I''m no expert, but I did just buy a .82 c RB and have it set for her. (shhh! she doesn''t know yet!) A couple months ago we went to a maul jewelery store just for fun. After trying a couple stones in shapes and sizes she announced that a 3/4 RB was the perfect size/shape combo for her. Moral of the story? Go have some fun at a store! She''s a size 6 ring and happy with a 3/4 stone.
To be honest though, sure it bothers me a bit that it''s under a carat. Don''t get me wrong, it''s a beautiful stone, but the "one carat" magical number definitely plays on me. It''s all in my head though and nothing to really be embarressed about.
You mentioned melee stones too... our .82 is a G with side stones promised to be in the F-G range. There''s sure to be some of each in there and it all looks fine to my untrained eye. It''s just a thought, but since you are worried about color uniformity it might be worth asking if the melee stones exhibit any fluorescence.