carat

 

Carat is the internationally recognised unit for measuring the weight of gemstones. 

Carat weight started with the carob seed, when early gem traders used the small, uniform seeds as counterweights in their balance scales. Today, the carat is the same milligram weight in every corner of the world.

A metric“carat”is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100‘points.’This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its‘points’ alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a‘twenty-five pointer.’Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals.

Diamonds are priced for weight and the price per carat jumps disproportionally when the weight crosses certain limits. These weight limits are considered “magic sizes” – half carat, three-quarter carat, one carat etc.

Visually, there's little difference between a 0.98 carat diamond and one that weighs a full carat. But the price differences between the two can be significant.

This leads to many diamonds being cut to poor proportions. A stone that may weigh 1.48ct when cut to excellent proportions can weigh 1.51ct with only fair or good proportions. The stone stays in the “magic size” of 1.5ct and will demand a higher per carat price than a stone below 1.5ct would – sacrificing brilliance and fire.

Highest demand for lab-grown diamonds

  • 0.25ct

    +/-4.1mm
  • 0.33ct

    +/-4.4mm
  • 0.50ct

    +/-5.0mm
  • 0.75ct

    +/-5.7mm
  • 1.00ct

    +/-6.5mm
  • 1.25ct

    +/-6.9mm
  • 1.50ct

    +/-7.3mm
  • 1.75ct

    +/-7.7mm
  • 2.00ct

    +/-8.1mm
  • 2.25ct

    +/-8.5mm
  • 2.50ct

    +/-8.8mm
  • 4.00ct

    +/-9.5mm

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