The questions buyers actually ask.

Melee is the trade term for small polished diamonds, broadly from about 0.001 ct up to 0.18 ct — roughly 0.8 mm to 3.8 mm in diameter. Within that, goods are described by the sieve they pass through rather than by weight.

−2 means the stone falls through a number 2 sieve plate, which puts it at roughly 0.80 – 1.00 mm and around 0.003 – 0.005 ct. It is the smallest commercially cut size, and it is where most manufacturers stop cutting in house and start buying in.

A sieve is a calibrated metal plate with round holes of a precise diameter. Polished goods are passed through a stack of plates in descending size. A parcel described as +6 −8 has passed through the number 8 plate but been held by the number 6 — so every stone in it sits between those two diameters.

That is why sieve notation is more useful than carat weight for small goods: it describes the physical size that has to fit your setting, which is what the bench actually cares about.

No minimum designed to filter out smaller houses. We quote at parcel level, and a parcel can be a single carat if that is what your run needs. Very small one-off requests may carry a handling charge, and we will tell you that in the quotation rather than after.

We do not manufacture, stock or trade lab-grown diamonds. There is no separate line and no second shift, so there is no route by which synthetic goods could reach a natural parcel on our floor.

You do not have to take that on trust. Melee screening instruments — the type used by most laboratories and larger manufacturers — will test a full parcel in minutes and separate natural from synthetic and simulant. If you screen incoming goods, we welcome it; if you would like a parcel screened before dispatch, ask and we will arrange it at cost.

Individual lab reports are not practical below about 0.30 ct — the cost of the report exceeds the value of the stone, and no laboratory issues them for parcel goods.

Instead, melee ships with our own parcel statement: sieve range, colour band, clarity band, weight, piece count and the make standard, referenced to the job number. Above 0.30 ct we arrange independent reports from IGI, GIA or HRD, with laser inscription on request.

We hold D–F, G–H and I–J as separate colour sortments, and VVS, VS and SI for clarity. Below J we quote parcel by parcel rather than by band.

At melee sizes, grading is applied to the parcel as a whole under 10× rather than stone by stone. That is standard practice across the trade, and it is why agreeing the band before the order matters more than the label on the packet.

From live stock, one to three working days once terms are agreed. Cut to order in melee is typically two to four weeks depending on the sieve range and colour band. Calibrated layouts run three to five weeks from an approved sample. Recut and repair is usually five to ten working days after assessment.

Yes — we currently ship to twelve countries. Goods travel by insured courier, door to door, on your account or ours. The airway bill is sent the day the parcel moves.

Import duties and any local formalities are the buyer's responsibility, and we will provide whatever documentation your customs regime requires, including Kimberley Process certification where applicable.

Yes. Send the CAD file or the setting specification and we will build a calibrated layout — stones matched to each seat, sealed and numbered so the bench sets instead of sorting. We normally produce a sample layout for approval before cutting the full run.

Usually. Send the stone and we will assess it and quote both the work and the expected weight loss before we start — you decide with that number in front of you, not after. If a stone is not worth recutting we will tell you that too.

First orders are settled in advance by bank transfer. Once a trading relationship is established we can discuss terms. We run standard know-your-customer checks when opening an account, and we do not settle above statutory cash limits under any circumstances.

Tell us within seven days of arrival with photographs. If the sortment, weight or piece count is wrong, we replace the parcel or refund it — your choice. If we got it wrong, freight both ways is ours.

Gujarati, Hindi and English, in writing and on the phone. Quotations and documentation are issued in English by default.

Yes, by appointment. We are in Katargam, Surat, and we are open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00 IST. Tell us when you are in Gujarat and we will arrange a walk through the planning room, the polishing hall and the sorting bench.