Like everything else around us, diamonds also have weights. To put it simply, the term carat weight refers to the weight of a diamond. Most people tend to confuse carats to be a measurement of a diamond’s size. This, however, is a popular misconception. Diamonds and other gemstones are measured using a unit called metric carats. One carat is equal to 0.200 milligrams.
A carat is further split into 100 points and jewellers use the point system to weigh smaller diamonds. So, if you buy a diamond ring having a 10-point stone, it will mean that your diamond weighs 0.10 carats. Even a fraction of a carat can bring about a considerable difference in a diamond’s price. So, the point system is used to maintain precision in weight, which, in turn, will determine its monetary value. Most of the diamonds used to make fine jewellery are of 0.08 to 1.00 one carat weight less or more.
When you buy diamond and other types of jewellery, you are likely to hear the term total carat weight. What exactly is it? And how does it differ from carat weight of a diamond? Be aware that it is the total weight of all the diamonds in the ornament. So, if your jeweller says that the total carat weight of the solitaire diamond earrings you selected is 0.22 points, it means the combined weight of the diamonds for both the earring in 0.22 carat and not for each individual earring.
A carat is not the same as the karat and it’s not just the difference in spelling that we are talking about. Carat is the standard unit for expressing the weight of precious stones like diamonds and gemstones. Karat, on the other hand, refers to the purity of gold. The purity of gold is scaled from 1 to 24 where 24 Karat is the purest form of the metal. The abbreviation for carat is ‘ct’ while that for karat is ‘k’ or ‘kt’.
So, next time when you go to buy that diamond ring with the stone mounted in gold/silver, you will know your carats from the karats.
The carat derives its name from the carob seed. They are a variety of small seeds that were supposed to have fairly uniform weight. Gem traders in the early days used these seeds to weight precious stones. The current unit of metric carat was first adopted in 1907. Today, it’s a universal unit used all over the world to weight diamonds and gemstones.
The price of a diamond increases with its carat weight. A diamond of high carat weight and very low will be more expensive than those with fewer carat weights. This is because diamonds with higher and lower carat weight are rare and expensive, are more desirable. But it’s important to remember that a diamond’s value depends on all the 4Cs, and not just the carat weight alone. So, two diamonds of equal weight can vary significantly in their prices if the cut, colour, and clarity of the two stones vary.
The answer to this question is no. The carat weight of a diamond has no direct correlation to its size. Two diamonds having the same weight can vary in diameters and depth. This will make them look like two stones with different sizes when they are set in jewellery like a ring, earring, etc. The cut of the stone also impacts its size. For instance, a round cut diamond may look smaller compared to an oval or a marquise cut diamond, even though they are all of the same carat weight.
Yes, they can. This is because the combination of certain shapes and cuts produce more brilliance than the others. Based on such factors, the price of a diamond can differ much. For instance, a diamond with a round brilliant cut will have much more sparkle and fire than one with an emerald cut. Due to this, the price of the first diamond will be more than the second one, even though both of them may have the same carat weight.
There are certain weights that are known as magic sizes, such as 1 carat, 0.5 carat, 0.25 etc. You won’t find much difference between the sizes of a 0.50 carat diamond and a 0.49 carat diamond. But due to the threshold sizes, the prices of diamonds with magic sizes can differ significantly.