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Diamond Carat |
A carat is a measurement used to signify the weight of the diamond. It is the most precise of the four C's.
Diamonds are weighed in metric carats. One carat equals 1/5 gram or approximately 0.007 ounces. It takes a little over 142 carats to equal 1 ounce. Every carat is divided into 100 points. Therefore, a 50-point diamond is also called a ½ carat. Diamond weight is so precise that polished diamonds are weighed to a thousandth of a carat and then rounded off to the nearest hundredth (point).
Diamonds weighing less than 20 points are often called melee. Another term often used is grain or grainer.
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A grain equals one-quarter (0.25) of a carat. For example, a 75-point diamond would be called in the trade a three grainer and a one-carat stone may be called a four grainer. Loose stones are weighed directly on a scale but mounted stones can only be estimated by plugging their measurements into a mathematical equation.
Another quick way of estimating mounted round diamonds is by measuring the diameter of the diamond and comparing it to a size chart.
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| Magic Sizes |
| Since the price of diamonds is based upon rarity, the larger the stone the rarer the diamond and the higher the price per carat. A one-carat stone is much rarer than two half-carat stones, and is therefore considerably more expensive. |
Magic size also plays a significant role in pricing diamonds. People tend to prefer a one-carat diamond over a 0.99- carat diamond. For this reason alone a 1.00ct diamond is worth much more than a 99-point diamond. Even the most experienced diamond dealer cannot tell the difference without a diamond scale. Could you visualize less than one fourteen-thousandth of an ounce? And yet, people are willing to pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars for this minute difference |
| Carat Weight |
Name |
| 18ct-22ct |
points or fifths |
| 23ct-29ct |
points or quarters |
| 30ct-39ct |
points or thirds |
| 40ct-49ct |
points; diamonds weighing between 0.46ct and 0.49ct are often called light halves. |
| 50ct-69ct |
points or halves |
| 70ct-89ct |
points (three grainers) or three-quarters |
| 90ct-99ct |
points or 90 pointers |
| 1.00ct-1.49ct |
carats or spoken four grainers |
| 1.50ct-1.99ct |
carats or six grainers |
| 2.00ct-2.99ct |
carats or eight grainers |
| 3.00ct-3.99ct |
carats |
| 4.00ct-4.99ct |
carats |
| 5.00ct |
carats |
| fetch 5-10% premiums over straight sizes. |
| 0.60ct-0.69ct, 0.80ct-0.89ct, 0.95ct-0.99ct, 1.20ct-1.49ct, 2.50ct-299ct, 3.50ct-3.99ct, 4.50ct-4.99ct |
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Remember:
A large diamond is not necessarily a beautiful diamond!
There are a number of factors to consider before purchasing a diamond.
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