Question about Diamond quality....(pave,etc,)

[starbucksqueen]

I am aware of the 4 Cs of diamond quality, but am wondering about pave... settings. Do manufacturers, jewelers, etc. use a lower quality of diamond for pave? I often see reviews of watches or jewelry with pave and people complain about how the diamonds are so tiny. Isn't that what is used in pave settings? And aren't most diamonds of the H-I variety anyway, since the very best diamonds were mined out of the earth ages ago, I don't know if I have seen anything better than G color, maybe an F.
I always thought that round cuts were the most desirable, but since I really don't know, I thought one of you jewelry mavens might know her stuff. Thanks.

[Rockst@r]

Pave stones are generally small. The larger a diamond is, the more noticeable the color and inclusions. Since they're small, a lower color and clarity isn't as noticeable. A warning about pave: diamonds are more likely to fall out of the setting. Pave and invisible settings are among the least secure.

[lilach]

well it depends there are pavés out there using d if stones and also on the larger scale for pavé but pavées are usually set with brilliant cuts or if you speak of the mysterieuse setting (invented by van cleef) baguette or princess cut stones. and there are huge differences betweeen pavé and pavé the good ones have nearly no metal showing an the stones centered the bad ones well these are just stones slammed into the setting kwim
well and cut is purely what one wants but the brilliant cut is not the most desireable when it comes to larger stones. and of course the good stones are not mined out as you said there are still some fantastic baubles out there in the d/e/f-if/fl category

[Shari]

I don't think jewelers use necessarily use lower quality stones for pave settings. For instance, my Cartier ring has 10 little pave diamonds in it and I asked what specs they had and was told they were all around the G colour and eye-clean. I have seen huge single-stone engagement rings with worse specs than that.

I think it depends on the jeweler, but there are good quality, small stones out there and they must be used for something, they just don't have the carat size to warrant them being used in single-stone designs.

[Littlesharon]

Pave can vary enormously and this will be reflected in the price and the sparkle!!!!! Why do some pave rings look hum drum, and others reach out and slap you with their brillience??? Its because pave comes in different qualities. Just because the diamond is tiny, doesnt mean it has no regard for the 4 c`s. Beautiful pave will work overtime and really bring a piece of jewellery into the spot light. Excellent quality pave can be seen a million miles away even by someone who knows nothing about diamonds!!!! Look for whiteness and brightness, it will be obvious when you come across it.

[bl2k4]

Originally Posted by Littlesharon

Pave can vary enormously and this will be reflected in the price and the sparkle!!!!! Why do some pave rings look hum drum, and others reach out and slap you with their brillience??? Its because pave comes in different qualities. Just because the diamond is tiny, doesnt mean it has no regard for the 4 c`s. Beautiful pave will work overtime and really bring a piece of jewellery into the spot light. Excellent quality pave can be seen a million miles away even by someone who knows nothing about diamonds!!!! Look for whiteness and brightness, it will be obvious when you come across it.

exactly!

[starbucksqueen]

Thanks for your input. I was wondering about this, because I have some pieces that they might have put just as well put glass. IMO, if the diamonds of too poor quality, they might as well forget it or use CZ. (I have never bought CZ) If you have the opportunity to own a piece from Cartier, that's fantastic, but I am talking for the vast majority of women who lack access to Cartier for various reasons.

[oo_let_me_see]

I did some shopping for a pave ring, and found a lot of the high end brands use G colored stones and VS in clarity.

[Shari]

Originally Posted by starbucksqueen

Thanks for your input. I was wondering about this, because I have some pieces that they might have put just as well put glass. IMO, if the diamonds of too poor quality, they might as well forget it or use CZ. (I have never bought CZ) If you have the opportunity to own a piece from Cartier, that's fantastic, but I am talking for the vast majority of women who lack access to Cartier for various reasons.

My ring is my engagement and wedding ring in one and it wasn't that expensive anyway. The reason I mentioned it in the first place is because the diamonds are tiny but excellent quality and in your original post you asked:

Quote:

Do manufacturers, jewelers, etc. use a lower quality of diamond for pave?

and I thought I would provide a real-life example of a jewelery manufacturer using good quality diamonds for pave. I also agree that low-quality diamonds, simply for the sake of having them, are pointless. As I said before, I have seen traditional solitaire rings with huge, crappy diamonds in them.

[chaz]

Some of the big fashion houses use pave to embellish their designs, they are all of excellent quality,it is generally sourced from offcuts of bigger excellent quality stones, there really is no wastage as far as a diamond cutter is concerned!!! Especially when you consider that a least one hundred tonnes of ore is mined to extract 1 carat of usable material,and its not always in big peices either!!! As one lady pointed out previously,absolutely spot on too, pave settings are not the most hared wearing as there is so little metal holding the stones in,a nasty whack or knock has been known to very easily dislodge them!!!!

[chaz]

The big fashion houses I mean are the likes of Cartier,Bulgari,Chanel and watches such as Rolex,Patek Phillipe,Chopard(and on their exquisite jewellery too)Breguet(very expensive watches) Even manufactures such as Omega,Tag and Breitling will only use excellent quality diamonds,and I have seen some simply fantastic watches that have the most divine diamond accents and pave dials,absolutely white,shimmery,drool worthy things when they are done right,totally yummmy!!!!!!

[LeeMiller]

I also think that sometimes you might be seeing a difference because the diamonds used are not fully faceted, at least I've seen some small diamond chips that are called 'pave' and really aren't.

[urologist]

My boyfriend's family owns a jewelry store, and they have put pave bezels on several of my watches. What they've told me is that the big name jewelers (e.g. Chopard) use F or better diamonds even for the smaller pave settings. They've put VVS on my watches and honestly I can't tell the difference--someone with more experience may be able to, but for me the price difference was worth it.