Bottom Line Recommendations
- The larger the diamond carat weights the higher the diamond price. View a good example here and here. This is because it is much harder to get a larger diamond.
- With a larger carat weight, it becomes easier to notice any imperfections and blemishes in a diamond. Take a look at an example here. To get a great deal, you can go lower on the clarity scale and the color scale, but you need to also go lower on the carat weight to make any imperfections harder to spot.
- When choosing the perfect jewelry for you, instead of first choosing the setting, it’s important to pick the diamond and then decide on the setting. It is much easier to choose a setting than to choose the ideal diamond. Also, the type and size of setting will depend on the diamond size.
- To get the best deal, it is recommended to avoid the diamond magic sizes. These are ½, ¼, ¾, and 1 carat. Diamonds that are slightly smaller than the magic sizes often sell at a discount.
- The best carat weight for you is a matter of personal preference and budget. Just make sure that the diamond appears eye-clean. When buying your diamond, ask for 360-degree videos of the stone. Do not rely only on the diamond certificate. Only then can you best judge the appearance of the diamond.
One of the 4Cs that is used to describe a diamond is the carat weight. Others include the cut, clarity, and color. The weight of a diamond is measured using the standard unit—carat. This is also the unit that is used to measure other precious gemstones.
Keep in mind that carat is not the same thing as karat. The latter is used to measure the pureness of the gold. When gold is pure, it is referred to as 24 karats.
A single carat is equal to 0.007 ounces or 0.2 grams. Whenever the diamond weight is measured, the carat weight is measured up to the third decimal point for accuracy.
A diamond’s carat is divided into 100 points making it possible to find extremely precise measurements.
The Origins of Carat Weight
You may wonder where the word carat came from. Its history dates back to the Mediterranean region where there have always been carob trees. People have planted and harvested these trees since ancient times for generations.
Then somewhere during early civilization, planters and traders noticed that the carob seeds were uniform in weight and size. Because of this, people began to use carob seeds to weigh gemstones. Often there was a scale where there was a gemstone on one side and carob seeds were added to the other side.
The more the carob seeds needed to balance the scale, the larger the size of the gemstones. The result was a higher price on the gemstone. A single carob seed is equal to a modern carat in weight.
Price Per Carat Weight
Diamonds are obtained from deep inside the earth’s crust. The majority of the rough diamond will either be of too inferior quality or will be too small to be cut and turned into the shiny stones we see on rings and bracelets.
Sometimes up to a million rough diamonds will need to be mined for the production of a single carat stone. Getting a much larger diamond is even harder. Since getting a larger diamond is more difficult, the result is large differences in price between sizes.
Think of it this way, you can pay up to six times more on a one-carat diamond than you would on a half-carat diamond. This huge difference will only get bigger with larger diamonds.
Quality and Quantity
The pricing on a diamond is dependent on its carat weight. It is divided into half increments of carat weight. When all other factors of the stone such as the cut quality, color and clarity are equal, a diamond with one-carat weight will be priced higher than one with less than a carat weight.
However, if clarity and cut are not similar, a one-carat diamond can be priced less than one that weighs less than a carat. It is therefore obvious that when purchasing a diamond, you have to pay special consideration to all the different factors than make up an ideal diamond.
Is The Size Important?
Many people will confuse the size of the diamond with the carat weight. That, however, is not always the case. It is the weight of the stone which is measured in carats and not the size of the diamond. The size of the diamond is measured by its length and width.
Two stones in the same weight can have completely different sizes. Also, two different diamond cuts could be in the same carat weight but appear completely different based on their cut.
Also, two diamonds of the same shape could have different sizes. A round diamond could have a larger table and a shallow cut while another could have a smaller table and have more depth.
Carat Weight and Clarity
As the weight of a diamond goes up, so does the price. If you are basing your purchase decision with carat weight as a priority, then it is advisable to pick a diamond that is Slight Included. The color grade should be near colorless.
You can find a larger sized diamond that is within your budget at these clarity ratings.
Diamond Size and Depth
While the carat weight will affect the appearance of the stone, it is by no means the only factor to consider. When viewed from above the shape of the diamond may also affect how large or small it appears. When the diamond is cut with a lower depth, it will often be wider and this will make it appear larger.
Just like with the price, the diamond carat weight and the size of the stone are directly correlated. Simply put a 0.05. ct stone will not have as much surface area as a 0.5 ct stone.
However, cut quality can and often does vary. There are plenty of variances when it comes to the size of the diameter at the same carat weight. For example, a stone that is 1. ct in weight may have a diameter that ranges from 5.6mm to 6.0mm.
The effect of a wider diameter or width is that the diamond becomes shallow at the same carat weight. When the diameter goes down, the depth of the stone increases.
An emerald cut diamond owing to its rectangular shape will appear larger than other types of diamond shapes. Such as the round cut or the princess cut.
Other Factors to Consider
You need to keep the ring size in mind when picking a diamond with the ideal carat weight for you. Consider a 0.75ct diamond. When the stone is set, it will look larger on someone with smaller fingers and smaller when worn on longer and larger fingers.
How to Choose a Diamond
Some people will choose the ring and setting first before going for their diamond. This will limit the options you have. It is much better to start with the diamond before finding the ideal setting.
You can choose the best carat weight that will be ideal for your fingers and then pick a ring afterward.
Remember that it is simple to pick a setting, but it takes longer to pick the right diamond for you.
The Magic Sizes
There are some diamond weights called magic sizes. These include half a carat, three-quarters a carat and one carat. Note that you may not be able to visually tell the difference between a 0.9 carat stone and a 1ct stone. However, there will be a huge difference in the price.
You can use the magic sizes to your advantage when you are searching for your ideal diamond. Diamonds that are slightly smaller than the magic sizes i.e. 1/2ct. 3/4ct. and 1 ct. will often sell at a discount.
If you are restricted by your budget, this is a useful bit of information to carry with you when shopping for your diamond.
Also, the gem cutters may prefer to maintain the diamond at 1 carat because it hits the magic number and will, therefore, sell at a premium. This may cause them to sacrifice cut quality. Also note that if you have a diamond with sharp edges like a princess cut and it chipped, this would drop its weight lower than 1ct. If you plan on reselling the stone, its price will have dropped significantly.
The great thing is that the eye can’t distinguish a stone that is 1ct. from one that is 0.98ct. The latter will come at a cheaper price.
Carat Weight and The Other 4Cs
A larger carat stone will be visually larger. This means that it is much easier to notice any color, cut flaws, and any inclusions affecting the clarity of the stone. If you are interested in getting a larger stone, you must understand how to judge the other 3Cs of the stone.
The Ideal Carat Weight for You
You may wonder what size is best for you. It all comes down to your preference and your budget. Before you can focus on the size, make sure that the stone is well-cut. After all, you want a stone with excellent light action.
When buying the diamond online, request for images and 360-degree videos of the diamond.
Why Carat Weight Matters
You may wonder whether a diamond’s carat weight matters. Some may argue that it doesn’t matter while some believe that it matters.
One argument is that your eyes, after all, will not see the carat weight but the fire, brilliance, and scintillation of the stone.
Your eyes will not be focused on the size of the stone as some of the stone will be covered by the setting.
But this is one way to look at it. When you consider that the diamond carat weight is directly correlated to the price and you are constrained by your budget, and then size matters
Conclusion
The diamond carat weight alone affects many other aspects of the stone. Diameter and depth are just some of them. Generally, a stone with more carat weight will be larger and thereby flaws in the cut quality, clarity and color will be easily visible. However, in ideal cut stone, a large diamond is the better choice.