Most people know that a diamonds carat is one of the 4C’s to buying a diamond, but what truly is a carat. A carat refers to a diamonds weight. In today’s diamond market, a carat is equivalent to 200mg or one fifth of a gram. This has not always been the case. In the early 1900s, the weight of a one carat was different in almost every country. The old weighing system that was used had a higher weight for one carat than today’s one carat weight. This is important to remember if you are looking at buying an antique diamond because the actual weight of the diamond could be different than what is listed on the diamonds certificate. If the certificate says the diamond is one carat it could actually be much larger that a one carat diamond.
Another term used to describe the carat weight is the number of points. Each carat in a diamond is equal to one point. Diamonds that weigh less than one carat are usually referred to by their points. For example, a diamond with 25 points is ¼ of a carat and a diamond with 50 points is ½ of a carat. It is also important to understand that a carat is the weight of the diamond and not the size. Two diamonds could have the same carat weight and be different sizes because of their cut, but on the other hand, you could also have two diamonds that are the same size and have a different carat weights.
Diamond carats can be confusing, but all you have to remember is that a carat is a diamonds weight.
