Diamond Quality in HW-inspired Pave

[FuturePsyD]

I searched the Rockytalk threads and found a few posts in regards to the quality of diamonds in pave settings. I was hoping to get a little bit more information.

My bf and I are thinking about having a HW inspired Micropave custom setting made. At one point we were hoping to get the original, however it's not in the financial cards for us. We found a store that carries exquisite jewelry and their micropave work is very delicate and well-made. They custom make jewelry as well, so I asked about the quality of the diamonds in the settings and I was told they were G color and SI clarity.

I would love some advice on whether this color/clarity combo will work well in a platinum micropave setting. I don't have my center stone yet, but I am hoping to get around a G-H and VS2 (approximately). I love the look of colorless/cool-icy toned diamonds (although, I know with G-H I'm not exactly getting colorless )

Should I ask for colorless and better clarity for the setting? What about cut, does that factor in with diamonds that small? I really fear the look of dull micropave, not that there is anything wrong with it, it's just not my personal preference. I would like to get as close to the HW setting as possible as I am more a fan of the actual setting than I am of their center stones. I'm after the brightness, fire and icy whiteness.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA!!!

 

[Gypsy]

It's cut that matters with any diamond including melee melee. I would prefer F-G super well cut VS melee if you have a colorless or G-H diamond but with current melee costs SI might be a good idea for SI if it saves enough.

Badly cut melee is a worse problem than SI melee though. Not all melee is equal. But short of telling you to get an ASET and learning how to scan a ton of very small stones I don't know how you can make sure you are getting top quality stuff. Well... that's not true. I can refer you to vendors that I KNOW use great melee like Steven Kirsch, Victor Canerra, Brian Gavin Diamond, Engagement Rings Direct... and all of these do HW style halos and do them well for the type of manufacturing process they use.

 

[J_Rock]

I ended up asking my vendor to send some samples of melee so I could compare the size/cut/color quality with my own eyes. This was quite an experience! I got to play with melee in different types of lights to understand how the ring would look in different environments which allowed me to observe the nuances of the different types of melee.

I would stick with VVS quality melee within 2 color grades of your planned center stone. Another thing to consider is the cut type of the melee:single cut or full cut. There are tons of threads comparing the two, but I think the discussion boils down to how well do you want the melee to compliment the center stone. Fewer, but bigger bold flashes, or tons of tiny pin flashes? For antique cuts, I would go with single cuts. Modern rounds I think can go either way.

 

[stargurl78]

I ended up asking my vendor to send some samples of melee so I could compare the size/cut/color quality with my own eyes. This was quite an experience! I got to play with melee in different types of lights to understand how the ring would look in different environments which allowed me to observe the nuances of the different types of melee.

I would stick with VVS quality melee within 2 color grades of your planned center stone. Another thing to consider is the cut type of the melee:single cut or full cut. There are tons of threads comparing the two, but I think the discussion boils down to how well do you want the melee to compliment the center stone. Fewer, but bigger bold flashes, or tons of tiny pin flashes? For antique cuts, I would go with single cuts. Modern rounds I think can go either way.

Is VVS quality really necessary for diamonds that tiny? For me personally, I think I would be fine with SI clarity for the melee stones. But I suppose its really just a matter of personal preference. If you are going for a center stone of G-H color, I would think G color melee would be perfect. But like Gypsy stated, make sure the cut is excellent and go with a well-trusted vendor.

 

[yssie]

Stones like that are so small... I honestly don't think you need to worry about any of it - cut, colour, clarity - if you choose a *reputable* vendor who takes pride in his/her work (and you're talking about full-cut melee, not single cuts).

I do know that some less-reputable vendors use lower colour and lower clarity to differentiate between decent melee and total cr*p. So if you're dealing with one of *those* vendors, it's not actually that you need the higher colour/clarity or that they're actually giving you the stated higher colour/clarity, just that you're upping the odds of getting stones that actually sparkle.

 

[J_Rock]

I ended up asking my vendor to send some samples of melee so I could compare the size/cut/color quality with my own eyes. This was quite an experience! I got to play with melee in different types of lights to understand how the ring would look in different environments which allowed me to observe the nuances of the different types of melee.

I would stick with VVS quality melee within 2 color grades of your planned center stone. Another thing to consider is the cut type of the melee:single cut or full cut. There are tons of threads comparing the two, but I think the discussion boils down to how well do you want the melee to compliment the center stone. Fewer, but bigger bold flashes, or tons of tiny pin flashes? For antique cuts, I would go with single cuts. Modern rounds I think can go either way.

Is VVS quality really necessary for diamonds that tiny? For me personally, I think I would be fine with SI clarity for the melee stones. But I suppose its really just a matter of personal preference. If you are going for a center stone of G-H color, I would think G color melee would be perfect. But like Gypsy stated, make sure the cut is excellent and go with a well-trusted vendor.

I think it does matter. But that is just my opinion. My thinking is that because the stones are so small, you dont want any inclusions affecting the sparkle, because there is very little surface area for light to return, compared to larger stones. Regardless, if the OP can get their hands on some melee, their eyes will be able to decide if there is a difference.

 

[FuturePsyD]

Thank you for your responses.

The vendor is pretty well known in my area, they have designed jewelry for celebrities so I am hopeful that they take pride in ALL their pieces. From what I've seen in their showroom, everything sparkles and they have extensive pave work.

Based on your responses, my bf got in touch with them again today and the owner gave him some more details. He said the diamonds are full-cut round, G color or better with VS1-SI. We are supposed to go in tomorrow to talk with them further about the design of the setting, etc. They quoted the price at approximately $3500 for white gold micropave halo and $3800 for platinum. But final price will be set once they know the exact design we are looking for.

Do people request better quality diamonds in their melee for example colorless, VS1 and perhaps G SI in the band? Or is it best to stick with the same quality throughout the entire setting?

 

[slg47]

Thank you for your responses.

The vendor is pretty well known in my area, they have designed jewelry for celebrities so I am hopeful that they take pride in ALL their pieces. From what I've seen in their showroom, everything sparkles and they have extensive pave work.

Based on your responses, my bf got in touch with them again today and the owner gave him some more details. He said the diamonds are full-cut round, G color or better with VS1-SI. We are supposed to go in tomorrow to talk with them further about the design of the setting, etc. They quoted the price at approximately $3500 for white gold micropave halo and $3800 for platinum. But final price will be set once they know the exact design we are looking for.

Do people request better quality diamonds in their melee for example colorless, VS1 and perhaps G SI in the band? Or is it best to stick with the same quality throughout the entire setting?

I doubt you would notice a difference...I would stick with the same quality in the whole ring

 

[TheGreatTwizz]

The vendor is pretty well known in my area, they have designed jewelry for celebrities so I am hopeful that they take pride in ALL their pieces. From what I've seen in their showroom, everything sparkles and they have extensive pave work.

Of note, and many of us forget this, but EVERYTHING in a showroom sparkles thanks to those 'sparkle lights' the stores have.

What is 'your area'?

 

[FuturePsyD]

True, most show rooms do have lighting that allows their diamonds to sparkle. However, definitely not the case for certain chains such as Kays, Zales, Robbins Brothers and the like. At least in my opion.

I'm in Southern California. The vendor is Tycoon Jewelers. I'm not certain if anyone is familiar with them on PS?

I have a friend who had a ring made through them and it came out beautifully, however there was no pave work. I did love the craftsmanship of her setting.