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Although many people think of a carat (ct) as a measure of diamond or gemstone size, a carat is not
a particular size. It is, in fact, a specific measure of metric weight. Also, the carat is different from
the karat (kt) which is a United States measurement for gold purity.
Carat measurement is paramount to the diamond and gem industry because in just about every level
of transaction and trade often with the exception of final retail consumer sales diamonds and gems
are sold on the basis of their weight per carat. Savvy buyers know current values of particular stones
and understand how to negotiate from there, whether shopping for loose stones, new jewelry,
antique or pre-owned jewelry.
History of Carat Measure in Gem Trading
Since ancient times, the standard weight used for jewels in the gem trade has been the "carat." In
"The New International Diamond Carat of 200 Milligrams," Transactions of the American Institute of
Mining Engineers, vol. 47, 1914, gem expert George Frederick Kunz writes that before the year
1913, the carat varied in weight from country to country. Early gem traders around the world used
tiny, relatively uniform grains or seeds to measure small and precious items such as gemstones.
Many traders planted grains and seeds specifically to harvest and use as measurements of weight.
Carob and wheat seeds were particularly notable as units of measure for weight.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, today's modern pearl grain, troy grain, and
avoirdupois and apothecaries' grains all descended from the wheat grain. Moreover, the modern
metric carat evolved from the ancient carob seed.
Although the term "carat" was relatively universal, the exact weight of a carat was not. Around the
world, these ancient, grains and seeds varied in size and weight making carat measurement unequal
from place to place. For example, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, at one time the London
carat was equal to 3.168 troy grains, or 0.2053 gram, while the Florence carat was 0.1972 gram,
and the Amsterdam carat was 0.2057 gram.
Also, in earlier times, the weight of a carat was calculated by whole carats plus fractions (1/2, 1/4,
1/8. 1/32. or 1/64) of a carat. In general terms, this practice continues today. However, actual
weights of loose diamonds and gemstones are calculated quite precisely.
Standardized Carat Weight for Gems
In 1913, led by the French Confrence Gnrale des Poids et Measures, an international assembly
concerned with weights and measures, many countries around the world came together and agreed
to define the carat as a metric unit of weight that is equal to 1/5 gram, or 200 milligrams. This is the
measurement used in the gem and jewelry industry today, according to the Bureau International des
Poids et Measures, the governing body responsible for the international conference.
Because fractions of a carat may represent hundreds or even thousands of dollars, diamonds are
measured by thousandths of a carat and rounded to the nearest hundredth, or point. There are 100
points to a carat. So, for example, a half-carat stone is 50 points. In the United States, The Federal
Trade Commission strictly regulates how the jewelry industry represents gemstone weight.
Knowing that many beautifully cut smaller diamonds face-up larger than their expected size, can
lead to a happy price advantage for a smart buyer.
Why Sapphire is 'Smaller' than Diamond
One final note, because different gemstones have unique mineral compositions, their densities, or
specific gravities, are not the same. Hence, differing types of gemstones usually have different carat
weights when their face-up millimeter sizes may be similar.
For example, the specific gravity for diamond is 3.5 and the specific gravity for corundum, or
sapphire, is 3.9-4.1. The sapphire is heavier than the diamond, so a 1-ct sapphire will be smaller in
size than the same-weight 1-ct diamond. By contrast, the specific gravity for emerald is 2.6, making
a 1-ct emerald the largest gem of the three 1-ct gemstones.