Article 1 
1  Article 2
2   Article 3 
3  Article 4 
4  Video 
Video 

Article 1
Carat  
Carat

Diamonds were first discovered in India around 500 B.C. The first unit of weight used for diamond was the
carob seed; the weight of a seed fr om the seed pod of the carob or locust tree was equivalent to a 1.00 ct.

diamond.

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats - one carat is 0.2 gramme.

gramme. This is the easiest factor
to determine. However, weight is related to but is NOT the same as size! Two
size! Two diamonds of the same
shape cut from the same rough (with equal carat weight, colour and clarity) can be different size depending
on how well they have been proport ioned. The better cut diamond will appear bigger than a less we
well-cut
ll-cut
diamond! Also as diamond prices go up exponentially with carat weight, doubling the carat weight from say
1 carat to 2 carats more than doubles the price, but the visible size of the table (the largest surface at the
top of the diamond) goes up by only by ca. 30%.
30%. As
 As about 50% of the rough diamond is lost when
cutting, the larger the diamond the rarer it is in nature hence the price increases most steeply 
with carat. 
carat.  Approximately 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed in order to produce a single, one-
carat, polished, gem-quality diamond .

Overall, for any given carat ± the price also al so varies considerably with colour anda nd clarity. For 
example for a loose 1 carat round brilliant
brilli ant diamond the trade price for a D (the best blue w
white
hite colour)
Internally Flawless (loupe-clean clarity) is more than FOUR times the price of a 1 carat H (white colour) VS2
(eyeclean++ clarity) diamond! This difference reflects rarity rather than visible differences: less
than 0.003% of all 1 carat diamonds have the combination D col our and IF clarity! 
clarity! Only
Only 8% of the
 jewellery quality diamonds even have the combination of G VS2 or better!
better!  

Carat  
0.40 0.50 0.70 0.9  1.00  1.25  1.50  1.75  2.00  2.50 

Diameter
4.8 5.2 5.8 6.3  6.5  6.9  7.4  7.8  8.2  8.8 
mm 
Height 
3.0 3.1 3.5 3.8  3.9  4.3  4.5  4.7  4.9  5.3 
Mm 
Trade 0.15  0.24  0.44  0.7  1.4  1.92  2.5  3.5  4.75 
X 
Price  times X times X times X times X  times X  times X times X times X times X 

Article 2 

CARAT

The 4Cs ar e the main

main para
aramete
meters
rs for 
for vvalua
aluatting 
ing a dia
iamo
mon
nd¶
d¶s
s cos
cost. They inc
include
lude weig
weight
ht
in
inCarat
Carat,, Color , Clarity
Clarity  an
and
d Cut
Cut..

Usuall y, an 
sually an un
unttrained pers
rained persoon mig ht be able to di
ight differ 
ffer entiate two of the four 
iate four p
parameters:
arameters: weig
weight
ht and
and col
color . The other 
other  
two para
paramete
meters,
rs, clari
larity
ty an
and
dccu
ut, ar e mor 
mor e compl
complex and
and r eequir 
quir e exper 
exper tis
ise.
e.

Cara
aratt is the weig
weight
ht uni
unitt used
used for 
for  all 
all gems
emston
tones. On
One c
cara
aratt is eq
equal
ual to 0.2 gra
gram
ms and
and is divided into
into 100 poin
pointts, whe
wher 
r e
 one c
cara
aratt equals
equals 100 poin
pointts. E
Ea
ach poin
pointt weig
weighhs two milligra
milligram
ms.

 
The origin
origin of the wor 
wor d c
cara
aratt is
is  in the seed
eeds s of the car 
car ob
ob tr 
tr ee,
ee, wh
whiich wer 
wer e us
used
ed for 
for the
the weig
weighhing of pr 
pr e
eci
cious
us  ston
tones in 
in 
anc
ancient ttiime
mes
s due to their 
their we
weigight
ht uni
unifo
for 
r mity. A dia
diamo
mon nd ccara
aratt is
is  a me
measur 
asur emen
ement of i
of its weig
weight
ht not its siz
sizee, and
and is
is  not to
be con
conf used
used wiwith Kara
Karatt, used
used for 
for dete
deter 
r mining the puri
purity
ty of g
of  gold.

Sometiime
Somet mes,
s,  a diamo
iamonnd ccu
utte
tter 
r mmus
ustt sac
sacririf 
f ice the pr 
pr opor 
opor tions or  symmet
ymmetr 
r y of the ston
tone, in or d
der 
er  to pr 
pr even
event v visi
isib
ble
in
incclusi
lusioons or 
r to
to main
mainttain the cara
caratt weig
weight ht of the r ough
ugh ddia
iamo
mon nd. By compr 
compr oomising
mising cut pr 
pr opor 
opor tionsns  an
and/o
d/or 
r  symmet
ymmetr  r y, 
the dia
diamo
mon nd¶
d¶ss diamete
iameter 
r c
can be larg
large er, 
r, and
and thus
thus  a dia
iamo
mon nd¶
d¶s
s cut c
can
an mak
ake e it appe
ppear 
ar m
much larg
large er  or  smalle
aller th
r  than
an  its 
act
ctual
ual we
weig
ight.
ht.

The pri
price
ce per 
per ccara
aratt of a
of a ston
tone isis  signi
signif 
f icananttly hig
highe
her 
r  whe
when n it weig
weigh hs ove
over 
r o
one cara
carat.t. For 
For th
tha
at r eas
aso
on, one cara
caratt
dia
iamo
monnds te
ten
nd to be the r esul
sultt of sa
of sac cri
rif 
f icing cut q quali
uality
ty in or der 
der  to inc
incr eas
asee cara
caratt weig
weight.
ht.

Jewelers 
Jewel rs somet
ometiime
mes s advis
dviseec cus
ustome
tomersrs to bu
buy a 0.99 cara
caratt dia
diamo
mon nd in or d
der 
er to
to ach
chiieve the lowe
ower r p
price
rice,, and
and a 1.10
cara
aratt dia
diamo
mon nd when
when the
ther 
r e is
is  a pr efer 
efer ence for 
for hhig
ighe
her r q
quali
uality
ty cu
cut. In
In we
weig
igh
hing jewe
jewelr 
lr y inlai
inlaidd wi
with mor 
mor e than
than one ston
tone, 
the total
total we
weig
ight
ht of dia
diamo
monnds (or 
(or  gems
emstontones) 
s) is called
alled Total
Total Cara
aratt Weig
Weight
ht (T.W.C)
(T.W.C).

The visi
visib
ble siz
size e of a
of a diamo
iamonnd is called
alled Spr 
Spr ead. Spr 
Spr ead is the ra
rattio between
between the ston
tone¶s
e¶s diamete
iameter 
r  and
and the cr 
cr o
own,
wn,  gir dle
and
and p
pa
avilio
ilion. IIn
n an 
an ideal
deal cut dia
diamo
monnd, the ston
tone will
will have zer o spr ead penal
penaltties.

The Federal
Federal Tra rade
de Commissi
Commissioon Jewe
Jewelr 
lr y Gui
Guide
de spec
peciif ies: "If the dia
diamo
mon nd's
d's we
weig
ight
ht is des
described
ribed in dec
deciimal par ts of a
of a 
cara
aratt, the f igur 
igur e shoul
hould
d be acc
ccura
urate
te to the last
last deci
decimal pla lace."
ce." Ther 
Ther efor 
efor e, a diamo
iamon nd of 0.10 cara
caratt m
mig
ight
ht be of a
of a 
we
weig
ight
ht between
between 0.095 an and
d 0.104 cara
carat.
t.

Price
rice per 
per ccara
aratt: 
Price
ricess pe
per 
r c
cara
aratt do not foll
follow
ow the logi
gic
c of : ³1/2 a cara
aratt cos
costs hal
alff the pri
price
ce of a
of a cara
arat´.
t´. Sin
Since
ce it is
is  rar er to
r  to f ind
ind a 
nat
naturall
urally
y larg
large
ed diaiamo
mon
nd, the pri
price
ce of on
one ccara
aratt is much hig
highe
her 
r th
than
an tha
that of 1/2 a cara
arat.
t.

One c
cara
aratt ((again,
again,  not to be con
conf used
used wi
with Kara
Karat²the
t²the measur 
measur e of puri
purity
ty of g
of  gold) is the equi
equivvale
alent of 200 milligra
milligram
ms.
One c
cara
aratt ccan
an  also
also be di
divided in
into
to 100 "poin
"pointts." A .75 cara
caratt dia
diamo
monnd is the sa
same
me asas  a 75-po
75-poin
intts or  a 3/4 cara
caratt
dia
iamo
monnd.

Article 3 

Carat Weight

"Carat Weight" is simply the weight of the diamond. The Carat weight of a diamond 
determines the size, and appearance of your ring or jewellery.  

Siz
ize
e is the mos
most visi
visib
ble f acto
ctor 
r th
tha
at deter 
deter min
inees the valu
value
e of a
of a dia
iamo
mon
nd. The pri
price
ce of a
of a diamo
iamon
nd ris
rise
es expo
exponnentially
ially
acco
ccor 
r ding to its siz
size.
e.

By def init
inition,n,  1 carat is 200 milligrams.
milligrams. Sin ince
ce mos
most d
diaiamo
monnds sold in the mark
market
et weig
weighh less than
than 1 cara
caratt, the cara
caratt
is
is  usuall
usuallyy subd
subdiivided into
into "poin
"pointts." Ther 
Ther e ar e 100 poin
pointts in 1 c
cara
aratt, so tha
that a diamo
iamonnd weig
weigh hing 3/4 cara
caratt woul
wouldd be a 
"75 poin
pointt d
dia
iamo
mon nd."

1 carat = 200 milligrams = 100 points 

points 

Please
ase note tha
that Cara
Caratt weig
weight
ht is
is  not a f actor 
ctor wh
whiich den
denote
otes
s dia
iamo
monnd quali
quality.
ty. It mer 
mer ely den
denotes
otes the siz
size
e of a
of a diamo
iamon
nd, 

by its we
weig
ight.
ht.
 

Dia
iamo
mon
nds of 0.5 - 0.75 cara
caratt ar e ver 
ver y popular 
popular  for 
for the
their 
ir comb
combina
inattion of siz
of size
e and
and valu
value.
e.

Large diamonds are rarer to find in mines than small ones, which makes large diamonds much more
valuable.  
valuable.

Article 4 

EVALUATING CARAT AND WEIGHT

Carat is the measure of a diamond¶s weight. The term ³carat´ originates from the Greek word

"karaton," which refers to the carob seed that was used to balance scales in ancient times. However, a
diamond¶s carat is not the same as karat which is used to measures gold purity.

Carat is the easiest of the 4C¶s to understand and measure as it is straightforward math. Carats are
subdivided into points and there are 100 points in one carat:
1 carat = 200 milligrams (0.2 grams) 
grams) 

The greater the carat weight, the rarer the diamond and the more expensive the diamond is. Usually
the price breaks down to: Total Price = Weight x Price per Carat

Ct 0.05 0.10 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.70 0.90 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.50 3.00

D 2.5 3.0 3.8 4.1 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.8 6.3 6.5 6.9 7.4 7.8 8.2 8.8 9.4

H 1.5 1.8 2.3 2.5 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.9 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.3 5.6

D = Diameter H= Depth

Video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWVB8jVSDS4&playnext=1&list=PL47C65487D4C13637