written by Jessica
What is Carat Size? #1 Thing People Get Wrong When Looking For A Diamond
Diamonds are said to be forever…this is true. But what does this have to do with you? Well, you are the one paying for it. But what are you paying for exactly? A huge part of the cost is “CARAT SIZE”.
How is this relevant? It’s really not.
Welcome to the Diamond Industry where the words we use tend to be an illusion of reality.
Take a look at these three stones. All three stones are one carat.
You might be thinking…how can this be? It’s because carat is NOT size.
So what the heck is a carat? Let’s look at the definition.
car·at
/ˈkerət/
noun
1. a unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, now equivalent to .2 grams.
“a half-carat diamond ring”
CARAT IS WEIGHT...
What can you do with this knowledge?
You can use this knowledge to start hacking the diamond industry so you know exactly what you are paying for.
Dive into the specifics with me.
Let's talk weight
1 CARAT = 0.2 GRAMS
HUNGRY?
Let’s break it down with food.
If we wanted, we could convert the grams for flour to carats. In a cookie recipe, we might need 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cup) of flour (…this would be A LOT of Carats).
Let's compare weight visually
Let’s say you have 3 men all weighing 200 pounds…one of them could be 200 pounds of Jason Mamoa and the other 2 could be 200 pounds of…not Jason Mamoa.
Three guys. Same weight.
Different proportions.
Now that we have the facts...
How do you actually measure a diamond’s size?
I would love to tell you.
The answer is simple – BASIC GEOMETRY.
In the jewelry industry, the millimeters are the metric unit for the surface area of a stone.
If you are looking at a round diamond, you want to focus on the diameter. If you are looking at a square or oval, you want to focus on the length or width.
MEASUREMENTS ARE WHAT MATTER.
So what is the number one takeaway when looking at a diamond?
FOCUS ON MEASUREMENTS.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU SEE.
Take note of the measurements in millimeters and make sure you IGNORE CARAT.
