Diamond Carat
Q: “What is “carat”?”
A: “Carat used to refer to a weight comparison, usually with a carob seed”.
These days, we use the metric system and one carat is equal to 200mg. In diamonds, carat refers to a measurement of a diamond’s weight. This doesn’t always reflect the size of the diamond. For an idea of size, the cut, and measurement from the top must be taken into account. Diamonds can actually look larger with a good cut.
Choose the right kind of diamond weight:
Biggest is not always best when it comes to diamonds. Factors that may influence your decision are finger size, your planned budget and the setting size. Consider these points:
- If you have a strict budget and you do not wish to compromise on the weight, look at diamonds with a good cut such as SI1-SI2 clarity, and a J or I colour grade.
- You can use simple optical illusions: The smaller the finger is the larger the diamond will appear. Select any weight keeping this in mind.
- Look at diamonds sized just below the half-carat weights and full-carat weight. Prices do jump at these points. The weight is usually distributed across the diamond, making these minuscule size differences virtually impossible to see.