CARAT

The carat is a measure of how much a diamond weighs. Each Carat is divided into 100 “points”. For example, a half carat stone is considered a "50 point diamond." Other things being equal, the diamond price increases with carat weight because larger diamonds are rarer and therefore more difficult to obtain.

When searching for a diamond, carat should be used as a guide, but not a determining factor in your selection. Carat is not necessarily the best indication of how large a stone will appear, rather diamond measurements are a more important reflection of "size".

Carat selection will generally be determined by your budget, so it's best to set parameters of your price range, evaluate a range of qualities (color/clarity), and then find your preferred balance between size (carats) and quality (Color/ Clarity/Cut).