Diamond Carat

The weight of diamonds is measured in carats. A greater carat weight is scarcer and therefore will cause the diamond to increase in value. Diamond value increases exponentially and a 1 carat diamond may cost 4 to 6 times that of a 0.5 carat diamond.

Diamond Carat Origin

The word ‘carat’ actually originates from the Mediterranean. Once diamonds were weighed against the seed of the carob and the weight of one carob seed equals one carat.

In the Far East diamonds were once weighed against grains of rice and it is from this that the term ‘grainer’ originated. Even in modern times, in many of the world’s diamond districts, dealers still measure the weight of diamonds in grainers. A 4-grainer diamond is the equivalent of one diamond carat.

Since 1913, diamonds have been weighed using the metric system – 1 carat (ct.) = .2 grams = .007 ounces

Diamonds are weighed to 3 decimal points and then rounded to the nearest hundredth. Diamonds that weigh less than 1 carat are usually described in points.

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