Many people equate the word carat with the size of a diamond, and as carat size increases, so will the carat weight. However the operative word there is weight. Carat refers to the weight of a diamond and is equal to roughly 200 milligrams which is less than a ¼ of an ounce. A carat may also be broken up into 100 points. So ¾ of a carat is also 75 points.

The heavier in carat weight a diamond is, the rarer it becomes. Prices of diamond increase exponentially with the weight of the diamond, so a one-carat diamond will cost much more than two ½-carat diamonds, considering the fact that other qualities, such as color and clarity, are equal.

The cutting of the diamond can impact the size of it, so depending on how their cut, two one-carat diamonds can look unequal. If the stone is cut flatter, then it is going to appear bigger, while a deeper cut stone will be smaller, but may have more brilliance and scintillation. You might be influenced to purchase a stone that’s cut flatter to enable you to have the look of a larger or heavier stone. But a diamond that’s cut too flat may have inadequate brilliance and can look cloudy. Carat weight is important, but there’s no point to sacrificing other qualities that make a diamond special so you can say you have a two-carat stone. A beautiful one-carat diamond, with outstanding brilliance and scintillation will probably be the better choice, from both an individual standpoint and a good investment standpoint.

A smaller diamond can invariably be enhanced with baguettes, trillions or smaller same-shape stones on either size. As we mentioned previously, two smaller stones won’t cost to the extent that a similarly-weighted single stone, so you can increase the significance of the ring you’re buying without doubling your cost.

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