The Meaning of Total Carat Weight

When it comes to the world of gemstones the size and weight of the stone are key markers of value. In simple terms, depending on how big or small the gemstone is the price or value that is attached to it will be higher.

When it comes to gemstones and fine jewellery, the foremost among them is the diamond. The hardened, carbon-based gemstones that are known across the world. When it comes to diamonds their usage today primarily occurs at the level of fine jewellery. Whilst diamonds are sold individually as gemstones the mainstay remains the world of fine jewellery most notably engagement rings.

So when it comes to measuring diamond value, the weight of the stone is a key factor, however, things become tricky when determining the total carat of the diamond(s) in an engagement ring. Enter the subject of total carat weight.

What is a Diamond Carat

Let start with the basics. Before we get to the concept of total carat weight, a basic grasp of what is meant by diamond carat is important. As noted a key determinant of diamond value is its carat. A carat is a measure that determines the weight of the stone. Which applies both to diamonds and other prominent gemstones. Here we are only considering diamonds though technically the principles of measure outlined here can also apply to the world of gemstones.

The measure of carat, which is believed to have been formalised in the early part of the 20th century (1907), and today is the globally recognised standard. According to this measure, 1.00 carat = 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams. For those who are familiar with weights and measures, these are extremely small numbers. However, when it comes to determining the diamond gemstone's or diamond engagement ring’s value, these are significant. In the gemstone world, we are often dealing with extremely small numbers, where the weight differences are tiny.

So how does this work out in practice? For example, if an engagement ring buyer, wishes to buy a ring that features a single-cut 1.00-carat diamond, the weight of the diamond will be 0.2 grams. However, in practice, modern gemstone and jewellery companies do resort to grams. And in some cases employ a modified point system where 1.00 = 100 points and so on. Importantly for our discussion, it is the term carat is employed as a measure of diamond weight and by extension value.

Differences Between Carat Weight and Total Carat Weight

Right with that foundation in place let’s move to the subject of total carat weight. The term total carat weight entered popular use with the growing adoption of extremely small gemstones. In the diamond world, this refers to accent stones in the world engagement rings, and in general usage of loose diamonds which generally fall below 0.15 carats, are referred to as melee diamonds. Given the extremely small sizes, we were dealing with, measuring them as individual stones became a challenge. And considering that diamonds lose their value as they get smaller, like all gemstones, measuring their total carat became a sensible option.

The subject of the total carat weight (TW) comes into play notably when it comes to gemstone jewellery like engagement rings. In an engagement ring for example that features a single cut diamond, say 1.00-carat cushion cut stone if one wishes to know the ring’s total carat weight (TW) it would simply be the 1.00 carat. This is simple enough since we are only dealing with a single gemstone, most likely in a solitaire engagement ring. However, things become interesting when we are dealing with rings with more than one gemstone. This takes us to the next point.

Total Carat Weight in Multi-Stone Rings

Traditionally engagement rings tended to feature a single main gemstone or centre stone. Presuming the gemstone is a diamond, the ring would have a total carat wight that is equal to the carat of the single gemstone as we saw in the last point. However modern engagement rings tend to feature one or more gemstones, or multiple gemstones in designs like three stone engagement rings or in some cases would feature multiple tiny gemstones that number in the high dozens.

In such cases, the total carat that is present in a ring is determined by taking the aggregate of all gemstones. For example, a three stone engagement ring: is a ring design that features the main gemstone, say 1.00 carat diamond, which is then flanked by two 0.50-carat diamonds, with no accent stones. In such a case, the total carat weight of the ring would be 1.00 + 0.50 + 0.50 = 2.00 carats.

This may seem simple enough, however when one deals with multi-stone rings that feature an array of tiny accent stones, such as the diamond white gold halo engagement ring in the marigold range, that features dozens of accent stones, the total carat weight of the diamond comes down to the addition of all of the gemstone’s total carat. This is done in aggregate, where the weight of all the diamonds is taken and then converted into the respective carat of the stone.

However, just having an idea of the total carat weight of diamonds found in a ring does not tell us enough about the ring’s value with respect to the gemstones. This takes us to the relationship between total carat weight and price in relation to the individual diamond carats.

Diamond Ring Value: Total Carat Weight Is Not Everything

When it comes to buying a top-class engagement ring there are a few key factors to consider. The type of precious metal: usually gold or platinum; the type of gemstone, its carat, cut, and importantly the number of gemstones. All of these factors are generally determined by the ring design: which lays out the main features of the ring.

Now when it comes to the final price of the ring, which is generally the most important factor, which is often determined by the quality of the main gemstone or gemstones. As noted modern rings tend to feature more than one. When it comes to multi-stone rings, such as the three stone types we mentioned, the size or carat of the gemstones is not uniform. And in the world of gemstones, particularly diamonds the prices tend to vary considerably.

For example, a 0.25-carat diamond is considerably cheaper than a 1.00 carat diamond. And that means even as aggregate. To put this in perspective, an engagement ring that features three diamonds: two stones that weigh 0.25 carats, and a single stone weights 0.50 each, with a total carat weight of 1.00 when contrasted with an engagement ring with a single 1.00 carat diamond is likely to be cheaper.

Making matters more interesting, if a ring that features a set of eleven tiny diamonds, with each with a 0.10 carat totaling 1.10 carat, that ring, whilst controlling for other factors of the 4Cs, it is likely to be cheaper than an engagement ring with a total carat weight of 1.00 carat, but only feature a single solitaire diamond weighing a full 1.00 carat. This is an important consideration that potential engagement ring buyers ought to consider.