Carat – the measure of a diamonds weight
Perhaps the most important of the four C’s, which determine and measure a diamond’s quality, is the carat. When shopping for an exclusive engagement ring, one quality that is invariably checked is the carat – the measure of a diamond’s weight. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams.
The short form ‘ct’ is used to denote carat. It indicates the weight of a single diamond. On other hand, the abbreviation ‘ct TW’ stands for carat total weight. It is used for expressing the total weight of multiple diamonds in a piece of jewellery. The total carat weight also includes the weight of side and accent stones. Adding a smaller centre stone as well as many side stones will result in a larger diamond carat weight (and obviously, a greater cost).
The weight of smaller diamonds is usually expressed as points, and not carats. There are 100 points in a carat, or each point equates 0.01 (one-hundredth, of a carat). To elaborate, 0.05 denotes five one-hundredths. So, a 0.05 carat diamond equates five points. 0.25 denotes twenty-five one-hundredths. So, a 0.25 carat diamond equates twenty-five points (one quarter of a carat).
When buying a ring, one should always ask about the total carat weight and compare the same to the carat weight of the center stone (typically the largest in the setting) to check its carat (weight).