Carat Weight

Carat is the simplest and most objective of the four C's. Pop a diamond on the scales, if it weighs .2 gm then it is a 1.00 carat diamond. 1/4ct is often called 25 points.

Everyone knows more Carat weight means more cost. But what comes as a surprise is that BIG diamonds are very rare; double the weight costs around 4 times more. And the magic 1.00ct weight D color Flawless costs 1.7times more than a 99 point or 0.99ct D Flawless.

So for diamond cutters, reducing the Carat weight to produce a smaller yielding Ideal Cut diamond is BAD for business. GIA surveyed 67,000 stones submitted for grading and found less than 3% were Ideal Cut.

But weight does not equal size ! These two diamonds have the same diameter, and each could be cut from the rough diamond in the centre. The dull tone on the left weighs more, so it sells for more.

Even when diamond cutters produce so called Ideal Cuts, they usually can't resist leaving a little more weight on the crown and pavilion (the top and the bottom) to push the stone to the next ‘magic weight'. This has a critical impact on a diamonds beauty. But at Precious Metals we screen these diamonds using our own invention; the Ideal-Scope^TM . Not only do Precious Metals diamonds outshine all others, you don't pay for useless weight.

The magic weights are 1/2ct, 3/4ct, 90 points,1ct,1.5ct, 2ct etc. ‘Under-sizes' are diamonds that weigh just below a magic weight; they are rare in ideal cut stones, but we usually have some.

Another way to tell if a diamond is well cut is with the Holloway Cut Adviser which also takes the spread of a diamond into account.

The girdle or edge thickness is also important. If a diamond has no girdle, or it is extremely thin, the diamond can chip easily. Medium to slightly thick is best, but thicker girdles add extra weight for no benefit and more cost.