DIAMOND EDUCATION

Diamond Carat Origin

To understand the meaning of the word carat, journey to the world's Mediterranean region. Here, where civilization has its roots, carob trees have flourished since ancient times. It is against the seeds of these trees that diamonds were once weighed. One carob seed equals one modern carat, the word we use today to describe the weight of diamonds.

In the Far East, diamonds were weighed against grains of rice, and the term grainer was coined. Today, in many of the world's diamond districts, dealers still quantify the weight of diamonds in grainers. A four-grainer diamond equals one diamond carat.

Metric Is Today's Standard

Since 1913, diamonds have been weighed against the metric system.

1 carat (ct.) = .2 grams = .007 ounces

Diamonds are weighed to three decimal points and then rounded to the nearest hundredth. Diamonds under one carat are usually described in points.

.50 ct.	.75 ct.	1.00 ct.	1.50 ct.	2.00 ct.	3.00 ct.	4.00 ct.

Diamonds - Rare and Valuable

A million diamonds must be mined to produce a single one-carat, polished diamond. During the cutting process, a diamond will loose 40 to 60 percent of its original size.

Greater Carat Weight = Rarer = More Expensive

If you have four diamonds equaling one carat in one hand, and one diamond equaling one carat in the other hand, the one diamond will always be more valuable. Diamond pricing increases geometrically rather than arithmetically. A one-carat diamond can cost four to six times more than a half-carat diamond.