What is CaratsBy: Ardamun
Summary: A Carat is a measure of weight for gemstones and is equal to 200 milligrams. In olden days one carat was equal to one carob bean or 4 rice grains. The name is said to have been derived from the Greek word
'keration' which meant a carob bean, and a small weight.Gemstones are
stones that are beautiful, rare, and durable. They are generally resistant
to abrasion, chemical reactions and do not fracture easily. Valued for their
beauty, gemstones can be cut and polished for use as jewelry or other
ornamental purposes. Mineral gemstones are found, naturally grown, in the
Earth's surface. Gemologists consider five particular gems - diamond, ruby,
sapphire, emerald, and amethyst - as the most precious stones.
What is Carat Weight of Gemstones
A Carat is a measure of weight for gemstones and is equal to 200 milligrams.
In olden days one carat was equal to one carob bean or 4 rice grains. The
name is said to have been derived from the Greek word 'keration' which meant
a carob bean, and a small weight. It is also said to be derived from the
Latin 'carratus' and later the Arabic word 'qirat', which meant a bean pod
or a small weight. All these words, including the Italian 'carato' have one
meaning - the fruit of the carob tree.
It is not possible to say who came up with the 'carob' system of measuring
precious metals and gemstones, because standardized measurement of gemstones
existed as far back as 3000 years ago. The ancient Persians, Chinese and
other parts of the Asian, Indo-European and Near Eastern world had already
standardized measurements, and for precious gemstones small and reliable
measurements were required. Carob seeds became the standard measurement. All
carob beans, the fruit of the Locust tree, were extremely similar in weight.
The weight of gemstones is calculated to the nearest 1/100th of a carat.
Different gems of the same weight are not necessarily of the same size
because of the difference in their densities. Carat is usually abbreviated
as 'ct' and is referred to the weight of a single gemstone. To express the
total carat weight of multiple gems in a piece of jewelry, the abbreviation
'ct TW' is used. The weight of smaller diamonds is expressed as 'point,'
which is equal to 0.01 (1/100th) of a carat. Earlier, a carat was divided
into quarters called the 'carat grains'. After the adoption of the 200mg
carat, the decimal standard came into use. In the trade, a one carat
gemstone, specifically the diamond, is still referred to as a 'four
grainer', and the 0.75 carat diamond as the 'three grainer'.
Standardization of Carat Weight
The Carat, as a standard weight of gemstones, equal to 200 milligrams became
an accepted standard on April 1st, 1914. Prior to this different countries
and places had different standards of Carat weight:
* Alexandria 191.7 mg
* Amsterdam 205.1 mg
* Antwerp 205.3 mg
* East Indies 196.9 to 205.5 mg
* France 205.0 to 205.5 mg
* London 205.3 to 205.5 mg
* Madras 205.5 mg
Similarly Arabia, Brazil, Constantinople, Russia, Venice among others had
their own standard carat weight ranging from 188.5mg to 213.5 mg. The carat
weight of Pearl was 207.3 mg.
Effect of Carat Weight on Price of Gemstones
The carat weight affects the value of a gemstone. In case of diamonds,
larger diamonds are more rare and so more in demand. The larger diamond can
be sold for a higher value when compared to the value of a smaller one of
the same quality. A two carat diamond will certainly cost more than 2 one
carat diamonds of the same quality or, say, 24 diamonds totaling 2 carats in
weight. A diamond ring with a solitaire of one carat is always more
expensive than a ring with multiple diamonds totaling one carat. A ring with
a 1 ct, colorless, top quality diamond can be worth more than 10 times as
much as a ring with 1 ct TW diamonds of the same quality.
When buying diamonds, one should check the 'per carat' cost instead of the
total stone cost. Let us compare the following, assuming that the gemstones
are of the same color, shape, and clarity. A 1 carat diamond would cost,
say, $6000, a 1,20 carat $7080 and a 1.30 carat diamond $7540. Of course,
the 1.30 carat diamond costs more but instead of looking at the total cost,
check the 'per carat' cost. In that case the 'per carat' cost of the 1 carat
diamond is $6000, that of the 1.20 carat diamond is $5900 and that of the 3
carat diamond is $5800. It is clear that 3 carat diamond would be the best
bargain.
The weight of the gemstone and the 'per carat' price are important factors
for comparing value. However, this is not enough. There are various weight
categories for fixing the 'per carat' prices. When moving from one category
to another, the 'per carat' price may increase by 5% to 50%, depending on
the quality of the gemstones. The percentage increase is lower for lower
quality gemstones. To illustrate two categories: 0.50 ct - 0.69 ct, and 0.70
ct - 0.89 ct. A 0.75 carat diamond would cost, per carat, anything from 5%
to 50% more than a 0.65 carat diamond.
One ingenious way of saving money is to go for a 0.9 carat diamond in place
of a 1 carat diamond or a 1.9 carat diamond instead of 2.0 carat diamond.
The price difference, per carat, is substantial and no one will know the
difference when set in a piece of jewelry or ring.
Comparisons should be made between gemstones of similar qualities and
features. Price 'per carat' is an accurate way of comparing prices of
similar gemstones. Variations in cut and shape make the gemstones of similar
weight look different. When buying a gemstone, say a diamond, carat weight
is only one of the many characteristics to explore. The carat weight is the
easiest factor to determine:
* Use a scale that weighs in carats. These gem scales also weigh in grams.
Simply put your gemstone on the scale and get the direct weight in carats.
If the scale weighs in grams, remember - 1 gram equals 5 carats.
* In case you have a bigger gemstone and a scale that weighs in ounces, get
the ounce weight of your stone, multiply by 28.4 to convert ounces to grams
and then multiply again by 5 to get the carat weight. This may not be very
accurate but will give an indicative weight.
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