Last week, I talked about jewelry language that can seem confusing to people (www.angelacisneros.com/post/the-language-we-use ), and I referenced the diamond grading system called The 4 C’s. Simply put, The 4 C’s are a mnemonic device used to characterize a faceted diamond – carat, cut, color, and clarity! Comfortability with these characterizations are really important when choosing a diamond because you want a beautiful one to grace her finger! Today, I’m going to talk about the C that most people are concerned with, carat!
Interestingly, carat is actually a unit of weight and not a measurement of dimensions, although, the larger the carat weight, the larger the diamond will be! The term carat is derived from the Greek work kerátion which means “fruit of the carob.” In the 1500’s, the middle east starting using carob seeds as a standard of weight for both gemstones and gold. Today, one carat is fixed at as standard weight of 0.20 gram.
These are some common abbreviations for carat:
· CT - You have probably already figured out that ‘ct’ or ‘cts’ is the shortened version of the word carat, as in 0.50ct. It is only used to describe the weight of a single diamond or gemstone.
· TWT - ‘Twt’ is the shortened version of the term carats total weight. For example, if I am referring to a single diamond, I would write 1.25ct, but if I am referring to multiple diamonds, I would write 1.25twt. This means that when I add up the weight of all the diamonds in the jewelry piece, their cumulative weight is 1.25 carats total weight! This is especially helpful when searching online because you may be looking for a ring with a single diamond that weighs 2.00cts, but if the description says 2.00twt, it’s talking about multiple diamonds. Honest jewelers will separate the single center diamond weight from the accent diamond weight, so you’d see “1.00ct center diamond with 1.00twt diamond accents.”
So, how much is this going to cost me? Diamonds aren’t priced incrementally, so a 1.00ct diamond is NOT the same price as two 0.50ct diamonds. Pricing on diamonds always comes down to two factors, desirability and rarity. Most diamonds mined are used for industrial purposes. According to Statista.com (www.statista.com/statistics/274921/worldwide-production-of-rough-diamonds/ ), only 19% of all diamonds mined are gem quality diamonds we see in jewelry!! And, an even smaller percentage of that 19% are 1.00ct diamonds! The rarity factor goes further up when you consider the other diamond characteristics like color and clarity. Diamond pricing doesn’t just depend on carat weight but several other factors as well which we will talk about in my next few blogs!
What are you envisioning for your engagement ring, or are you wanting to reaffirm your love with an upgrade? You are still in love, and you still want to celebrate it, so book your appointment with Angela Cisneros Jewelry Concierge! My private showroom is clean, and my goal is for you to feel confident and celebrated! www.angelacisneros.com/book-appointment
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