Everything you want to know about the carat of a diamond – the 4 Cs (Part 2 of 4)

Cut, carat, colour and clarity, the 4 Cs, are words commonly thrown around when you mention the word ‘Diamond’, but what does it all mean and how does it affect your purchase decision. The 4 Cs determine how diamonds are graded and certified globally so it’s important to understand what each one means before you decide to purchase. We’ve now looked at Cut; the second most important is Carat.

Carat

The worldwide weight standard for a diamond is measured in carats. This is the weight that the jewellery industry uses in order to weigh diamonds. The word “carat” comes from the word “carob” seed, the original unit of measure for diamond traders.

Today a carat is equal to 0.2 grams, about the same weight as a paper clip and one carat is divided into 100 points. So, a diamond weighing 50 points, is the equivalent to 0.50 carats. Many people confuse with meaning the size of the diamond, when in actual fact it is the measure of weight. As carat refers to weight and not the actual size, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different costs based on other factors, such as cut colour and clarity, so ‘bigger’ doesn’t always mean ‘better’. What’s important to remember is that as diamonds increase in size, so too does their cost – the larger the diamond, the rarer it is.