DIAMOND ACCENT: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Natalie K Diamond Rings white gold

While choosing the perfect diamond for your jewelry, you have probably heard the word “diamond accent” or “accent diamond” and you find yourself wondering what those are and how they look. Well, if these questions have crossed your mind, keep reading to know the answers. Let me just tell you something, nothing makes a piece of diamond jewelry sparkle and look shiny like a diamond accent does.

What is a diamond accent?

Accent diamonds, more widely known as diamond accents, are small diamonds with simple cuts. These are used as a decoration on the side to complement the center stone. These dazzling small pieces of diamonds help enhance the overall beauty of a jewelry piece. They add elegance, style, and a bit of personality.

How do they look?

Diamond accents are real diamonds, they have color, clarity, cut, and carat weight grade like other diamonds. They are just relatively small and less visible. They are also not cut with the full number of facets as in the normal size of the stone. Let’s take a round diamond accent, for example, it only has 16-18 facets and was called ‘single cut’ compared to a normal stone with a ‘full cut’ having 58 facets. The size of a diamond accent varies depending on the size of the main stone. Usually, they weigh between 0.01 up to 0.25. Most diamond accents have low clarity. They are graded SI (slightly included) or I (included) however, since they are small, the inclusions can be hardly seen by the naked eye. These are actually a lot cheaper than high clarity stones. In terms of color, a diamond accent is usually in the Nearly Colorless grade.

Types of Diamond Accent

The cuts or shapes of a diamond accent can vary, generally, there are types of a diamond accent. In most cases, they are found in Baguette, Trillion cut and small round diamond shape.

  1. Baguette Diamond Accent is a step-cut diamond with a rectangular shape. This type is an ideal diamond accent because of its classic appearance having a large table and appealing symmetry. Baguette diamonds tend to have less carat weight making it a great choice for budget. These classic diamond accents were only cut with 14 facets, therefore it perfectly complemented a larger diamond without stealing the spotlight.

Baguette diamonds come in two popular shapes; the Straight Baguette and the Tapered Baguette.

  • Straight Baguette is an almost perfect rectangular shape. They usually appear larger than other accent diamonds with the same carat weight because of their large table. They can be paired with a step-cut diamond. And create a beautiful contrast with other diamond shapes. Straight baguette diamond accents are often arranged in a row, giving a full diamond band appearance.
  • Tapered Baguette is a modified rectangular shape having one side of the diamond wider than the other side. These are often used to follow the curve of the jewelry setting. Tapered baguette diamond accents are most popular in three stone and side stone settings and almost all diamond shapes can complement perfectly with this kind of accent.

2. Trillion Cut Diamond Accents feature a triangular shape that was cut like a radiant diamond that produces an intense sparkle that can outshine any diamonds that do not have a great deal of brilliance. This cut can come with rounded and pointed ends. Trillion-cut diamonds are noticeable and enable the center stone to stand out because of their triangular shape. It is best to pair with a three-stone setting with round brilliant or radiant diamonds.

3. Small Round Diamonds are simple yet stunning accents. Their classic round design makes them the most versatile accent to pair with any shape of the diamond. These diamond accents provide extra brilliance in every setting. There are three types of small round diamonds. These are the ‘stars’ with 0.02 carat or less, the ‘full cuts’ with 0.02 up to 0.07 carat, and ‘melee’ with 0.08-0.18 carat. Round diamonds are used to create the famous halo setting that features small round diamonds surrounding a large diamond.

The Takeaway

Diamond accents are overlooked most of the time because of their small size, but they do play an important role in the design. It gives you the freedom to tailor your jewelry to fit your personality and preferences. Choosing the right accent can make a simple jewelry piece into a glamorous and dazzling one.