According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), a melee diamond is a small diamond that is between one-thousandth and one-fifth of a carat. These small diamonds are used to add extra sparkle and shine to engagement rings, earrings, bracelets, and other pieces of diamond jewelry, so they play an important role in many designs. If you are a retailer, it’s important to know the best way to buy melee diamonds wholesale so you have the gemstones you need to stand out from the competition. Here’s what you need to know:
Single Cut vs. Full Cut Melee Diamonds
There are two types of melee diamonds: single cut and full cut. Single cut melee diamonds have either 17 or 18 facets and are shaped like vintage round diamonds. On the other hand, full cut melee diamonds are shaped more like today’s round brilliant diamonds. These melee diamonds have either 57 or 58 facets, which means they reflect far more light and have an intense sparkle.
Most wholesalers solely sell full cut melee diamonds. This is because advances in technology have made it far easier to efficiently create full cut diamonds. In fact, single cut melee diamonds are quite rare and typically only used in the world of watchmaking.
How Melee Diamonds Are Sold to Retailers
Wholesalers typically sell melee diamonds to retailers in parcels. How does this work? As a retailer, you will need to figure out what size, color, clarity, and cut of the diamonds you need to incorporate into your designs. Then, pass this information along to the wholesaler. The wholesaler will then provide you pricing information for a parcel of diamonds that meet your specifications. Each parcel can contain hundreds of small-sized diamonds, so make sure you specify how many you are interested in purchasing. If you are willing to pay the price, complete the transaction to obtain the parcel of melee diamonds.
After the transaction is complete, sort through the parcel of diamonds to find melee diamonds that perfectly match the center stones in the designs you are creating. You should also sort through them right away to make sure that the order is correct.
How to Choose the Right Color, Size, and Clarity of Melee Diamonds
Figuring out what color, size, and clarity to ask for is one of the hardest parts of buying melee diamonds from a wholesaler. Before making a purchase, review your design plans to determine what kind of melee diamonds are needed to complete each piece. This will ensure you have everything you need to finish the pieces and put them up for sale.
It’s recommended that retailers keep a wide variety of melee diamonds on-hand at all times. Why? Customers that lose a diamond in their favorite jewelry piece may ask you to replace the missing diamond. Most of the time, these missing diamonds are replaced with melee diamonds. Having a wide variety of melee diamonds in stock ensures that these repairs can be completed as quickly as possible. If you do not have the right melee diamond available, the customer will have to wait while you order a parcel from a wholesaler. Therefore, even when you are not planning on creating new pieces in the immediate future, it’s wise to order melee diamonds to keep on-hand so you can fulfill repair and replacement requests.
The Importance of Choosing A Reliable Wholesaler
It’s important to choose a reliable wholesaler to do business with in the diamond industry—especially when it comes to buying melee diamonds. Why? Larger diamonds are sold with GIA certifications that verify that the size, color, clarity, and cut information provided by the wholesaler is correct. However, this is not the case for melee diamonds. If you buy melee diamonds wholesale, they will not come with certification records. It’s far too expensive to have each melee diamond graded by the GIA—in fact, the cost is often greater than the value of the diamond. For this reason, retailers need to work with wholesalers that are known for their honesty and integrity. Be sure to conduct research on a wholesaler before purchasing melee diamonds. You should also ask colleagues in the industry to provide recommendations so you can do business with a wholesaler that is trusted by your peers.
Melee diamonds will make the beautiful pieces in your jewelry store shine even brighter—that is, if you choose these gemstones wisely. Keep this information handy the next time you need to buy melee diamonds wholesale so you know exactly how to make it through the process with the best melee diamonds available.
