Whenever you are shopping for diamond jewelry you will certainly have to come off with a diamond accent. Adding the features of your jewelry will help you make the right decision.
Diamonds dazzle and spin heads with their striking beauty. They come in different grades, styles, and shapes. As a shopper, whether first-timer or experienced, you must know more about diamond accents.
So, what is a diamond accent? Accent diamonds are tiny pieces of diamonds placed beside a large gemstone in a piece of jewelry to influence its style and spackle.
A diamond accent is a smaller shaped diamond that jewelers use to refine the beauty of a larger stone. Usually, several diamond accents are arranged in a systematic order to give a stunning combination. The reason why jewelers use accents is to add and diversify the sparkle effect and influence the style of your desired ring.
Diamond Accent Vs. Real Diamond
Diamond accent is smaller than a real diamond. It is also fitted into a larger stone to enhance its beauty. Individually, an accent’s value is less compared to a real diamond.
Are diamond accents real diamonds?
There is only a slight difference between a diamond accent and a real diamond. Diamond accents are real diamonds because they have the same carat grade, color, cut, and clarity.
Because of their smaller size, individual accents are less valuable, but once combined, the value is the same as that of a real diamond.
Varieties of Diamond Accent
To avoid a rip-off, you need to know accent diamond varieties. The way to distinguish the types is through the shapes and designs that they bear. We’ve got three types of diamond accents;
- Â Baguette Diamond
- Trillion Cut Diamond
- Small Round Diamond
1. Baguette Diamond
The most defining feature of a baguette diamond is its shape. The diamond accent comes in two populous forms, making it perfect for both side and center stone.
- Straight shape baguette
This is almost a perfect rectangle. The diamond appears slightly more extensive than others because of the large table size. Usually, the accents present in a row provide the stone with a complete diamond band look. The small-shaped diamonds make the accent suitable for a center stone, thus ideal for marquise, Asscher, and brilliant round cuts.
- Tapered shape baguette
These accents are slightly wider on one edge, which allows the diamond to flow in the ring’s natural curve. The tapered shape is an excellent complement for three-stone and side stone rings. It combines perfectly with radiant, princess emerald, and brilliant cuts.
Features:
- Symmetrical feature
- Side or center stone
- Available in smaller sizes and carat weights
- Tapered or straight edges
- Large table size
- Fourteen faucets count, thus less shine
- Clear faucets
Tapered shape Baguette is a valuable size stone for engagements, weddings, eternity rings.
2. Trillion cut diamond
Also referred to as a Trilliant cut diamond, this diamond accent is triangular. Its unique feature is an equal length three-sided triangle with a flat table. The eye-catching features of a diamond shape make the accent stand out amongst others.
While the other accents combine better as center stones, the trilliant cut diamond features more as a side stone. Some jewelers use it as a center stone for engagement rings. Besides the shape, other features distinguish the trilliant cut diamond from others.
Other features
- 31 or 50 facets counts -depends on whether it’s for solitaire or accent stone
- Convex or light curve shape to maximize the size
- Rare to find.
- Triangular shape
The trillion cut diamond’s triangular shape gives the stone a complete visual volume. It is a perfect complement for radiant and princess cut center diamonds.
3. Small Round Diamond
As the name suggests, these are small rounded diamond accents. They too fall into three categories;
- Stars
- Full Cuts
- Melee
The stars are 0.02 karats or less. The Full Cuts have a range of 0.02 and 0.07 karats, while the Melee has the highest karats with a range of 0.08 to 0.18 Karats.
The stars, Full Cuts, and Melee are great for side stone, three-stone, and channel rings. They fill out thicker ring settings and are pleasant for thinner pave settings. They give your wedding ring elegance, class, and magnificent sparkle. Small round diamond accents come out well, depending on your style and taste.
Purity of Diamond Accent in Karats
When looking for a diamond, you want to make sure that you get nothing but the purest. You have to consider the color, cut, clarity, and carat (4Cs) before settling on a perfect diamond accent.
Color
Pure diamond is colorless, which means any other color shade lowers its value. Diamonds color scale ranges from d to z as follows;
- D-F: Colorless
- G-J: Near Colorless
- K-M: Faint
- N-R: Very Light
- S-Z: Light
Cut
The cut is the aesthetic quality of a diamond accent. An ideally cut and shaped diamond sparkle is stunning. Irregular edges will not bring out the brilliance and a sharp appearance. It will be dull regardless of other qualities. The cut has got a range as follows:
- 0: Ideal Cut
- 1: Excellent Cut )
- 2: Very Good Cut
- 3-4: Good Cut
- 5-7: Fair Cut
- 8-10: Poor Cut
Clarity
Clarity includes the physical appearance when you inspect the diamond accent with an aided or unaided eye. Aided means under a magnifier, while unaided means with the naked eye. It includes possible inclusions, dents, and surface imperfections. Clarity has got its scale including;
- Flawless (FL)
- Internally Flawless (IF)
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1) and (VVS2)
- Very Slightly Included (VS1) and (VS2)
- Slightly Included (SI1) and (SI2)
- Included (I1), (I2), and (I3)
Carat
This is the measure that determines a diamond’s weight. For diamond accents, the ranges fall between 0.01-0.18 Karats. Your choice will depend on the appearance of the accent setting, preference, and of course, your budget.
Although diamond accent purity depends on color, cut, and clarity, its karat is a top objective. The other three are all important, but they trail behind the karats. Carat is the quality and value of your diamond accent.
In the diamond accent karat range of 0.1 and 0.18, the latter is more valuable than the 0.1K diamond accent. That means a 0.18K diamond accent is purer than the 0.1K. But all carats weights are not equal. The other qualities of purity determine the value.
What does this mean? A 0.18-carat diamond accent with a K-M color grade, a Good Cut grade, and flawless clarity could be less valuable than a 0.16-carat of higher quality. All the other Cs play a significant role while determining the purity of a diamond accent.
How to Match Accent Diamonds
The art of matching accent diamonds requires a keen eye because they are smaller and different from the bigger version. The process involves placing the accents aesthetically carefully not to outshine the center stone but dazzle it.
So how do you match accent diamonds? There are several considerations before matching;
Color grade: Diamond color grades range from colorless to light. Some are hardly noticeable with unaided eyes. These include color grades G to H. They would appear similar but the prices differ. When choosing a diamond accent, a lower grade color than the base diamond will match perfectly by creating the impression that they are colorless.
Clarity: Clarity range is essential as it to notice surface imperfections. Pure accent diamonds fall on FL (Flawless) range on the clarity scale.
Cut: A perfect cut with a higher grade will match well and flawlessly on a ring. The higher the clarity grade, the better. The highest grade diamond accents cuts like Ideal Cut and Excellent Cut shapes fall in place perfectly.
Design: The accent diamonds based upon design will allow you to match your collection with the center diamond. An example is Melee accent diamonds. They allow you to come up with a unique design because they have the highest carats.
How to Buy Diamond Accents
Earlier, we unearthed the characteristics of pure diamond accents. We based these on color, cut, clarity and carats. These are the top on the list traits to look for in a diamond accent. You will then grade them according to the 4Cs appropriate scales.
There are many diamond accents dealers around. But it is prudent to be watchful not to fall into fraud. You may consider a recommendation from a friend or a reputable dealer. Even with the honest dealer, if you master the grading, including color, clarity, and cut, you will never go wrong with diamond accents.
How to Choose the Right Diamond accents For Your Jewelry
Choosing suitable accent diamonds for your jewelry depends on your preference. You know the colors that stun you most. That also includes the shapes and the carats. A Melee accent offers you the most valuable of all accents: diamonds, but you can also choose princess, marquise, and Asscher cuts. As we said, the choice narrows down to your privileges.
Here are the 5 things to look for with diamond accents:
Color
Pure diamond accents are colorless. Other colors signify lesser value. Look out for numerous from nearly colorless to yellow and determine its purity.
Clarity
The clarity of a gem depends on the size of inclusions, dents, and surface blemishes. It ranges from Flawless to Pique 3.
Cut
Diamond accents cut can either be too deep, too shallow, and well-cut. Poorly cut diamond accents will look dull, while the well-cut reflect high quality and brilliant facets and angles.
Shape
There are several shapes to look out for in diamond accents. These include;
- Pear
- Cushion
- Emerald
- Oval
- Princess
- Marquis
- Round
- Asscher
- Heart
- Radiant
Certifications
Look out for diamond accents with certifications from a reputable gem lab. The certificates reveal vital information like color, clarity, carats, and cut. It is a way of safeguarding buyers from extortionists.
FAQ
What is the size of Diamond Accents?
Diamond accents are small, but they depend on two factors;
- The setting of the central diamond
- Size of the main diamond.
The most oversized accent weighs 0.20 carats, while the smallest is 0.01 carats. The small-sized accents enhance the beauty of the larger diamond.
What color are diamond accents? Is it clear?
The color of the diamond depends on purity. Pure diamond accents are colorless and transparent. Any other color indicates low value and impure diamond accents. The color scale ranges from colorless/transparent to yellow as on this scale:
- D to F: Colorless
- G to J: Near Colorless
- K to M: Faint
- N to R: Very Light
- S to Z: Light
Conclusion: How Much Does a Diamond Accent Cost?
Like natural diamonds, diamond accents, prices lean more on Carat weight. Individual accents have low carat weight (0.1 to 0.18), thus less valuable than the center diamond. Also, the cut, clarity, and color grades determine the diamond accent price. Lower-grade accent diamonds mean a lesser price.
If you intend to buy diamond accents, that may not be possible as you would have to purchase at wholesale price. They are more valuable to jewelers. High-grade diamond accents can go for up to $1000 per carat. Again, that depends on the purity. You can purchase as low as $300 per carat.
