Carats are the traditional measuring unit of a diamond's weight, one carat equaling 200
milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 "points," so the same diamond can be represented as weighing a carat and
a half, 150 points or 1.50 carats. One mistake that folks make is to not realize that carat weight is not always linked to
the same "look" in diamonds. What I mean is that a diamond which is rather deep and has (for example) a thick girdle
can be "greatly smaller visually" than a diamond of the same carat weight that is well cut and not as deep, which
also has a girdle description that is more center range. Now, this can be a big different here, so do think about what this
means... The average size diamond we sell today is about 0.75 carats or right at the 6mm range approximately, which is a very
nice size diamond indeed... Diamonds prices are very carat weight sensitive, and the per carat price is where you can see
that reflected the best... The price for the same quality and color in a diamond twice the size might well cost five times
the price or more, so be aware of the fact that for the carat diamond shopper exploring the ranges of say 0.85-0.99 carats
can save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars, if not thousands!!!!
Biggest bang fer the buck?
Is bigger always better? Well, this is not at all true with the weight/size of diamonds.... A big ugly stone
isn't better than a smaller eye clean one, guaranteed! I like to remind my customers that a very yellow or included large
stone is much less attractive than a well cut, clean white smaller version of the same cut. While the depth of the stone will
affect its size, the carat measurement indicates its true mass and weight. With each weight category increase (quarter, third,
half), the value per carat of a diamond will increase significantly (given all have the same other factors). rfection, but
again this is as good as it gets, and that is a fact...
Diamond prices as the weight goes up?
A stone which is twice as large as an otherwise identical smaller stone might be three or more times more expensive.
So while you might see a price for a smaller stone at $2,000 per carat, as you price the same cut, color and clarity in a
larger stone you'll see dramatic increases. Geometric increases at each weight catagory are to be expected, it's often
"way" less money to buy a .97 or .98 carat diamond than to buy the same grade in a 1.00 or 1.01ct (above this 1ct.
catagory)... While the size difference is nearly impossible to visually detect the price differences for the per carat price
are significantly different with a "light half carat"... Keep this in mind when you go pricing stones, and you'll
definitely end up with a better value...