There are not many things as frightening as buying expensive diamond jewelry pendants when you don’t fully know what it’s all about.
We use the universal standard Carat Weight to measure diamonds. One carat weighs 200 milligrams.
If someone says that a diamond is four grains, they are saying that their diamond is a one carat diamond.
The word Carat comes from the word carob. A carob is a bean that grows on a tree in the Mediterranean. In times gone by, if a diamond weighed the same as a carob bean, it was called one carob, or one carat. However, in the Far East, where Carob trees do not grow, rice was used to measure the weight of a diamond.
If a diamond weighed four grains of rice, it was known as four grains or, as we know it to be in today’s world, one carat.
Most diamond purchases are for 1/3 of a carat diamonds.
Beware when buying jewelry pendants that include diamonds that are already set or mounted. If more than one diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total Weight.
That means that it does not tell you the carat weight of each stone in each of your jewelry pendants.
You need to ask the jeweler for the total carat weight of the largest diamond in each of your jewelry pendants to truly understand what you are buying.
If you have no idea how much your diamond is worth, then you can pay to get it appraised. However, the appraisal may not be totally accurate.
All diamonds aresent from the mine to the cutter and then on to the polisher. From there it will go to an independent grading company. After that, it finally arrives at its primary market via the retailer. During that time, having been passed through all those hands, things may have gotten a bit blurry.
It is probably best to obtain a certificate through GIA (the Gemological Institute of America). Pass the GIA certificate on to your diamond experts and ask them to use their cutters guide to accurately determine your diamond true value.
I hope this clarifies a few things for you and that you can now feel more confident when shopping for those glorious diamond jewelry pendants that are out there.