Diamond Carat

by Eli Butbul

Once you have determined the cut, colour and clarity grade you are requiring from a diamond, it is easy to determine the carat weight that will fit your budget. However it is still one of the most important factors in purchasing a diamond as it determines the size and appearance of your jewellery.

The carat is the standard unit of measurement used to weigh, not the size, of a gemstone. There are 100 points to a carat and one carat is equal to 200 milligrams. Therefore a 50 point diamond is 1/2 a carat, or 100 milligrams. Larger diamonds are found relatively infrequently in nature and are therefore more valuable. The cost of a diamond increases exponentially with its weight. Thus the larger the diamond the more expensive per carat. For example 1-carat diamond will cost more than twice a 1/2-carat diamond, all other things considered. However, the cut and mounting can make a diamond appear larger or smaller than it actually is.

The term carat is often confused with the term karat. Karat refers to the purity of the gold, not its weight.