Diamonds being one of the most expensive and highly desired gems especially among the very rich people like royalties are graded according to the 4 Cs - Color, Carat, Clarity and Cut.
The Carat refers to the mass of the diamond. One carat is about 200 milligrams. Diamonds with less than one carat is commonly referred to as equal to one one-hundredth of a carat (0.01 carat, or 2 mg). Generally, the price per carat of a diamond increases directly proportional to carat weight.
Larger diamond stone are more expensive because they are very rare. In fact a one carat diamond ring may be sold more expensive than a ring made up of multiple similar stones but smaller in sizes even if the total carat is exactly the same.
Similarly, a diamond weighing under the next full carat is a lot less inexpensive compared to a diamond that passes the full carat scale. So for someone on a tight budget, it is wise to buy a diamond weighing a little less than one carat because the size can be negligible but the savings can be great. This goes as well when buying 1.9 carats which can be a lot less expensive than 2 carats but the size difference is small. Total carat weight (t.c.w.) is usually used to refer to the total mass of the diamond especially when there are more than one diamonds are placed on a jewelry.
It is a common mistake for many people to relate numerical values of carat weight to judge a diamond's actual size. It is important to remember that carat is about diamond mass so it is highly possible that a diamond with smaller size may weight as much as a diamond with larger size.
The price of a diamond is also common expressed as cost per carat. This is determined by considering the other Cs – clarity, cut and color – and the total price of the stone is divided by the weight. The resulting figure is the cost per carat. One of the best ways to compare diamonds is by comparing cost per carat. Variations in cut and shape make diamonds with the same weight look different from each other. So there is no single diagram that can show diamonds of different weights in carats. When shopping for diamonds, a diamond weight estimator can be a great help.
Another thing to remember when buying a diamond based on carat size is making a balance between quality and size. A larger high quality diamond can be found by selected a grade which is slightly lower in terms of color and quality. To the unaided and inexperienced eye, diamond carat can be hard to tell by simply looking.
There are online "Create your ring" tools that can help you decide which rings perfectly suit your taste and budget. All you need to do is enter your preferred shapes, cuts, color, clarity and carat and you can select your ring from a certain budget range.
For more information on diamond carat and loose diamonds please visit Buying a Loose Diamond
