Carats can be confusing. They often don’t come in whole numbers and many people end up with less than a carat, which seems to defeat the purpose of the measurement. Additionally, when we talk about gold the spelling changes to karat.
In some cultures, capitalization of the C can even change the meaning. To make matters even more confusing, many rings have multiple gemstones which means that the Diamond could be 1 carat, but the ring could be 1.5 carats in total diamond weight.
To get rid of the confusion, we’re going to break it down in simple terms so that you know how many carats you should be looking for when you start the buying process.
Most common number of carats
Many engagement rings have one diamond, which makes things much simpler. The most popular carat size is around 0.75 carats. There are many reasons for this, but a big one is price spikes. At 1 carat, the price spikes fairly hard. At 2 carats, it spikes exponentially harder. By the time you get to 10 carats, you might be getting a call from the Smithsonian.
Wait, I thought the most popular size was over 1 carat?
There’s a common misbelief that the most popular carat size is just over a carat, but that’s actually the average size. That average includes the Queen’s jewels, the real-life version of the jewelry in Ocean’s Eleven and that ring that your friend sold his car to buy. Since people don’t typically go on the small end then the average is skewed upwards, so make sure not to confuse the average size with the most popular size.
Are there price thresholds?
Generally, when the carat size is a whole number then you’re in the most trouble. A 0.75 carat diamond will be much more affordable than a 1 carat. A 1.75 carat will be more affordable than a 2 carat, and so on. Get a variety of prices and do due diligence to make sure you aren’t hitting one of these price spikes.
Smaller is sometimes better
A big mistake people make is to dish out large amounts of money for a huge diamond, only to realize that it’s cloudy and covered in imperfections. A smaller, high quality diamond should be preferable to a bigger, cloudy diamond. It’s the sparkle and the brilliance you’re after first and foremost.
The Diamond Reserve uses only GIA-Certified diamonds of the highest quality, so that you don’t have to worry about imperfections. If you’re looking for an engagement ring, drop us a line or call us at (720) 560-3548!