CARAT

Carat refers to the Weight of a Diamond

Carat is often confused with size even though it is actually a measure of weight. The term carat originated in ancient times when gemstones were weighed against the carob bean. Each bean weighed about one carat. In 1913, carat weight was standardized internationally and adapted to the metric system. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 “points”, a 0.75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-points or 3/4 carat diamond.

A 1-carat diamond costs exactly twice the price of a half-carat diamond, right? No, Wrong. Since larger diamonds are found less frequently in nature, which places them at the rarest level of the Diamond, a 1-carat diamond will cost more than twice a 1/2-carat diamond (assuming color, clarity and cut remain constant).

Sometimes, you might think a larger diamond appears more brilliant than a smaller one. This is because light must travel a greater distance through a larger diamond. The result is a prism effect that your eye registers as more brilliance and fire.

ESTIMATED CARAT SIZE

Use the tables (fig. 1.1) below to measure the CARAT size of a diamond.*

*carat weight examples are meant only as an educational guide