Carat
The term ‘carat’ refers to the weight of a diamond and is derived from the word ‘carob’. In ancient times carob seeds were used to measure the weight of gemstones – 1 carob seed equaled 1 carat. These days a carat is defined as one fifth of a gram (200 milligrams) or, using the point unit, 100 ‘points’. For example a 0.50 carat diamond is the same as a 50 point diamond or a half carat diamond.
Sometimes you will see TDW used to describe the weight of diamonds. TDW stands for Total Diamond Weight and is used to describe the total weight of the diamonds in a piece of jewellery when more than one diamond is used. For example a ring made up of four .25ct diamonds has a TDW of 1ct.
Whilst size is the most common factor in determining the value of a diamond it is the combination of all 4Cs, carat, clarity, colour and cut that will give a diamond its value.
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