Information on determining melee quality

[teobdl]

Are there any video resources showing the differences in melee quality? Has GOG made a video on this (can't find one!)?

I was at an engagement party last night, and one of the friends had the sparkliest, most blinging shank melee I had ever seen. It sparkled more than the newly engaged's center stone, which was quite decent, but was probably hampered by touching the diamond all day and getting it dirty!

 

[WillyDiamond]

I'm not 100% sure.
It's possible her center stone was a lower color than the melee's.
I think you just have to trust the jeweler when he/she says its for example F/G color. They are so small, they don't go out for a grading.

 

[teobdl]

No, the center really is a nice diamond--E VVS2 GIA xxx with fair proportions--a little steep-deep but not terrible.

The original comment was really just to say that the other girl's melee was out of this world nice. And it's really difficult to know the quality of melee unless you go for ACA or BGS melee. I'm wondering if there's any way to know, when looking IRL at a jewelry store or even online, what is nice and what isn't--particularly when lights in a jewelry store are designed to maximize sparkle of even the crappiest quality diamonds.

 

[ecf8503]

I got an H&A viewer with a diamond I bought one time - I've been known to use that in stores to look at the patterning of the arrows in the melee ... if there are any...

 

[treasurehunter]

Proportions determine performance primarily , although the clarity doesnt effect performance unless its I1 or lower the cut grade usually goes along with the clarity/colour