Why carat weight isn’t everything!

Everyone always comes to me and says, “I want a 3.5 ct” or “My girlfriend says it has to be at least 2 carats or she won’t marry me!” HA! Hopefully when gifting a diamond engagement ring the recipient is happy and knows it’s an excellent quality stone if it’s coming from me. But seriously, if you’ve read my other blogs on diamonds you know there is A LOT that goes into what makes a stone amazing.

For example, the measurements and how the diamond is cut is extremely important! A well cut 1 carat stone will sparkle and reflect light much better than a poorly cut 2 carat stone that is dull and lifeless.

A 2 carat round diamond can be cut poorly and measure like a 1.80 carat diamond. Some of the weight can be in the lower half of the stone or what we call the pavilion.  So while the stone weights 2 carats, it actually looks smaller.

Diamonds are measured by the minimum diameter x maximum diameter x depth.

It can work the other way too. A 2.8 carat stone may measure more like a 3 carat. This is what we call a "spready" stone. The diamond may be cut shallow which allows some of the light to escape through the bottom and not reflect back out through the top.

So, yes, size matters! But remember that cut has a huge influence on the perception of “size”.