Micro Diamonds Vs Jumbo Jewels: Which Style Would You Choose?
Two of fine jewelry’s leading tastemakers, LUCY DELIUS and DANIELLE MIELE, make the case for their gems of choice. Read on to decide which style will suit you best
Lucy Delius: micro diamonds
“I set my diamonds in what I call ‘Victorian settings’. In the Victorian era, there weren’t any uniformly cut stones as they were all cut by hand by candlelight, and when they wanted to cover a jewel in diamonds, they would jigsaw different sizes to give an amazing cobblestone effect, which I love. It’s all about texture – micro diamonds add visual layers, and they draw the eye – I see it as the jewel equivalent of a cashmere jumper.
“The beauty of using micro diamonds is that you can also create the illusion of a bigger stone. Because of the way I set them, the light hits the diamonds at all angles, creating a sparkly showstopper piece without feeling ostentatious. You can even mix colors and cuts to create an amazing mosaic; I love using champagne and cognac diamonds, as do my clients who aren’t so into white diamonds. By day, it looks as if you have a plain gold band on, and then as the light starts to dim, they start going off like fireworks.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with clients recently about how they don’t feel safe wearing their bigger single-stone gems in certain places – they feel like wearing pavé pieces makes them less of a target, but they aren’t compromising on size or visual impact. I always set micro diamonds on a backdrop of either white or black rhodium – the white rhodium makes the setting disappear and the black rhodium makes the diamonds really pop in contrast. In the case of micro diamonds, you’re only as good as your raw materials, so with mini diamonds I want to use the best quality I can so that they’re like little disco balls.” Lucy Delius, fine-jewelry designer
Danielle Miele: jumbo jewels
“I have always gravitated toward a ‘bigger is better’ mantra when it comes to jewelry, even as a petite person who is 5ft 1in. I like being able to wear one bold piece and keep it classy and chic, instead of several smaller pieces and possibly overdoing it. When buying jewelry, we often opt for whatever is less expensive. But, the few times I disregarded the price tag and chose what I truly loved, it has rewarded me tenfold, especially when it comes to bold designs.
“Extra-large jewels are sometimes tricky to style – you don’t want to come off as tacky, so I like keeping clothing classic and simple, with large gemstones set in yellow gold. I love a huge gemstone pendant worn on a single chain – something very bright and colorful, like blue topaz, amethyst or citrine. These gemstones can give you a bold look for a reasonable price tag since the price per carat [is lower than] an emerald, sapphire or ruby.
“I also love a bold bracelet rather than several dainty bracelets, and I can vividly remember when this preference came into play in my life: I had an important doctor’s appointment with a new doctor I had never been to before. I wanted to wear a piece of jewelry that felt important, gave me a feeling of ‘protection and luck’ and something bold. I wore a super-wide, puffy mariner-link chain bracelet over a long-sleeve black sweater. The look felt immaculately chic, as I didn’t wear much else accessories-wise, and I felt like that piece helped me remember that day. Bold jewels create memories, and that can be so powerful.” Danielle Miele, fine-jewelry collector and @gemgossip content creator
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