Buyers' Tips
There are four important things to remember when determining the carat:
1)Style of diamond
2)Finger size
3)Setting size
4)Budget (of course!)
Remember, the carat is NOT the most important feature of a diamond.  The other
characteristics (C's) of a diamond are just as important to obtain the best quality!  This
can be hard to keep in mind when a dealer emphasize the carat (not to mention your
loved one!)
©  2008-2010
www.DiamondEducation.Net
All Rights Reserved

Home Page
Bookmark Page
Mail Comments
Print Page
Quality
Carat
Carat
Refers to the weight of a diamond

One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams.  Sometimes one carat is referred to as 100
“points.”  A 0.50 carat would then be the same as 50 points or ½ carat.  







The price of a diamond does not double for each doubling of the carat!  In other words,
a 2 carat diamond does not cost twice as much a 1 carat diamond.  The cost of a
diamond increases
exponentially with an increase in weight.  This is because larger
diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds and the rarity increases the value of a
larger diamond.  It is important to realize that a 2 carat diamond may not look twice the
size of a 1 carat diamond when mounted.

Did you ever wonder where the word "carat" comes from?  The term is a derivative of
the word carob. Carob seeds were used as a reference for diamond weight in ancient
civilizations because of their uniformity in weight.  One carob seed is equivalent to one
carat.
diamond carat weight
3.00              2.50             2.00          1.50         1.00      0.75      0.50    0.25
A jewelry piece with multiple diamonds that total one carat weight is NOT as valuable as
a single diamond of one carat weight.  Some retailers will publish the total carat weight
and fool a consumer into believing this.
Diamond Buying Guide