Ever wondered why certain things are the way they are in jewelry-making? So do we, frankly. Let’s take, for example, the fact that over centuries of the jewelry industry the 1mm diameter round cut stone has become the most popular size of accent “melee” stone in the jewelry industry. 

Is the 1mm size of round cut side stone inherently better in some way than other accent “melee” stone size options? Survey says “no”. Why then has the shape and size combination evolved as the standard melee accent stone? 

Well, the round cut part is pretty easy to understand, because it’s what most people even today think of when they think of a gem…i.e. it’s round, hello! Of course, there are many shapes of gems and imitation gems: here are 15 of them we currently make and sell.

What about the size 1mm? Over the centuries, so many jewelry designers have created pieces with a spot to set a small round cut stone of indeterminate width somewhere between three quarters of a millimeter and one-and-a-quarter millimeter that natural stone miners/polishers – and later, synthetic stone manufacturers (like CubicZirconia.com)—simply made the ‘round number’ 1mm more often to meet demand.

Accent gemstones and imitation stones of 0.75mm, 0.80mm, 0.90mm, 1.10mm, 1.125mm, 1.15mm, 1.20mm, and 1.25mm have long been common, and are still (e.g. we use all those sizes in our own finished jewelry). But for all of those combined, in most any catalog of finished jewelry, you’ll find more standard 1mm accent stones.

So long as manufacturers of synthetic stones continue to make more 1mm stones than all the other accent “melee” stone sizes, and natural gemstone miners/polishers produce in the same 1mm-enhanced ratio, that large supply has made and will continue to make the 1 mm round cut diameter  side stones cheaper to buy in bulk for small jewelers…who will likely continue to add 1mm stones to their designs at an even more increased rate.

Supply --> Demand? Or Demand --> Supply? Who knows?! Now, if we could only get those tricksy Americans to use the metric system instead of asking us how many inches is in a millimeter. 

In the meantime, while you’re waiting for that metric miracle, you can buy our flawless, AAAAA diamond-quality 1mm round cut melee accent stones for less than a penny apiece in volume numbers. 

Maybe you want to make a blingin’ faux-diamond bikini out of them? Or bikinis for every woman on your college dance team. Please send pictures.