The 4C’s in Diamond Characteristics: Carat Weight
In this series of blog posts, I have been examining the brilliance and beauty of the natural diamond. I have touched on the colour, clarity and cut of the diamond. These three, along with carat weight make up the 4C’s. The 4C’s is a method by which the GIA – the benchmark in diamond grading throughout the world – compares the quality of diamonds.
In this post, let’s take a look at carat weight and how that plays into the value and desire of the diamond. The word carat is the term used to express the weight of the diamond and one carat is equal to 200 milligrams of actual weight and five carats is equal to 1 gram. Interestingly, while carat weight is used to measure other gemstones, different stones of the same weight are not necessarily the same sizes as the density of the stone plays a role in total carat weight.
When considering two equal carat diamonds, for instance, one may be cut too shallow and will appear to have a larger diameter but a smaller depth. The other diamond may be cut too deep – what is considered to be bottom heavy – and will have a smaller diameter, but will appear smaller when it is viewed from the top. In this case, both diamonds are equal in carat weight, yet look very different when viewed with the naked eye.
It is important to remember that as the diamond carat size increases, so does the diameter and depth of the diamond. As a result, a 1.00 carat diamond will not look twice as wide as a 0.50 carat diamond. At the same time, you must consider the size of the finger that will wear the diamond as a 1 carat solitaire looks much larger on a smaller finger than it will on a larger finger.
Smaller diamonds are weighed in points instead of carats. The carat weight is still the base of measurement, but the points communicate to the consumer and the jeweller how much of a whole carat is represented in the stone. In other words, there are 100 points in 1 carat and if a diamond is rated a 0.05, this means it is five one-hundredths. A 0.05 carat diamond is equal to five points.
The carat weight of the diamond will impact its value, simply because larger diamonds that are both brilliant and beautiful are much rarer. At the same time, the larger diamond is in more demand than smaller diamonds of the same quality. As a result, a larger carat diamond solitaire has more value that a diamond setting made up of multiple diamonds that total the same carat weight, but are individually smaller. Likewise, the diamond that is just less than one full carat will be less expensive than the diamond that surpasses the full-carat benchmark.
No matter what the carat weight of the diamond, its value will also take into account the cut, clarity and colour as all four combine into the 4C’s when determining the true quality and investment potential of the diamond.
I have enjoyed this series and I do hope that you have been able to learn some new and important information that will help you make the best decision when you are purchasing your next diamond – whether it be for an engagement ring or anniversary or just because…
If you are in need of expert advice, please contact me via my website, Eskae Jeweller and I will be happy to sit with you to go through the various options available in your next diamond purchase.
Sam Kritsotakis
Eskae Jeweller – Your Private Jeweller
