About Us
WHAT IS MELEE EXPRESS?
We’re proud to introduce the next step in melee buying, the Melee Express Evolution. Melee Express brings you a better melee buying experience, where you can purchase melee by the piece, not by the carat or parcel. Imagine buying the melee you need, in the precise grade and size that you want, in the piece count that fits each of your specific jobs. We know your time is valuable, and have designed our Melee Express service to save you time, money and worry. This innovative buying system is your new best friend in the diamond business.
The Thijs Family: Making Antwerp more Beautiful, One Diamond at a Time!
When people think of diamonds, the historic city of Antwerp will likely be the next word that pops into their minds. Antwerp and diamonds have a joint history of more than a hundred and fifty years, and most of the traditional methods of polishing and preparing the stones for market have not changed during that century and a half. We employ the same methods that our great-grandparents used so long ago. During the turbulence of so dynamic a ong history, one family business has remained faithful to its values and its name. Since its founding in 1948, the Thijs family has been making Antwerp more beautiful — one diamond at a time.
The Thijs family’s love for diamonds originated in the green, landscaped outskirts of Antwerp called the Kempen. In these small villages Marc Thijs' grandfather Paul would sit till the late hours of the night in his small polishing factory behind his family home and polish the most beautiful creations of his time. This tradition has gone on for generations, to his son Frans, and then to his grandson Marc.
Frans is still active in the family business at the age of eighty-six. He works alongside his son and daughter Marc and Christine, as well as his grandchildren Davina and Dennis, to sort, sieve, and pack orders being shipped from their Antwerp office.
Marc Thijs a fourth generation diamond polisher and trader. He is specialized in cutting the world's smallest diamonds very finely. Being a traditional, family run business, we pride ourselves in providing personal service to our clientele regardless of the size of their orders.
Life having become so fast-paced and predominantly 'online', and the majority of our customers being repeat clientele, we know and daily prove that there is still a high demand for top–cut melee for a small engagement ring that needs only a few small diamonds for pave, or a complicated custom-made jewel with dozens of different sizes. Melee-Express never disappoints.
Our ethos may be traditional, with our courteous service and personally packed small marked plastic bags, but our devotion and loyalty to our customers never becomes outdated. We always strive to reach the best.
Our ethos may be traditional, with our courteous service and personally packed small marked plastic bags, but our devotion and loyalty to our customers never becomes outdated. We always strive to reach the best.
Our Philosophy
At Melee-Express, our commitment is to our customers. We understand that buying diamonds is all about trust, and our reputation speaks for itself. Our philosophy is to offer the best diamond assortments, combining extraordinary quality, affordable pricing, and an evolutionary new get-and-set service designed to keep our customers coming back year after year.
Believing that the educated consumer will be most confident with his purchases, our experienced staff will assist you until you feel that you fully comprehend the level of our grading of the value of the stone you wish to purchase. It is our belief at Melee-Express that trust, knowledge, and experience are the keys to success in our industry.
Melee–Express has been designed to cater to the needs of its customers of ANY level. From a jeweler who needs only one, single diamond of one point to any scale of large orders, we treat every sale and every customer with the same professionalism and vigor that has come to define our name. We are always looking forward to providing you with exceptional guidance and help to make any kind or size of purchase as comfortable as possible.
When you think of small diamonds… think Melee-Express!
We know you have so many options when the time comes to select your supplier, that we always feel honored to be among your choices, and we work very hard to create the difference between us and other dealers that can only be felt if you have the experience of buying from us.
Believing that the educated consumer will be most confident with his purchases, our experienced staff will assist you until you feel that you fully comprehend the level of our grading of the value of the stone you wish to purchase. It is our belief at Melee-Express that trust, knowledge, and experience are the keys to success in our industry.
Melee–Express has been designed to cater to the needs of its customers of ANY level. From a jeweler who needs only one, single diamond of one point to any scale of large orders, we treat every sale and every customer with the same professionalism and vigor that has come to define our name. We are always looking forward to providing you with exceptional guidance and help to make any kind or size of purchase as comfortable as possible.
When you think of small diamonds… think Melee-Express!
We know you have so many options when the time comes to select your supplier, that we always feel honored to be among your choices, and we work very hard to create the difference between us and other dealers that can only be felt if you have the experience of buying from us.
We use our experiences to update the way you buy melee and thus to saving you time and money. By not keeping inventory you save money and by getting your assorted stones-to-be-set on your table without any work-driven tag attached to it, we save you time. We are always ready to improve our services in order to serve you better. We ask you to please tell us how we may improve our work.
We provide a customized buying experience of melee from 0.8mm to 5.95mm. our customers get the privilege of buying only what they need and not a single stone more. What you need to buy – buy. What you do not need to buy – don’t buy!
We use the markets most advanced technologies in assorting the stones that will be set in your jewels. Every stone is assorted under the microscope and checked with a gauge to get the most accurate size. A sample of each parcel we purchase is sent to a laboratory to protect us and our customers from the growing threat of cvd or lab grown diamonds.