Carat Weight

Carat (ct.) is a measure of the weight of a diamond. The term “carat” originates from the Greek word kerátion which translates to “carob bean”. Carat was originally used as a way of weighing grains or seeds before 1913- but eventually became a comparable form of weighing diamonds and other precious stones. A single carat is equivalent to 0.200 grams, or 200 milligrams and is divided into 100 points.

Although a diamond’s carat size is somewhat linked to its weight- the two are not exactly equivalent. This is due to the way a diamond is cut. Two diamonds of equal carat size can have different weights because one might be cut too deep, whereas the other is cut too shallow. This emphasizes the fact that even minute details of a diamond can have a big impact on its features, thus, choosing a diamond based on how large the carat size is alone, is not a good idea. It is best to consider the size as well as the quality of the stone (color, clarity and cut) when deciding on a diamond’s value.