What is Carat Weight?
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Carat weight, cut, clarity and colour are the four factors that determine the size and quality, and therefore the price, of a diamond. When comparing diamonds, always check the quality (cut, clarity, colour) as well as the carat size. Typically, the larger the carat weight of the individual diamond, the more expensive a diamond it is. However, quality also considerably affects price.
IMPORTANT: Centre-Stone-Carat-Weight vv Total-Carat-Weight
There are two common ways of referring to carat weight:
Total-Carat-Weight (ctw) refers to the combined weight of several diamonds on a multi-stone ring;
Centre-Stone-Carat-Weight (or simply Carat-Weight) refers to the carat weight of the main stone.
Of course if the ring is solitaire (single stone) they will be the same.
It is very IMPORTANT to understand that a ring that has a lot of small cheap diamonds may have a total-carat-weight of 0.5 or even 1.0 carats and this should not be compared to a ring that has a single 0.5 or 1.0 carat stone because such stones are absolutely stunning, considerably more rare, and substantially more expensive.
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Carat weight, cut, clarity and colour are the four keys factors that determine the quality and price of a diamond. A diamond's weight is measured in carats. In modern times 1 carat is defined as exactly 200 milligrams (0.2 grams). A carat is divided into 100 points, so a 50 point diamond is equal to 0.5 carats, and a 25 point diamond is equal to 0.25 carats. Please use the chart above to see how the actual size of a diamond changes in relation to its carat weight. |
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Carat Size and Price Relationships
Size has a huge influence on the purchase price of diamonds, and it is not as simple as you may think. A 1 carat diamond will not simply be double the price of a similar quality 0.5 carat diamond. Larger diamonds are rarer than smaller diamonds and, as a result, the price per carat increases with carat weight. Therefore, a 1 carat diamond will be more than double the cost of a similar quality 0.5 carat diamond, as it is larger and therefore rarer and more sought after.
Choosing the Size of Your Diamond
Using our Design-Your-Own wizard you can alter the size of your diamond to match your preferred price point. You can also change your diamond shape and quality. In our Signature and Modena Collections, you can also choose the size and price of your diamond.
