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Carat Weight
The size of a diamond has the biggest
impact on its price. The metric carat, which equals 0.20 gram,
is the standard unit of weight for diamonds and most other
gems. If other factors are equal, the more a stone weighs,
the more valuable it will be.
Here are several ways to express 1 carat:
1 ct.
200 milligrams
1/5 gram
100 points
4 grainer (not often used in retail environment)
It is very important not to mistake carat weight as referring
to the dimensions of a diamond. It refers to weight only.
Why the distinction? Because weight can hide in different
parts of the stone. You can have a) well-cut, b) deep, or
c) shallow Diamonds. Some may appear larger than others due
to its cut.
Prices of diamonds are expressed in the trade as a price per
carat. So when we say that the Carat Weight has the biggest
impact on the price of the stone, we refer to the unit price
per carat, not just the overall price of the whole stone.
Example 1:
Diamond "A" = 0.25 carats and costs $1,000 per carat. $1,000
x 0.25 = $250/stone.
Diamond "B" = 0.50 carats and costs $1,250 per carat. $1,250
x 0.50 = $625/stone.
It is very common for people to disregard the other C's
in favour of getting the biggest possible stone they have
budgeted for. Here at diamondgrading.com, although SIZE
DOES MATTER, we feel it is just as important for the quality
of the stone to be high.
Some people may feel it is more impressive to wear a 2 carat
diamond than a 1 carat diamond. But that's not necessarily
true. A Ferrari may not be as big a car as an Oldsmobile,
but most would consider it more impressive.
How "big" is a carat?
Many people would like to "understand" carat sizes in real
terms. Here's a simple trick to get an idea. Simply take
a ruler, and look at the table below. These are some approximate,
sample carat-weight to diameter-widths for popular sizes.
0.25 ct. - 4.1 mm 0.50 ct. - 5.2 mm
0.75 ct. - 5.9 mm 1.00 ct. - 6.5 mm
How much does "carat weight" affect cost?
The effect of all the different properties of Diamond on
Cost is discussed in more detail in the Cost section. For
carat weight, let's take a typical Diamond for an example,
and see what happens when we take it through different carat
weights.
A Diamond of G color and SI1 Clarity will be in one Category
of prices when it is between 0.50 - 0.69 carats. When you
take that same quality Diamond and increase the size to
the next price category, which is the 0.70 - 0.89 carat
range, the price increase will be approximately $1,100 per
carat. Increase to the 0.90 - 0.99 carat range, and the
price increase will be approximately another $800 per carat.
Increase to 1.00 - 1.49 carat range, and the increase will
be approximately another $800 per carat. If you increase
to the 1.50 - 1.99 carat range, the price increase will
be approximately $1,200 per carat.
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