Diamonds are measured in Carat Weight.

One carat weighs 200 milligrams. If a

diamond is referred to as four grains, this

also means that it is a one carat diamond.

The word Carat comes from the word carob.

A carob is a bean that grows on a tree in the

Mediterranean. In times past, if a diamond

weighed the same as a carob bean, it was

one carob, or one carat.

However, in the far east, where Carob trees

do not grow, rice was used to measure the

weight of a diamond. If a diamond weighed

as much as four grains of rice, it was four

grains – or one carat as we know it to be

now. The majority of diamond purchases

are for diamonds that are 1/3 of a carat.

Beware when shopping for diamonds that

are already set or mounted. If more than one

diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the

jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total

Weight – it does not tell you the carat weight

of each stone in the piece. You need to ask

the jeweler for the total carat weight of the

largest diamond in the piece to truly

understand what you are buying.