DIAMONDS
Diamond carat guide
Carat is weight, not size. Two stones of the same weight can look a full half carat apart depending on how they were cut and what shape they are.
- 0.50 ct
- About 5.2 mm across in a round. Reads modest and wears easily.
- 0.75 ct
- About 5.8 mm. The size most people picture when they say small.
- 1.00 ct
- About 6.5 mm. The number the trade built its price ladder on.
- 1.50 ct
- About 7.4 mm. Where ovals start to look dramatic.
- 2.00 ct
- About 8.2 mm. Unmistakable across a table.
Buy just under the round numbers
Price jumps at 0.50, 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 carats because that is where buyers search. A 0.93 carat stone looks identical to a 1.00 and costs meaningfully less. We stock the shy weights on purpose.
Shape buys you size
Ovals, pears and marquises spread wider for their weight than rounds do. If face up size is what you want, the shape choice will get you there more cheaply than the weight will.