Let’s Talk Carats: The Four C’s of Gems

Thanks to the commercialization of the diamond and wedding industries, the diamond has become a “symbol” of love and marriage. This puts an unfortunate amount of unnecessary stress and pressure on couples who may be under budget restrictions. However with the growing awareness of conflict diamonds, many people are turning away from diamonds in favor of human friendly stones. At www.DiamondAlternative.com - we help you find those!

The term carat is often used in when the topic of precious or semi precious stones is being discussed. However, many individuals are somewhat in the dark about how this term is applied to a precious stone. Simply defined, the carat is the term of mass that is applied to a gemstone when its weight is being determined. This term is applied only to a loose stone, not to a ring as a whole. There are 100 points within a carat. For example, if a diamond is measured as .25 carats, this means that the diamond is one fourth of a carat. The carat does not refer to the size of a stone, but rather its mass. It is a common misconception that the larger the carat of a stone, the larger it will appear in size. However, this is a mistaken assumption. Stones that are denser in their composition will appear smaller than a less dense stone of the same carat size.

Typically, the higher the carat of a gemstone, the higher its price will be. However, the carat size is not the only factor that is considered when a gemstone is being priced. Another common term applied to diamonds and other stones is the “Four C’s”. The Four C’s are carat, color, cut, and clarity. All of these factors play into determining a gemstone’s monetary value. When it comes to determining the price of a ring or engagement ring, the term “total carat weight” is often heard. This term refers to the total amount of carats of all of the stones included in the ring. It can refer to the combined weight of multiple different stones, such as rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.

In most instances, when a person is purchasing a ring or other type of jewelry that contains gemstones, he or she should place more emphasis on the clarity and color of the gemstone, rather than its carat size alone. For example, rubies generally do not have inclusions, but the color of the stone plays a large part in its monetary value. The color should not be too light, nor should it be too dark. A smaller stone that is of the right color will be more valuable than one that has a large carat size, but is of the wrong color. Understanding how the carat affects the value of a stone will allow an individual to choose the stone that is the best investment for their budget.

Related posts:

Category: Engagement Ideas