What is diamond carat weight means?
Diamond Carat weight is a unit of measuring the weight of any diamond. People get confused about the carat weight with the size of the diamond which is two different things.
The carat weight also works on the point system like:
1 Carat = 100 Cents/ Points, 1 Grain = 25 Points and 1 Carat = 0.200 grams.
What is the Diamond sieve means?
Diamond Sieves are the measuring instruments specially for the diamond comes under the size categories of -2, Star, Melle, +11 to 20 are manufactured to meet the proper requirement of the diamond Industry. They offer a rapid and extremely accurate method of sizing. In the local Indian market language, there are also known as CHALNI or CHARNI.
The table below is for a better understanding of how the diamonds are mainly sold by the sieve sizes. The groups under sieve ranges have specific names and weight ranges are as given below:
|
GROUP NAME
|
SIEVE SIZE
|
APPROX WT IN CARAT
|
|
-2
|
-2
|
<0.005
|
|
STARS
|
+2 TO -6.5
|
0.006 – 0.02
|
|
MELE
|
+6.5 TO -11
|
0.021 – 0.07
|
|
+11(BIG MELE)
|
+11 TO -14
|
0.08 – 0.13
|
|
+14
|
+14 TO -15.5
|
0.14 – 0.17
|
|
1/5TH
|
|
0.18 – 0.22
|
|
1/4TH (QUARTERS)
|
|
0.23 – 0.29
|
|
30 POINTERS
|
|
ABOVE 30 CENTS
|
|
40 POINTERS
|
|
ABOVE 40 CENTS
|
|
50 POINTERS
|
|
ABOVE 50 CENTS
|
|
SOLITAIRE
|
|
1.00 CARAT AND ABOVE
|
Generally, a customer would understand a solitaire as any single diamond, but the market understands it as above 1 carat. It is not advisable to do sieving for bigger sizes for the fear of the girdle and culet getting damaged. For bigger sizes, the weight of the individual stone is checked differently.
Table showing the Carat weight with the Sieve Number.
|
SIEVE NUMBER
|
DIAM(MM)
|
CARAT
|
|
+0.0 to -1.5
|
1.10
|
0.0066
|
|
+1.5 to -2.5
|
1.20
|
0.0086
|
|
+2.5 to -3.5
|
1.25
|
0.0098
|
|
+3.5 to -4.0
|
1.30
|
0.0125
|
|
+4.0 to -4.5
|
1.40
|
0.0136
|
|
+4.5 to -5.0
|
1.50
|
0.0145
|
|
+5.0 to -5.5
|
1.55
|
0.0157
|
|
+5.5 to -6.0
|
1.60
|
0.0188
|
|
+6.0 to -6.5
|
1.70
|
0.0211
|
|
+6.5 to -7.0
|
1.80
|
0.0267
|
|
+7.0 to -7.5
|
1.90
|
0.0305
|
|
+7.5 to -8.0
|
2.00
|
0.0347
|
|
+8.0 to -8.5
|
2.10
|
0.0418
|
|
+8.5 to -9.0
|
2.20
|
0.0418
|
|
+9.0 to -9.5
|
2.30
|
0.0511
|
|
+9.5 to -10.0
|
2.40
|
0.0581
|
|
+10.0 to -10.5
|
2.50
|
0.0651
|
|
+10.5 to -11.0
|
2.60
|
0.0726
|
|
+11.0 to -11.5
|
2.70
|
0.0774
|
|
+11.5 to -12.0
|
2.80
|
0.0837
|
|
+12.0 to -12.5
|
2.90
|
0.0983
|
|
+12.5 to -13.0
|
3.00
|
0.1100
|
|
+13.0 to -13.5
|
3.10
|
0.1177
|
|
+13.5 to -14.0
|
3.20
|
0.1290
|
|
+14.0 to -14.5
|
3.30
|
0.1457
|
|
+14.5 to -15.0
|
3.40
|
0.1533
|
|
+15.0 to -15.5
|
3.50
|
0.1646
|
|
+15.5 to -16.0
|
3.60
|
0.1820
|
|
+16.0 to -16.5
|
3.70
|
0.1989
|
|
+16.5 to -17.0
|
3.80
|
0.2060
|
|
+17.0 to -17.5
|
3.90
|
0.2300
|
|
+17.5 to -18.0
|
4.00
|
0.2480
|
|
+18.0 to -18.5
|
4.10
|
0.2560
|
|
+18.5 to -19.0
|
4.20
|
0.2650
|
|
+19.0 to -19.5
|
4.30
|
0.3000
|
A Few Tips on carat:
- There are certain types of settings that can make your diamond appear bigger than its actual size, which is a halo setting.
- Any design with the side diamond will also make the center diamonds look bigger than its actual size like for example in Pave setting.
- Buy the Diamond whose carat weight is below the whole or half-carat. for example, if you want a diamond of 1 Carat, then you should go for the 0.90-0.99 carat weighted diamonds.