When you hear the word “carat” you automatically assume diamond — or beef stew if you’re a foodie. But seriously, the word “carat” is a very meaningful word to women. Which brings you to wonder what exactly is a carat? Women go bonkers over the amount of carats that they either have or want in a wedding ring, but do you really know the answer to what you’re asking and would you know the difference?
What A Diamond Carat Is — And How It Affects Size
Most people assume that the carat is the size of the diamond in the ring, so most people assume wrong. Carat is referring to the weight of the diamond. Another thing is that you always think the bigger the better, and usually that is true. But the same doesn’t ring true about carat sizes.
Just because the ring has some weight to it doesn’t mean it’s better, if it’s cut poorly the result could be a smaller looking diamond from a high carat weight vs a larger looking diamond from a smaller weight carat with a precision cut revealing a beautiful sparkle.
Let’s say you have a nicely sculpted .97-carat diamond that’s larger, but it’s more affordable than a 1.00-carat diamond due to different aspect patterns being limited.
So What Really Is The Size of A One-Carat Diamond?
Ideally, a one-carat diamond would measure about 6.5mm, but it will ultimately depend on its shape and cut. Millimeter sizes of a one-carat diamond can come in a wide variety of sizes due to changes that happen during the cutting process. Round cut diamonds should stay within a depth percentage of 62% or less to be sure that your diamond faces up to its proper size.
Certain diamond shapes tend to look larger than others although the weight of the carat is the same. This is due to some cuts being shaped differently like Oval and Marquise shapes, depth, length and percentage is different from that of round cut carat diamonds. Take a look here:
Shape Carat Weight Millimeter Size
Round 1.00ct 6.5mm
Oval or Pear 1.00ct 7.7mm x 5.7mm
Marquise 1.00ct 10mm x 5mm
On the flip-side, there are some diamond shapes that look smaller than other diamond shapes. For instance, lots of square shapes like Princess shaped diamonds are cut with a deeper depth percentage, so they view as smaller than other ones.
Finding Carat Size
Jewelers have special types of scales to measure loose diamonds. The scales measure carats for gemstones and pennyweight for metals. Diamonds and gemstones already set in jewelry are measured with diameter measurements by carat weight.
If you’re in the market for some diamond jewelry, Trails On Falls has just what you need and can help you through the purchasing process for whatever occasion that has sparked this purchase. Contact us today, and we look forward to speaking with you. In the meantime, visit our blog over here.