---
title: "Melee: meaning in gemology"
description: "Melee are small diamonds, either single cut or full cut, that weigh less than one fifth of a carat."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/melee
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/og-digital-gemology.png?v=d224fb01
---

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[Glossary](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary) · Four Cs

# Melee

Also called melee diamonds, small diamonds

Melee are small diamonds, either single cut or full cut, that weigh less than one fifth of a carat.

## In more detail

A single cut has 17 or 18 facets, and a full cut is a round brilliant with 57 or 58. Jewelers set melee close together in pavé, or around a center stone in a halo. Melee come in large parcels, sorted by color and clarity, so grading each stone is not practical. Total carat weight gives the combined weight of all the diamonds in a piece.

## Related terms

- [Old single cut](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/old-single-cut): The old single cut, or eight cut, has 8 facets above the girdle and 18 in all. They are a table, 8 crown facets, 8 pavilion facets and a culet.
- [Round brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/round-brilliant): A round brilliant is a round diamond with the brilliant facet plan. It has 33 crown and 24 pavilion facets: 57 in all, or 58 with a culet.
- [Carat weight](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/carat-weight): Carat weight is the weight of a gemstone. One carat is 200 milligrams, a fifth of a gram, and it has 100 points.
- [Facet count](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/facet-count): The facet count is the number of facets on a cut. On our cut pages, it is the number of planar faces of the cut's STEP solid.

## Learn more

- [The old single cut: eight facets and a lot of fire](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/old-single-cut-diamond)

[All 369 terms](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary)