Diamond Carat Weight

A carat is a measurement of weight – One carat is equal to 200mg, which can then further be divided into points. One point is equal to 0.01 carat with 100 points being in a full carat, a 50 point diamond being half a carat or 50 points and so forth. It must always be remembered that carat is weight and not physical size. This common misconception can often trip up the uneducated customer into purchasing a stone which looks large on the surface but has a slim profile and so a certification from the GIA or AGS is the best way of ensuring that the diamond you are choosing is of the correct weight. The way in which a diamond has been shaped can also have an influence upon how big the diamond looks – slim and elongated shaped stones can often look bigger than a round stone and so the measurement of the stone should not take precedence over the actual carat weight. Often when choosing an item of jewelry there may be several stones present within the setting, the total carat weight will include all of the stones – something to note when choosing pave or side stone rings.

The table below shows a selection of diamond sizes and their weights to give a good comparison between size measurements and the true carat weight.

The History of the Carat

The word carat (not to be confused with karat – the measurement of gold purity) comes from the Arabic and Greek word for the Carob tree; Qirrat in Arabic and Keration in Greek. The Carob seed was used as a measurement of weight against metals such as gold and stones such as diamonds and gemstones and was, for many years a relatively consistent and reliable measurement of weight for trading purposes. In the early 20^th century The Fourth General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the measurement of carat for use in measuring the weight of gemstones and by the 1930’s, carats were used across the whole world for giving a unified measurement of a gemstones weight and the practice has continued since.

The Impact of Carat Size on Diamond Price

While no-one actually ever wants to talk about the budget it is an important aspect of choosing that perfect diamond. As we have previously discussed, the higher the carat of diamond, the more expensive it is going to be. We do have a few pointers that should help with getting the best value for money.

• If you have your heart set on a diamond with a carat weight around 1 carat then perhaps think about choosing one which is just below this mark. If you can purchase an 0.8 – 0.89 Carat Diamond this can be around 50% of the cost of a 1 Carat Diamond. This means you can afford to get a better cut which will have more fire and sparkle. The variations in size will barely be noticeable, especially in a round brilliant diamond.
• Lowering your clarity and color grade by just even a couple of grades can have a significant impact on the price you will pay for the diamond. By choosing one that has a good cut and an Eye Clean SI1-SI2 clarity, it can massively lower the price that you pay rather than an excellent cut with a VVS2 clarity. Similarly, a I-J graded color will barely be noticeable and again can help with lowering the overall price of the diamond.
• Size is not everything. A slim finger can often make a diamond appear larger than it actually is. While we do appreciate that not every lady will have slim fingers, it is something to bear in mind. Equally a larger diamond on a slim hand can look ‘too big’ if the setting and ring are not thought about carefully.

Lastly, if your budget is small, don’t worry about the size of the stone. The carat is just one part of the 4 C’s and, as we have said previously, is the least important to the quality of the diamond. It will have little to no effect on the brilliance or fire that the diamond emits. Additionally, consider lab-grown diamonds, which offer excellent value for money. Remember, the most important of the 4 C’s is the Cut. Cut is King!