So, does body colour actually matter in single-cut melee?

[yssie]

Just a fun little (non-scientific, purely-observational, etc., etc.) comparison thread

I bought a platinum band with ~1pt single-cut melee from Leon Mege several months ago. His stock single-cut stuff is F/G, VS. Loved the band... didn't love the "apparent colour" difference next to my larger J RB (by that I mean the visual colour difference due to the ways differently-sized facets play with light, as opposed to actual material colour) but resigned myself to never finding melee that would match well. A few weeks later I commissioned a second band with lower-coloured single-cut melee - I didn't really expect to see improvement, but I thought the lower-coloured band would be more mind-clean. The second band has stones of the same size but they're set more closely together, so there are two extra. The lower-coloured stones are VS; no colour grade was given - they were simply "watch quality, more tinted than the F/G stock and not yet fancy-coloured". Leon explained that different vendors who have access to this sort of melee might call it "I/J" or "K/L" but it's all from the same stock and there's no official distinction.

Turns out body colour does make a visible difference in some lighting! Small, but noticeable, obviously may or may not matter to different people. I no longer own the higher-coloured band but I found the photos to be true to life when I took them - the difference isn't so much each stones' personality as the overall "warmth" of the band: the band with lower-coloured melee looks more creamy at first glance than the band with higher-coloured melee, despite being made of the same metal. I find that the longer I stare at the photos the more the colour is equalized... again, true to real life - the longer I stared at the bands in-person the less distinction I saw!

Pics taken in interior lighting by a window on a cloudy afternoon - for whatever reason this combo highlighted the difference; in bright sunlight, outside on a cloudy day, indoors at night... they looked identical. Photos have been cropped but have not been processed; camera was white-balanced with 18% grey card in sunlight a couple hours prior. Higher-coloured band on the right.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The only difference I can really see is that the one on the right looks dark in the setting around the stones and the other does not. But I am glad to hear there is a visual difference in the melee color since I also have some lower color diamonds. Beautiful bands!

 

[yssie]

I posted partly to see if anyone else sees differences in colour in the photos, which very accurately represent the max distinction I ever saw IRL (very slight). So it's interesting to me that you don't @diamondseeker2006

The fact that the stones aren't equally spaced... is an unfortunate fly in the ointment here.

 

[pyramid]

The one on the left looks lemony, the one on the right looks white. I see the one on the left as though it were set in yellow gold.

 

[Bonfire]

The fact that the stones aren’t evenly spaced between the two bands contributes to the difference for sure, but I could see right away which was which. I’m drawn to the lower color band which surprises me. So now I’m unsure if it’s because the stones are closer set or if it’s the color that makes the difference. Interesting comparison either way!

 

[Gussie]

The one on the left looks lemony, the one on the right looks white. I see the one on the left as though it were set in yellow gold.

+1
I like the warmer look of the one on the left.

 

[KristinTech]

The one on the left looks lemony, the one on the right looks white. I see the one on the left as though it were set in yellow gold.

This is the way I see these bands, also!

 

[LLJsmom]

When I originally wore my single cut eternity band (F, VS) from Victor with my K OEC, I definitely noticed a difference between the melee in the band and my K in certain lighting. I think it was more in sunlight. In dimmer indoor lighting I cannot tell the difference. It is more obvious in overcast outdoor sunlight. I suspected that lower colored melee would be noticeably different but glad you confirmed it.

I'll admit. In your pictures above, my eyes could not really tell the difference.

 

[redwood66]

Thanks for the excellent pics @yssie. I had to click them bigger to be able to tell the difference. The spacing is definitely creating a shadow under the stones in the band on the right which is probably what makes the color of the metal look different. The color difference in the stones is apparent if I enlarge the pics. I do like the one you kept very much and was looking at the similar band on Victor's site to go with my new setting.

 

[pyramid]

I think you really can't tell with photos, remember Kenny speaking about white balance with the light. If you had written that the one on the right was in rose gold I would believe that too.

 

[nala]

I’m confused as to the question. Was there ever a doubt? Or am I misunderstanding the question. I’m a big single cut fan bc I collect Art Deco rings and bands and I can truly see the difference.

 

[Matthews1127]

I see the difference, without reference, but I love them both!!! Great find & even greater info!!
Thank you for sharing!!
@boomcast, you may be interested in this lower colored melee for a WR or AR!! Your Oval will most certainly pop out bright white against these creamy, tiny stones!!!

 

[unsettled]

Interesting. I prefer the band on the left, but I think that has to do more with the spacing of the stones and less with the color. they are both beautiful

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, I can definitely see a color difference between the two bands. Have you taken a picture of the band on the left with your ring? Bet it looks fabulous!

 

[boomcast]

I see the difference, without reference, but I love them both!!! Great find & even greater info!!
Thank you for sharing!!
@boomcast, you may be interested in this lower colored melee for a WR or AR!! Your Oval will most certainly pop out bright white against these creamy, tiny stones!!!

Thank you Matthews1127!!! This is EXTREMELY helpful and I appreciate you remembering my plight and tagging me!

 

[mrs-b]

For a while there, I was wearing a K colored AVR in the 3+ ct range. I tried wearing it with a Tiffany MRB band of, I'm guessing, E/F color - and the difference was screamingly obvious - both for cut and for color.

Tried another band of smaller stones, same color, tho, and again, I couldn't stand the two together. Tried the same bands against my I colored MRB - same deal. I had hoped aligning the cut might make a difference - but, no. It really was the color difference that put my teeth on edge.

So I've never been able to compare the color diff. between MRBs and single cuts, but between rings where both stones were H&A, a color difference of 3 or more grades was very obvious and very grating.

Did Leon do both settings in your photos? To my eye, they seem to be of quite a difference production quality.

 

[yssie]

Thanks so much for all your opinions!

I agree there’s nothing like seeing minutiae like this IRL. I posted these three photos out of dozens that I took over several days in various lighting conditions because they, without any processing, are

1. Most true to life in terms of what my eyes saw in this particular lighting environment, and
2. Representative of the most difference in colour that I ever saw between these bands. Noticeable, but subtle - subtle enough that I could sway my eyes into obviating it...

If you zoom in quite a bit the fact that the channels on both rings (both PT 950/Ru) are the same colour becomes clearer - the way the stones reflect in the metal, and the way the spacing creates shadows that seem to whiten from afar... is interesting

I do have some “pretty” pics I’ll post at some point!! I personally preferred the spacing on the higher-coloured band IRL - each stone was beautifully delineated in backlighting.

@mrs-b Yes, both bands are by Leon, ordered weeks apart. Same style, same metal, same finger size. I too was surprised by the difference in melee count - I wonder what determines how many stones a particular specimen gets? Both are/were really lovely IRL - they weren’t exactly the same but my eyes found them to be equally beautiful and well-executed. I did prefer the spacing on the higher-colour band.

I would be curious what difference body colour makes in RB melee in this particular light... I expect I’ll never find out though

 

[Matthews1127]

Thank you Matthews1127!!! This is EXTREMELY helpful and I appreciate you remembering my plight and tagging me!

Absolutely! Just thought this may be helpful!!

 

[LLJsmom]

@yssie When I first looked at the pics, I thought the higher colored band was on the left. Now that I examine the pictures more closely, I think I feel that way because the stones in the band on the left are more closely spaced. The negative space in the higher colored band deceives my eyes to make the whole band seem darker to me. Crazy right? Even a detail as minor as number of stones makes such a difference, to me at least. I'm going to examine my band again. Can you tell me what size your lower color band is, and do you mind counting the number of stones? I'm just curious.
Perception is always such an interesting thing. Different people focus on different things.

 

[caf]

@yssie When I first looked at the pics, I thought the higher colored band was on the left. Now that I examine the pictures more closely, I think I feel that way because the stones in the band on the left are more closely spaced. The negative space in the higher colored band deceives my eyes to make the whole band seem darker to me. Crazy right? Even a detail as minor as number of stones makes such a difference, to me at least. I'm going to examine my band again. Can you tell me what size your lower color band is, and do you mind counting the number of stones? I'm just curious.
Perception is always such an interesting thing. Different people focus on different things.

This. ^^^

Both are beautiful bands. But the one on the right (the higher colored band) looks grayer/darker to me. I know it is the spacing and the metal. THe one on the left really does look creamier and brighter. Now one more thing to consider when buying bands... agggh.

 

[thecat]

Wow the color difference is pretty apparent. I like them both for pairing with different color center stones. I'm an equal opportunity color lover. I prefer cool or warm colors depending on shape and cut. Thanks for showing us a comparison. These photos should go into a sticky thread for melee color comparison.

 

[elle_chris]

Thanks for the pics. I can also see the difference. Your description of "creamier" color is a good one. The one on the right looks crisper to me, especially in the last pic.

These little nuances in color are important if you have an e-ring on the higher, or lower end of the colorless/near colorless spectrum. But I'm wondering if I could discern the differences in color when comparing both bands to my G e-ring.

 

[JmeeMrie]

I see the difference as well.. and I like the warmer one on the lefty slightly better. It looks creamier. I do think both are beautiftu though and I think I only see it bc they're next to each other.