{"id":9788,"date":"2012-10-07T14:52:43","date_gmt":"2012-10-07T18:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=9788"},"modified":"2017-10-09T23:12:32","modified_gmt":"2017-10-10T03:12:32","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-carat-and-karat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/whats-the-difference-between-carat-and-karat\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT&#8217;S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CARAT AND KARAT?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"blog-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/The-Difference-Between-Carat-And-Karat.gif\" alt=\"What's The Difference Between Carat And Karat?\" title=\"What's The Difference Between Carat And Karat?\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-9790\" \/><\/div>\n<h2>Carat and Karat<\/h2>\n<p>\nA Diamond Ring can have Two Different types of &#8220;<strong>Carats<\/strong>&#8220;. <\/p>\n<p>\nThey can have a <strong>Carat<\/strong>, and they can have a <strong>Karat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Both types mean Different Things. <\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>So Let&#8217;s Begin&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><h2>CARAT<\/h2>\n<p>\nCarat (<strong>with a C<\/strong>), means <strong>Carat Weight<\/strong>, as in the Weight of a Diamond.<\/p>\n<p>A Diamond&#8217;s Weight is Broken down into a Point System, One Hundred Points Equals One Full Carat (<strong>1.00 Carat<\/strong>). <\/p>\n<p>Carat can be Written as Carat, CW (cw), or CT (ct). <strong>A Half Carat Diamond is 50 Points<\/strong>. A 1\/4 Carat Diamond is 25 Points. <\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>It Breaks Down Pretty Much like Pennies to a Dollar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\n75 Points is 3\/4 Carat, just like 75 Cents is 3\/4 of a Dollar. <\/p>\n<p>\nWhen you see Carat, ct, cw or Carat Weight, <strong>think the Weight of the Stone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>Carats and Points<\/h2>\n<p>All Diamonds are Weighed by Carats and Points. The Word Carat comes from the <strong>Carob Seeds<\/strong> that Diamonds were Originally Weighed with. <strong>One seed = 1 Point<\/strong>. Carob Seeds were Not Perfect in Uniform, Size or Weight though, so once the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00A4LII4A\/?tag=jewelry-secrets-20\">Diamond Scale<\/a> was Invented, these Seeds were <strong>a Thing of the Past<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>Carat Weights<\/h2>\n<p>\nCarat Weight is one of the 4C&#8217;s in the <strong>Diamond Grading System<\/strong>. The Bigger the Carat Weight, the More Expensive the Diamond becomes. <\/p>\n<p>\nAny Diamond 1 Carat or Larger is Pretty Rare in Nature. One Carats are the &#8220;<strong>Dream Diamond<\/strong>&#8221; weight. It&#8217;s the Carat to own! :)<\/p>\n<p>\nNow let&#8217;s look at <strong>Karat<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><h2>KARAT<\/h2>\n<p>\nKarat, <strong>with a K<\/strong>, refers to the <strong>Gold Content<\/strong> of the Mounting or Ring, as in <strong>10k, 14k or 18k<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\nGold is Broken down into Parts. <strong>24k Gold is Pure Gold<\/strong> or 24 Parts Gold. <\/p>\n<p>\n14k is <strong>14 Parts Gold and 10 Parts Alloy<\/strong> (Alloys make the <strong>Gold More Durable<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p>\n18k is 18 Parts Gold and 6 Parts Alloy (More of a Rich Yellow Gold Tone that is Softer and More Malleable than 14k).<\/p>\n<p>\n10k is More Durable because is has only 10 Parts of Gold, and 14 Parts Alloy. But, with more Alloys than Gold in the Mix, <strong>I&#8217;m Surprised they get away with still calling it Gold<\/strong>. :)<\/p>\n<p><h2>14k is the Standard<\/h2>\n<p>\nThat&#8217;s why 14k is the Standard across the Country for Jewelry, Bridal Rings, Gemstone Rings, Bands&#8230; It looks Great, and <strong>Remains Durable Enough for every Day Wear and Tear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>14k White Gold<\/h2>\n<p>14k White Gold is still 14 parts Gold, but the 10 Parts of Alloy change a little. It incorporates Zinc or Palladium to give the Gold more of a Whiter Appearance. <\/p>\n<p>\nWhen you see <strong>Karat, think Gold Content<\/strong>. The Stamp Inside your Ring should Reflect this with a <strong>k or K, as in 14k<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>Plumb Gold<\/h2>\n<p>\nIf you see <strong>14kp<\/strong>, the P stands for <strong>Plumb Gold<\/strong>, and means the Gold Content is Accurate to the Stamp Marked or higher. Which means, if it&#8217;s Stamped 14k, the Gold Content is at least 14 Parts Gold or more (<strong>Nothing Less &#8211; Gurananteed!<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p>\nSo now you know the Difference between the Two Carats. A Ring could easily list these Both on a Receipt or an Appraisal, <strong>as such&#8230; <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><h2>Diamond Ring Appraisal<\/h2>\n<p>\nOne Lady&#8217;s <strong>Diamond Engagement Ring<\/strong> containing One Round Brilliant Cut Diamond with the following Features:<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>1.27 Carats<\/p>\n<p>\nS11 Clarity<\/p>\n<p>\nD Color<\/p>\n<p>\nGIA Certified and Laser Inscribed (GIA 11720127)<\/strong> &#8211; Copy Attached<\/p>\n<p>\nThis Diamond is set in a <strong>14k White Gold 4-Prong Head<\/strong>, and mounted on a 2mm 14k White Gold <strong>Tiffany Style Ring<\/strong>. Ring Size 6.5, 1.2 TDW<\/p>\n<p><h2>Replacement Value: $9850<\/h2>\n<p>\n<strong>As seen below&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Diamond-Ring-Appraisal.jpg\" alt=\"Diamond Ring Appraisal!\" title=\"Diamond Ring Appraisal!\" width=\"502\" height=\"650\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Diamond-Ring-Appraisal.jpg 502w, https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Diamond-Ring-Appraisal-232x300.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 502px) 100vw, 502px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You will see both Carats, and they mean 2 totally different things.<\/p>\n<p>\nAnd Carats aren&#8217;t the only <strong>Confusing Terms<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\nOther Misleading or Confusing Terms in the Jewelry Industry are:<\/p>\n<p><h2>CROWN<\/h2>\n<p>\nCrown could mean the Crown of a Diamond (Top Portion that Sticks up <strong>above the Girdle<\/strong>), or it could mean the <strong>Crown on a Stem on a Watch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>FANCY<\/h2>\n<p>\nFancy could mean either <strong>Fancy Cut<\/strong> (as in Marquise, Princess, Oval Cut&#8230; or any Cut other than the Round Brilliant Cut Diamond), or it could mean <strong>Fancy Color<\/strong>, as in Blue Diamonds, Pink Diamonds, Yellow Canary Diamonds, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/?_encoding=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;field-keywords=Chocolate%20Diamonds&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;tag=jewelry-secrets-20&#038;url=search-alias%3Daps&#038;linkId=6UP46P6JJHSCL6UQ\">Chocolate Diamonds<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=jewelry-secrets-20&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/>, the <strong>Famous Hope Diamond<\/strong> is a Fancy Blue Colored Diamond.<\/p>\n<p>\nFancy Cuts are Cheaper than Round Brilliant Cuts, but Fancy Colors are Rare, and command a much Greater Price (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jamesallen.com\/loose-diamonds\/round-cut\/?Color=Fancy&#038;FancyIntensity=FV&#038;FancyColor=blue,pink,green,orange,brown,yellow&#038;ViewsOptions=Images\">See James Allen HERE for Prices<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><h2>CRYSTAL<\/h2>\n<p>\nCrystals could be a type of Flaw or <strong>Inclusion inside a Diamond<\/strong>, or <strong>it could be the Glass<\/strong> or Sapphire Face on your Watch.<\/p>\n<p><h2>FINISH<\/h2>\n<p>\nFinish could mean how Smooth and Perfect the <strong>Facets are Polished<\/strong> on your Diamond, or it could mean <strong>the Finish<\/strong> of your Jewelry, as in High Polished, <strong>Satin Finished<\/strong>, Brushed, Sandblasted&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><h2>POLISH<\/h2>\n<p>\nPolish could mean the Polish on a Diamond, or it could mean the High Polish of the Gold or Metal (<strong>The Jeweler Polished up the Mounting<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p><h2>DIAMOND CUT<\/h2>\n<p>\nDiamond Cut could mean the Actual Cuts and Faceting of a Diamond, or it could mean a Style of Finish on a Piece of Jewelry that <strong>Mimics the Sparkles of a Diamond<\/strong>, Seriously, the Jeweler digs out Small Knife Edged Marks in the Gold so it Catches Light and Sparkles. A lot of Jewelry has Diamonds Cuts on it, like the Popular <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B003UHUPIW\/?tag=jewelry-secrets-20\">Diamond Cut Rope!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2>EXTRA FACETS<\/h2>\n<p>\nExtra Facets could mean the Extra Facets a Diamond Cutter adds to a Diamond to Remove any Unsightly Inclusion that Resides on or Close to the Surface of the Diamond&#8230; <\/p>\n<p>Or, it could mean a Style of Cutting a Diamond that Purposefully contains many <strong>More Facets than the Standard cut Diamond<\/strong>, to Add More Sparkles of Small Light to the Stone. As in the Leo Cut, King Cut Diamond, Ariella Cut, or a Centillian Diamond (with 100 Facets, as opposed to 58 on a Normal Diamond).<\/p>\n<p>\nSomething else that could <strong>throw people off<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><h2>I QUALITY<\/h2>\n<p>\nI Quality could mean either <strong>I Clarity<\/strong>, or it could mean <strong>I Color<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\nI Color is a Color Grade in the <strong>Near Colorless Range<\/strong>. Where as I Clarity (Included) is the <strong>Lowest Range of Clarity<\/strong> there is and contains the I1, I2 and I3 Clarities. These Clarities will all have Flaws that you can see with your <strong>Naked Eye<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><h2>F QUALITY<\/h2>\n<p>\nF Quality could mean either F for <strong>Flawless Diamonds<\/strong> (The Highest Clarity Range there is, the <strong>BEST<\/strong>), or it could mean <strong>F Color<\/strong>, which is in the <strong>Pure White<\/strong> Color Ranges.<\/p>\n<p>So If a Diamond reads F, I&#8230; it could be F Color, I Clarity, or I Color, F Clarity. <strong>BIG BIG Difference!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\nSee, out of all the <strong>Confusing Terms<\/strong> there are in Jewelry, <strong>Carat and Karat<\/strong> are the Easiest Terms to Comprehend.<\/p>\n<p>\nJust don&#8217;t get me Started on <strong>Luster<\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Carat and Karat A Diamond Ring can have Two Different types of &#8220;Carats&#8220;. They can have a Carat, and they can have a Karat. Both types mean Different Things. So Let&#8217;s Begin&#8230; CARAT Carat (with <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/whats-the-difference-between-carat-and-karat\/\" title=\"WHAT&#8217;S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CARAT AND KARAT?\">[Read More&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,29,3,10,4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carat-weight","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds","category-engagement","category-jewelry","category-metals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}