, diamonds that I own. This difference is noticable and matters to me.

Also, with a comany like WF you are paying for the craftsmanship of the ring. Can''t speak about BN''s quality, but WF makes wonderfully crafted pieces. So part of the price is for that.

 

[Gypsy]

I don''t have WF melee. But I do have BGD melee (and from what I understand BGD uses the same melee WF used to when B&L were there, but now WF uses a different source for their ACA melee) and they are Hearts and Arrows and sparkle like mad. You can tell the difference. I have ''traditional cut'' melee in my 7 stone band, and yes, there is a difference.

 

[D&T]

Date: 6/23/2009 11:33:52 AM
Author: FancyDiamond
Thanks to all for your valuable insights. Let me conclude what I have learned.

1. Well cut melees are worth the price if the melees are big enough to see the difference in sparkles. Can''t differentiate difference in tiny (less than 3 pts) melees.

2. Great quality melees offered by some vendors can be comparable to WF ACA melees, and may cost less.

3. Must make sure the particular WF ring has the ACA description. Otherwise, I can get ordinary melees. That is, pay extra for nothing.

I have a 1 pointer melee and it shimmers, rather than sparkles if that makes sense I also have 1 point bezel semi mount and from an Ebay seller, although it is not melees, it is single cut and there is a difference in appearance (obviously my ebay seller ring is not that high cut quality anyways). I WOULD consider melees from other vendor so long as the quality equals. I am having a local high end jeweler use their melees to make another ring for me later. I compared my 1 pointer to theirs after it was cleaned an polised by them, and it shimmers just like theirs. I don''t think 1 pointer has the sparkle power, but 2 pointer and up yes to see the difference. Maybe its worth looking into single cut as well as the full cut "melees" there some good researching and reading there.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I do want to emphasize that the overall quality of the ring is a major consideration as well. I probably wouldn''t buy a setting from one of the big drop-ship vendors unless I just wanted a plain, stock tiffany style cast setting. Where I''d recommend going would partly depend on where your diamond came from.