Karat Vs. Carat
Karat Vs. CaratOn your journey shopping for the perfect engagement ring or fine jewellery piece, you may encounter all sorts of new terms. Karat and carat are two words that often pop up whenever the discussion revolves around rings, diamonds, and precious metals—but what do they mean?
Both terms describe aspects of diamonds and gold, and to make matters more confusing, they can even be used in the same sentence despite referring to different things!
Karat is the term used to describe the purity of gold in a given piece of jewellery or other precious item. For example, a piece of jewellery may be 10, 14, 18, or, in some cases, 24 (pure) karat gold.
Carat, on the other hand, refers to the weight measurement of diamonds and gems. As an example, many of our engagement rings are crafted using diamonds weighing between 1 and 5 carats.
How Karats Are Measured
Karat refers to the purity of gold in a given piece of jewellery. Pure 24-karat gold is very soft but is often mixed or alloyed with other metals, such as nickel, copper, silver, or zinc, to create something harder. The karat value refers to the level of pure gold in a given piece of jewellery.
Differences Between Gold Karats
As mentioned, 24K (karat) is pure gold. This means an 18K gold ring has 18 out of 24 parts pure gold, while the rest is alloy. Similarly, 14K gold has 14 parts pure gold, and 10K has 10 parts pure gold out of 24.
When it comes to yellow gold, the purer the gold, the deeper the colour. For this reason, 18-karat gold can have a deeper hue than 14 and 10-karat gold. The difference is not as apparent for white gold, as white gold tends to have the same white shine regardless of the karat.
You may also have noticed that gold can come in a variety of colours, from yellow to white and rose. White gold, for instance, usually contains nickel, while rose gold has copper, giving it its classic rosy hue.
How Carats Are Measured
Carats refer to the weight of a gemstone. (One carat equals 200 milligrams, which can also be divided into 100 points.) This allows designers, gemologists, and jewellers to discuss precise measurements. For example, a one-and-a-half-carat diamond can be written as 1.5 ct.
When dealing with a piece of jewellery with many small diamonds, we often write down the TDW or total diamond weight. For example, a diamond tennis bracelet may have a TDW of 2.5 cts. This terminology is also used to discuss earrings, for example, a pair of diamond stud earrings may be described as having 2 TDW meaning a total weight of 2 carats. In this case, each earring would be 1 carat.
Another thing worth mentioning is that people often mistake carat measurements for size. The two are not the same. Usually, retail stores will carry diamonds that are cut to look larger, so you may see 1-carat diamonds that have been cut to look like they are larger (1.2 to 1.5 carats). While this may sound like a good deal, it is not advisable because the diamond has been cut extra wide and shallow, allowing light to “leak” out the bottom of the stone when it should be reflected out toward the eye.
Conclusion
As you can see, both terms carat and karat, apply to the jewellery business. However, carat is used to discuss gemstone weight, while karat is used to discuss the purity of gold.
We hope this article has been helpful in educating you about some of the ins and outs of the jewellery world. Please feel free to browse our site and articles for more great bits of diamond and jewellery-related education. For engagement rings in Winnipeg, contact us today!