Education > Cut / Clarity / Color / Carat Weight / Certification / Conflict Diamonds

The C's : Carat Weight

Diamond weight is expressed in carats (one carat is equal to 200 milligrams). Carats are divided into 100 points so a 0.78 ct diamond is called a 78 pointer. Another term used by diamond professionals is grain. One grain equals 25 points so a one-carat diamond can be called 1ct, or 100 points, or 4 grains.

While carat weight is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, there are many more factors that influence the quality of a diamond that you will learn about in our comprehensive education section!

Cut influences Carat Weight Appearance

Diamonds that weigh the same may not have the same “spread”, depending on how they were cut (see diagram below). Those cut too shallow or too deep will look small for their weight and/or have poor light performance.

The goal of most cutters is to maximize carat weight from pieces of rough. This means many diamonds are cut too shallow or deep. A diamond’s grading report lists its measurements in millimeters. The first two numbers are the minimum and maximum spread.

Tip: Be sure the diamond has an appropriate spread for its carat weight. But, be aware that even then one is not assured of the critical angles necessary for ideal performance.

Super Ideal Cut Diamonds = Larger Carat Weight Appearance

Diamonds cut for the highest level of performance have critical angles and precision-cutting which make the diamond explode with edge-to-edge brightness. Such ideal cut diamonds appear larger than diamonds of average cut quality (see example below).

Only a fraction of the world’s diamonds have such cut quality; they are rare enough that most people have never even seen one. This is because such Super Ideal Cut diamonds are not available to most diamond sellers. Diamonds with the most elite level of performance and precision are seen in the American Gem Society ASET® scope (examples shown below).

What should accompany a Super Ideal Cut Diamond?

It takes more time, advanced skills & modern equipment to create these “superideal” high performers. Anyone boasting such a diamond should show valid, scientific verification of that performance. Legitimate proof includes an American Gem Society DQD with an Ideal Light Performance grade along with an authentic AGS ASET® Scope image for that specific diamond. The AGS system is the world’s only 3-dimmensional diamond evaluation that has been vetted and approved by the science community (The International Society for Optical Engineering). Legitimate proof of cut precision includes actual Hearts & Arrows images showing crisp symmetry for superior contrast and scintillation qualities.

Interesting Fact: At Continental Diamond we hand select each diamond for it’s exceptional beauty and value. Our diamonds, particularly our Super Ideal Cut Infinity diamonds, have superior brightness, dispersion, contrast and scintillation, even when removed from jewelry store lighting and observed through the infinite panoramas of real-world lighting that we live in. They are dazzling in bright light and have bold flashes of rainbow color in soft lighting, whereas other diamonds go dark.