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Diamond Carat

Q: Is carat all about size?

A: A common trap, diamond carat is a measurement of weight not of size, 5 carats = 1 gram. A diamond is like an iceberg, if most of its volume or mass is below the 'water-line', the girdle, waist or widest part of the stone, then the diamond will look or 'face-up' smaller. So an 0. 95 carat diamond can have a larger diametre than a 1 carat diamond and therefore look bigger.

Remember a 2 carat round diamond at 8mm is only 1?mm larger than a 6?mm 1 carat diamond. This is precisely why at ComparetheDiamond.com (formerly diamondgeezer.com) we show the diamond's measurements, better to use these as a guide to size and remember the human eye with 20/20 vision can only determine 0. 2mm at a distance of 25 cm.