Diamond Carat: The Bigger Diamond Is Not Always Going To Be More Expensive

Diamond carat is the mass or weight of a diamond. One carat is defined as one-fifth of a gram, or exactly 200 milligrams. Like the number of pennies in a dollar, the point unit equals one one-hundredth of a carat and is the unit that is most often used when a diamond is less than one carat in weight. So 50 points would be 1/2 carat.

Although it is true that larger diamonds—diamonds of a higher carat weight—many times are more valuable, the fact is that carat weight is not the only consideration. Other factors that have an effect on the value of a diamond include cut, color, and clarity.