Carat

Big Or Small, The Diamond Carat Says It All

Can you decipher this equation: 14k white gold ½ carat t.w. three stone diamond necklace?

If you answered yes, chances are you know the basics of what a carat is and its bearing on diamond selection and purchasing.

Carat is the simplest of the 4 C’s of diamond buying to figure out. It is probably the only of the 4 C’s that is straightforward. Carat is a unit of measurement. A diamond carat is actually a weight – not so much a size – although the consistency of diamond weights makes the two virtually synonymous. You can reasonably assume that a 2 carat diamond ring has twice as large a stone as 1 carat diamond rings, and a 5 carat diamond ring will be five times as large as that one carat stone.

That is, if you read the print carefully and know what type of setting you are buying exactly. In the equation above, note the ‘t.w.’; t.w. in a description refers to total weight. That means that the ½ carat is not necessarily in one stone. It may be (and likely is) several smaller stones that add up to ½ carat all together. Total weight applies equally to all pieces of diamond jewelry. A 12 carat diamond tennis bracelet t.w. means the total weight of the diamonds is 12 carats, not that the bracelet has a 12 carat diamond.

Big Or Small, The Diamond Carat Says It All

Can you decipher this equation: 14k white gold ½ carat t.w. three stone diamond necklace?

If you answered yes, chances are you know the basics of what a carat is and its bearing on diamond selection and purchasing.

Carat is the simplest of the 4 C’s of diamond buying to figure out. It is probably the only of the 4 C’s that is straightforward. Carat is a unit of measurement. A diamond carat is actually a weight – not so much a size – although the consistency of diamond weights makes the two virtually synonymous. You can reasonably assume that a 2 carat diamond ring has twice as large a stone as 1 carat diamond rings, and a 5 carat diamond ring will be five times as large as that one carat stone.

That is, if you read the print carefully and know what type of setting you are buying exactly. In the equation above, note the ‘t.w.’; t.w. in a description refers to total weight. That means that the ½ carat is not necessarily in one stone. It may be (and likely is) several smaller stones that add up to ½ carat all together. Total weight applies equally to all pieces of diamond jewelry. A 12 carat diamond tennis bracelet t.w. means the total weight of the diamonds is 12 carats, not that the bracelet has a 12 carat diamond.