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Help! Worth it to upgrade to ideal cut melee?

clearfading

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2016
Messages
318
I am wondering if it is worth an extra $144 to upgrade from "very nice cut" standard melee to ideal cut melee for a 3/4 way around diamond band to wear with my e-ring? The upgrade amount seems steep to me considering these are very small stones. The total band weight will be around 0.25 ct and 1.9mm in width. Per the description the standard melee are G-H, VS1 to SI1 and my center stone is a G. Thoughts appreciated!! Wondered if anyone else has ever paid more for "upgraded" melee and found it worth while and if this is a good price point. Thanks!

Here is a link to what it will look like

https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/261692939/diamond-stacking-band-14ctw-in-14k-white
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,950
It would be to me. It might be more of a 'mind clean' kind of thing but I love seeing the teeny tiny arrows. The price doesn't seem that high to me.
 

sarahb

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 20, 2012
Messages
1,976
Absolutely the investment is worth it. IMHO, the smaller the diamond, the more important the cut becomes in order for that stone to sparkle. A small inclusion on a stone that size could make the entire stone a dud. I'm sure you've seen the rings that sport grayish stones, I know I have. That small stone in the w band needs the ideal cut just like the larger ering stone. Its a small investment, for a ring that will be worn hopefully for years!
 

Rockdiamond

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
9,711
HI Clearfading,
AS a vendor I can't comment specifically on another vendor- but as a general rule: Meleé is not graded by GIA, therefore you'll need to take the word of the seller.
There's certainly different qualities of cut in small diamonds, but not everyone has the same parameters.
The question then becomes, what are the differences in their eyes between the two qualities.
With small stones set into a band, unless the bad ones are really bad, you may not be able to see the difference.
If the band is 1/4ct, multiply the up-charge by four and we have the per carat surcharge. That might give people posting a better frame of reference to comment.
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
11,210
I've got really small diamonds that sparkle, and really small diamonds that don't do much. Guess which I prefer? :whistle: So yeah, that would be a worthwhile upgrade to me.

But, I'd second rockdiamond's suggestion. Find out what makes parameters the vendor uses to distinguish between the "very nice cut" and "ideal" diamonds.
 

clearfading

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2016
Messages
318
Great and helpful input! So glad for the suggestion to ask how he decides between the two. He said this below so I don't think either would be terrible but most votes here so far tend to sway toward the ideal cut melee. I will think it over tonight and appreciate the input!

"Being a GIA gemologist I go by GIA standards. Go to GIA website and look at cuts and the difference between very good and excellent cut diamonds. Excellent cut diamonds look bigger and brighter than very good cut diamonds even though they have the same diameter measurement. The standard cut diamonds I use are better than 99% of other etsy shop diamonds."
 
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