What is carat weight?

Custom designed ring with large diamond and cluster diamond surroundYou’ve all heard it, or said it, when a friend presents her new diamond engagement ring: ‘how many carats is it?’  and then we breathlessly hang on the answer.  But what does it mean? What is carat weight?  And why is carat weight important?

Diamond weight is stated in metric measurements called carats. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams, which is 1/5 of a gram or 0.20 gram. There are 142 carats in an ounce.  The carat is actually the standard unit of weight for most gemstones, helping standardise the way most gemstones are valued.

What is the history of diamond carat weights?

So, now we know the technical bits, but how did they come up with this particular way of measuring the weight of a gemstone?  Fascinatingly, the modern carat system has its roots in the carob seed, which comes from the locust tree. Because the seeds, which come from a large pod, like a bean pod,  are pretty much uniform in size and weight, they were a useful standard for determining the weight of a gem  in the very earliest times of gem trading. Early diamond merchants and jewellers used carob seeds as counterweights in hand-held balance scales.  We love this!  It’s not likely our customers would approve of diamonds from us being sold by carob weight however, so it’s unlikely we’re going to argue for a return to retro diamond weighing.

In the early 20th century carat weight was standardised as 0.20 gram. This gave buyers, sellers and owners a fixed and internationally accepted weight standard for diamonds, against which, of course, a monetary value could be set.

Carat is abbreviated as “ct” and weights are typically given to two decimal places: 1.00 ct, 0.76 ct, 1.57 ct.

Like the pound sterling, a carat is made up of 100 parts, called “points” and abbreviated as “pt.” An easy way to remember this is to think of carats as pounds and points as pennies.  Every diamond, before it is allowed to enter the public marketplace, must be given a carat weight, which forms part of its rating, along with the other Cs – colour, cut and clarity.  The carat weight of every gemstone is recorded to two decimal places – so 0.87ct, or 3.24ct, or 1.49ct, for example.

White emerald cut diamond bespoke engagement ringWhy is carat weight important?

The price of a diamond increases as its carat weight increases.  Since diamonds of 1.00 ct or larger are rarer, prices jump dramatically for these stones.  But, not all diamonds have the same value per carat as other diamonds – the value per carat (or carat point) is set according to the combination of the 4 Cs – cut, clarity and colour, as well as carat.

Carat weight also helps you compare prices between diamonds with different weights but the same colour, clarity and cut grades, allowing you to compare the per carat price for each stone to see where you’re getting the best value.  A 0.50ct stone for example, because of the nice round number, and being able to say ‘it’s a half carat’ can cost more than one that is 0.49ct a difference invisible to the naked eye ((as long as the cut, clarity and colour is the same) Strange, but true!

It also allows you to assess two stones the same carat weight, but with perhaps differing clarity or colour, and decide whether size is everything, or overall quality is preferable.  A one carat stone of a reduced clarity or slightly darker colour will cost less than a one carat stone with excellent colour and clarity, but still be big and sparkly and again, very difficult to tell the difference if you’re not a trained goldsmith or valuer.

Green tourmaline and diamond dress ringA very personal choice

All of this makes diamond selection a fascinatingly personal choice, which is why we spend as much time as we need helping our customers choose the stones they want in the jewellery they ask us to make for them. Simply by changing a single stone, while maintaining carat weight, changes to the budget can be made.

This means that by going bespoke, your dream ring is not as far out of your reach as you might think!  Hurrah!

If you want to learn more, call in or make an appointment – we love, love, love to talk diamonds!  And sapphires. And rubies. And citrines. And tourmalines. And peridot. And…well, you get the picture!

Spotlight on…Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels are globally renowned designer makers of the most exquisite, imaginative timepieces and jewellery.

Van Cleef Mystery Set necklaceThe jewellery house was founded following the marriage of Alfred van Cleef and Estelle Arpels.  Alfred was the son of a gemstone cutter and Estelle the daughter of a dealer in precious gems.

In 1906, Alfred joined forces with Estelle’s brother, Charles and established a boutique in Paris’ Place Vendôme.  In 1908 Estelle’s brother Julien joined the business, followed four years later by her third brother, Louis.

Their Maison soon became renowned for out of the ordinary, even positively extraordinary, jewellery and the Parisian go-to goldsmith for very special bespoke pieces, including the dazzling Varuna Boat. Made of ebony, green and white enamel, rubies, gold and jasper – and equipped with an electrical contact for a butler’s bell – this was a very fancy way to summon your staff!

 

 

Van Cleef & Arpels Dragon-Clip-1969The 1920’s

During the 1920’s the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels responded to the growing desire for orient-inspired jewellery and jewelled work.  Working with coral, jade, lacquer, mother-of-pearl and precious gems in every shades, they created simply stunning pieces that are as relevant today as they were then – true beauty never fades and style never dies.

1922 the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb, made by Howard Carter, who was sponsored by Lord Carnarvon, inspired a Western trend for Egyptian-themed art, furnishing and of course, jewellery. The Van Cleef & Arpels collections were jaw-droppingly beautiful; decorated with Egyptian scenes and hieroglyphic motifs depicting scarabs, sphinxes, bulls, ostrich feathers, lotus flowers and bees and set with precious buff-top emeralds, sapphires, rubies, pavé diamonds and onyx.  The goldsmiths plunged themselves into the creation of pieces that reflected the lifestyle of Ancient Egypt’s long-dead kings and queens and in their turn inspired a generation of designers.

 

VC MysteryThe 1930’s

In 1933 Van Cleef & Arpels patented a unique and game-changing technique, known as Mystery Set.  This technique requires the setting of gemstones stones in such a way that no prongs are visible.  The technique is so involved and delicate that it is incredibly time-consuming; each gemstone is precisely inserted onto thin gold or platinum rails that are less than two-tenths of a millimetre thick.  Once complete, the gems appear to be entirely free-standing. Because of the complexity of the process, Mystery Set pieces are extremely rare: in fact, the jewellery house produces no more than a couple each year.

 

VC ballet

 

 

The 1940’s

The 1940’s were dark times for the Maison’s Paris store, with the city in the possession of the German army for several years.  During this time, the US division continued to create dazzling pieces that defied the darkness of Europe.  The New York store released the Ballerina and Fairy collection, a series of pieces that caught the imagination of their wealthy clientele and were claimed as symbols of hope and light during the dark days of WW2.

 

Princess Grace in Van Cleef Pearls wedding setThe 1950’s

1956 saw the most glamorous wedding of the decade, the result of a fairytake romance between Prince Ranier of Monaco and the American actress Grace Kelly.  The fairytale couple chose a Van Cleef & Arpels wedding set of pearls and diamonds, consisting of a five strand necklace with matching bracelet, earrings and ring.  This was the start of a life-long love affair between Princess Grace and the jewellery house, as she built an enviable collection of unique pieces.

The following decades cemented Van Cleef & Arpels’ reputation as creators of the finest and most imaginative jewellery and supplier to the world’s most wealthy, glamorous and, let’s face it, luckiest, lovers of jewellery.  Their regular High Jewellery collection launches reveal breathtaking designs inspired by a wide range of themes, which then go on to inspire jewellery designers and makers across the globe.

We salute you Van Cleef & Arpels and thank you for bringing such beauty into the world.

The fabulous Cartier

Cartier-Naturellement WildJewellery designs by Cartier still cast the same spell over us as they have since the house of Cartier was formed in 1847.

Suppliers of fine jewellery to the rich, titled, royal, famous and infamous since they first opened their doors, Cartier has an illustrious history that includes inventing the wristwatch, supplying bespoke jewellery to all the royal houses of Europe, being the first to use the Art Deco style in jewellery, going head to head with Fabergé in the court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and creating their own Cartier Imperial Egg and generally dazzling the world with the innovative and creative jewellery and watch designs ever since.

Cartier Santos watchThe invention of the wristwatch came about when, in 1904, the Brazilian pioneer aviator, Alberto Santos-Dumont complained to his friend, Louis Cartier of the unreliability and impracticality of using pocket watches while flying. Cartier designed a flat wristwatch with a distinctive square bezel and so the ‘Santos’ was born. By1907 Cartier had branches in London, New York and St. Petersburg and was quickly becoming one of the most successful watch companies in the world. The Baignoire and Tortue models (both of which are still in production today) were introduced in 1912, followed by the Tank model in 1917. This, also designed by Louis Cartier, was inspired from the newly introduced tanks on the Western Front. This line too has survived, with over thirty varieties made since.

Duchess of Windsor Wallace Simpson Sapphire Panther PinCartier are perhaps most famous however for their incredible jewellery, particularly the ‘Bestiary’ collection – best illustrated by the Panthère brooch of the 1940s created for Wallis Simpson.

Today, Cartier continues to reflect its heritage in the current Panthère collections and although they no longer have the dramatic impact of their ground-breaking predecessors, these pieces are quite breathtaking in their own right.

What Cartier has done since inception is provide the opportunity for women with the desire to stand out from the crowd to purchase, or have made bespoke, stand-out jewellery. Always ahead of the curve, Cartier is synonymous with style, elegance and sheer, unadulterated beauty,

Cartier SS12