Diamond Tutorial - Carat

Carat | Color | Clarity | Cut | Shape

Carats are the traditional measuring unit of a diamond's weight, one carat equaling 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 "points," so the same diamond can be represented as weighing a carat and a half, 150 points or 1.50 carats.

Is bigger always better? Well, this is not at all true with the weight/size of diamonds.... A big ugly stone isn't better than a smaller eye clean one, guaranteed! We like to remind my customers that a very yellow or included large stone is much less attractive than a well cut, clean white smaller version of the same cut. While the depth of the stone will affect its size, the carat measurement indicates its true mass and weight. With each weight category increase (quarter, third, half), the value per carat of a diamond will increase significantly (given all have the same other factors).

Geometric price increases! A stone which is twice as large as an otherwise identical smaller stone might be three or more times more expensive. So while you might see a price for a smaller stone at $2,000 per carat, as you price the same cut, color and clarity in a larger stone you'll see dramatic increases. Geometric increases at each weight category are to be expected, it's often a lot less money to buy a .97 or .98 carat diamond than to buy the same grade in a 1.00 or 1.01ct (above this 1ct. category) ... While the size difference is nearly impossible to visually detect the price differences for the per carat price are significantly different with a "light half carat"... Keep this in mind when you go pricing stones, and you'll definitely end up with a better value...

In a multistone piece of jewelry, the total carat weight is the combined weights of the stones in the item. All the stones should be of the same approximate grade. Remember that a total weight and price is determined by the size of the individual stones making up that total weight. If the ring is all ten pointers (.10carats each), then the number of stones X their weight (.10cts) X the per carat price would equal the cost for the stones in a ring.

When choosing carat size, consider your budget first and not how many month's salary you "should spend." If you're shopping for a nice diamond for your future, don't start off by overspending as some twisted token of your love. Buy something you can afford, that you like. Buy something that makes you happy, invest in your happiness--but remember you're going to need other things, which are more practical, like furniture & a television. While not very sexy, leave something in the bank for them too! That might translate to a very nice tasteful 1/3 or 1/2 carat diamond in a well designed mounting, or it might be a nice quarter carat stone, but it shouldn't be a choice you feel compelled to measure against some marketing campaign by the diamond cartel's advertising agency. If you can afford a larger diamond, and want it then by all means "buy it".

Don't feel compelled by some advertisement advising you that "expressing your love means two month's salary!" There are no rules--only options! Remember, it's always better to buy an attractive stone rather than a very included larger one. Since the main function of a diamond is beauty, keep in mind that bigger isn't always better.

The round brilliant cut is designed to provide maximum optics for the brilliance and scintillation, making the light seem to sparkle and dance in the stone. A deeply cut stone will also effect the way the light passes, is reflected in the mass of the diamond. Fancy cut stones (marquise, emerald, pear, princess, and triangular cuts) are all variations of cutting a stone to maximize the carat weight by the cutters, a rough diamond which might only yield a half carat in a round might yield another 50% if cut into a pear shape or marquise. Many of the fancy shapes are stunning, but all fancy cuts sacrifice maximum brilliance for that specialty cut to some degree.

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