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A carat is a unit of measurement used to describe a diamond's weight. One carat is divided into 100 "points," so that a diamond of 75 points weights .75 carats. Likewise, a 50 point diamond can also be said to weigh a half carat.
Carat-weight is the easiest of the 5C's to determine. However, two diamonds of equal weight can have very unequal value, depending on their cut, color and clarity. Fine quality can be found in diamonds of all shapes and sizes. |
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This chart is for demonstration purposes only. (Image sizes will vary with different monitor settings.)
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IIf you've been shopping for diamonds, you've probably noticed that a finer grade half-carat diamond may be priced higher than a lower quality one-carat or even larger stone. If you keep color, clarity and cut constant, as a diamond increases in size, the price increases at a faster rate. In other words, a two-carat stone is much more expensive than two one-carat stones of the same quality.
If you're looking for a larger carat diamond, a broker can be especially helpful. Be careful when you shop for larger stones, however. If you go to two different brokers, you may find yourself inadvertently bidding against yourself. The world's supply decreases as the size of the diamond goes up. |
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