THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS WITH DIAMOND CARAT WEIGHT

Carat weight is the easiest of the 4C’s to understand.

Carat weight is the weight of the diamond (like the weight of a person).

Granted, most of the weights listed are in decimal form, percentages, or fractions, but really, it all breaks down like money.

A quarter carat is like a real quarter. It’s 25% of a dollar (1/4). So a quarter carat is written as .25 carat.

And since every diamond is proportioned or cut differently, quarter carats (or any carat weight) will vary slightly in appearance (just like all people that weight 150lbs will be shaped differently; some shorter, some taller, some wider, some thinner).

Compare .25 carats below:

They all weight the same, but look totally different. If a diamond is too shallow or too deep, it can lose light, luster, sparkle and brilliance. Hence, the diamonds can look dull and dark (lifeless).

But no matter which carat weight you decide (I would strive for ideal cut, or excellent cuts), there is really only one main criteria:

That the ring, mounting, or band doesn’t overpower the stone.

Meaning, it needs to look balanced. If you put a small diamond into a large mounting, it can make the diamond look tiny, odd, and even displeasing to the eye.

Like so:

A wider mounting makes the diamond look insignificant and even smaller than it really is (especially when the average carat weight is only .33 carats).

The center diamond should be the focal point, the main attraction. That should stand out before anything else does.

To accomplish this, take these tips into consideration:

• Set the diamond into a thinner mounting
• Switch to a longer, or larger cut of diamond; Princess, Oval, Marquise, Pear
• Add a Halo around the center stone
• Split the carat weight up into many diamonds

Just like these examples here:

So you don’t need to spend more money on a larger stone, you just need to find the perfect setting for it.

One other thing you can do to stretch your money:

Look into lab-grown diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are identical to Earth-made diamonds, just done in a laboratory setting (like a test-tube baby). You can’t tell the difference between them since lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds, but they’re a fraction of the price…

About 60% cheaper!!!

This also allows you to get a diamond 60% bigger for the same price. Fancy that!

Compare the prices below:

This may be the best alternative to carat weights, the WOW factor, and getting the look you desire.

Check out all the lab-grown diamonds HERE at James Allen.

Cheers! :)