The price of a diamond Vs it's Carats.

We all know that diamonds are measured and presented by carats . In fact the carat of a diamond is not about the size of a diamond but it’s weight. One Carat = 200 mg , or 1 gram = 5 carats. So, when we talk about carats of a diamond we are talking about it’s weight and not it’s size.

For example, if the diameter of a 1 carat round diamond is apx. 6.5 mm , the diameter of a 2 carat diamond is Apx. 8 mm. If you want a diamond twice the size in diameter as a 1 carat diamond (d = 13mm ), then you are talking about an 8 Carat diamond .

Now the price of an 8 Carat diamond , even if it is only twice in diameter and 8 times more in weight than a 1 carat diamond, will be 50 to 60 times more than a one carat diamond of the same quality. The reason for this huge difference is that bigger diamonds are very rare and the price / carat will be much higher that a small diamond. So now we know that the price / carat of a larger diamond is more than the price / carat of smaller diamonds.

One more important fact is that the diamond industry has divided diamond carats and pricing in ranges. For example all diamonds in between 0.9 - 0.99 carats are rated at a certain price / carat than diamonds in between 1 - 1.49 carats. The difference in price could be anywhere in between 10 – 50 % depending on color and clarity .

Now , let me tell you on how you can take advantage by knowing all this ?

Chances are that you are looking into buying a 1 carat diamond and you have a limited budget. To fit into your budget, you need to settle for a lower color and clarity. Now if you go to buy a 0.99 carat diamond where the diameter ( size of the diamond) is almost the same, you could save let’s say 25 % on the price. Or you can get a 0.99 carat diamond with better colour and clarity for the same price. The truth is that, even an expert will not be able to tell if a diamond is 0.99 carats or one carat after it is mounted on a ring since the difference in diameter will be insignificant ( 0.065 mm) .