How much is a carat? How many grams in a carat? How is the weight of precious stones measured? What does 1 carat mean?

A girl's best friend is diamonds. This is known not only by ladies, but also by many men who gave their beloved jewelry with this coveted stone. Questions regarding this precious crystal are of interest not only to the owners of it, but also to those who are just about to acquire a cute trifle adorned with a sparkling diamond. Curious how much a diamond costs? This, perhaps, worries men who decide to please their sweetheart. How many carats are in a diamond? Well, this question worries many happy owners of a sparkling stone.

What is a diamond?

It's no secret that the most expensive mineral is diamond. This crystal not only has amazing aesthetic qualities, but is also the hardest substance on the planet. And it is the latter quality that is widely used in science and technology. A diamond that has been given a specific shape and cut is called a diamond.

A carat is how many grams?

Before answering this question, let's turn to history and remember where the carat measure came from. To measure the weight of precious stones in carats began in the fifteenth - sixteenth centuries in the Mediterranean countries. The fact is that precious minerals are small and weigh very little. At that time, accurate measuring instruments were rare. So, back in those days, it was found that the seeds of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) have an extremely constant weight - 0.19 grams. Therefore, the weight of precious stones was compared with the weight of these seeds. And then the final answer to the question was already given: "One carat is how much?". This is a value equal to the weight of one grain of a miracle tree. And although now this method is no longer used, the term consonant has remained. There was also a carat weight - 0.2 grams. So the answer to the first question was received - about how many grams are in a karate.

How to find out the weight of a diamond without using a scale?

Perhaps not all owners of diamond jewelry know the weight of their stone. What if you really want to know? What to do? Do not pick it out of the ring or earrings to weigh it? And not everyone has scales of such accuracy. There is an exit! The fact is that everything has long been measured and calculated. And if you want to know how many carats are in your diamond, all that remains is to use this data. Naturally, it is worth remembering that the measurements will be approximate. From the table below, you can find out how much one carat is in terms of millimeters.

We determine the weight of a gemstone by its diameter. A carat is how many millimeters?

It should be noted that this table is only suitable for round-shaped diamonds, the so-called Kr-57. If you have a stone of a different cut, then you can use the tables presented on sites that sell jewelry.

Now you know how to determine how many carats are in your diamond!

How not to get into a mess and not buy a fake?

Since people have learned to grow crystals artificially, buying a fake even in a good jewelry store has become quite a real thing. Technology does not stand still, and sometimes the industry produces such copies of "a la diamonds" that even a specialist will not always be able to recognize a fake. An A-cut (round) diamond means something special, with such a cut it will be completely reflected by the back faces of the crystal, as if from a mirror surface. If you bring a stone with a crown to the light, then only a sparkling point will be visible. If a real diamond is immersed in hydrochloric acid, then it will not cause any harm to the stone, but stains will remain on the fake. Since diamond is a very hard mineral, it is almost impossible to scratch it. But the diamond easily leaves scratches on any other precious stones. A fake, if dipped in water or glycerin, will be very hard to see, but a real stone will sparkle. You can also use testers based on the use of ultraviolet and electrical conductivity. But they are unable to detect moussanite, a rather rare crystal of the carbide class with a diamond luster. It is often passed off as a real diamond.

How much are diamonds worth?

The price of this precious mineral depends on many indicators: cut, transparency, the presence or absence of inclusions and cracks, color and, of course, size. If the stone is perfect in its transparency, then the price increases many times over, while specimens with defects are much cheaper. In terms of color, diamonds are colorless, blue, pink, yellow, purple, brown, and even black.

The most expensive are colorless and blue. are quite common, therefore they belong to a cheaper group. Obviously, large stones are much more expensive than small specimens. Currently, for a diamond of 0.1 carats they ask for 7-7.5 thousand rubles; 0.5 carats - 140 thousand rubles; 1 carat will pull on 500 thousand rubles.

The biggest diamond

The largest golden diamond belongs to The weight of the stone is 755 carats. The second, no less beautiful stone is called Cullian I, its weight is 530.2 carats. This stone is kept in the Tower of London and crowns the scepter of King Edward VII. This diamond is just one small piece of a 3106 carat (621.2 grams) diamond discovered in the Transvaal colony of Britain in 1905. This stone was broken into two large, seven medium and ninety-six small diamonds.

The most cut in the shape of a pear and has the name "Star of Africa". In third place is a golden diamond bearing the name "Incomparable". The stone was given an unusual triangular shape. The weight of the mineral is 407.48 carats. Inserted a diamond into a necklace

In conclusion, I would like to add that not everyone can afford jewelry with large crystals. Therefore, often a diamond becomes valuable not on how many carats it contains, but on how much you invested in a gift of love and attention. And even the smallest diamond can become the most expensive in the world!

The unit of measurement for the mass of precious stones is not always clear, and buyers ask: "How much is a carat?". The measure began to be used by the ancient Romans in the process of trading in gems. It has reached our days unchanged, and when translated into the usual system of units, it is equal to 200 mg. After reading this article, you will understand the difference between methodical and instrumental carats, how to determine the desired size of a gem in grams, knowing only its diameter. You will also find out what determines the value of the jewelry.

When did the measure

A new designation for determining the parameters was introduced due to the small weight of the valuable minerals mined. The need for a common unit of measurement for gems arose at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. At that time, there was an active trade in precious stones in the Mediterranean countries.

Accurate measuring instruments were rare. The weight of minerals could be determined using carob seeds, which, due to approximately the same mass of each, served as weights when weighing.

It was the weight of these unique grains (189 mg) that served as a measure for the ancient Romans. Jewelry dealers from other countries had their own measures: English was equal to 205 mg, Arabic - 223 mg, and Florentine - about 197 mg.

It was possible to come to a common decision at the World Conference in Paris (1907), where it was determined that a carat is equal to 200 mg.

A few years later, this measure began to be used in most countries of the world.

How to determine mass without weights

Jewelry emphasizes the high social status of the owner. Their cost can range from 7 to 500 thousand rubles and much higher. It depends on the quality characteristics of the product and its weight.

Determining the number of carats, especially if the gem is already cut, will be difficult. For round gems, you can use the formula:

M=(D^2) x h x 0.0061, where

• M is the mass of the stone;
• D is its diameter;
• H is the height of the gem.

To determine the mass of precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), another unit was previously used - a troy ounce, equal to approximately 31.10 grams.

Several meanings of the term for the measure of luxury

Metric or diamond carat is a unit of measurement for the weight of precious stones, equal to 200 mg. In the Russian Federation, the abbreviation "kar" is adopted, and the international designation is ct.

The unit that characterizes the degree of purity of an alloy of gold has a consonant name - carat. It is also called assay or gold, and is designated - "K". The standard is considered to be a 24-carat product. So, an ingot marked 12 K will consist of gold only by half, and 6 K - respectively, by a quarter.

In many countries (Russian Federation, France, Germany and other states), instead of gold carat (K), a metric test is used that determines the percentage of gold in the alloy. For example, a 999 sample is equal to the 24 K standard. Such ingots are used as state reserves, stored in domestic and foreign banks, and private vaults.

A separate unit of measurement for the weight of pearls is a grain. It is equal to ¼ carat (50 mg). In the Land of the Rising Sun, a measure of the weight of pearls is momme (3.75 g).

How are the mass and diameter of precious gems related?

When ordering jewelry, it is important to decide how much a natural mineral insert will weigh. The total cost of the product, as well as the future status of the jewelry, depends on this. A man will be able to please his beloved by presenting a luxurious ring with a gem, or secular ladies will surprise their girlfriends with a valuable acquisition.

Knowing the diameter of the stone, it is possible to determine its mass without weighing. For example, for round standard cut diamonds, this would be:

• 3mm=0.1ct
• 5mm=0.5ct
• 6mm=1ct

Precious stones and jewelry made of gold are in constant demand among women and men. Before choosing a valuable gift, it was useful to figure out how many grams are in 1 carat, the features of the designation of a gold sample.

If we apply the acquired knowledge, we can calculate that the weight of the unique Cullinan diamond of 530.2 carats corresponds to 105 g. The cost of a carat of precious minerals depends on their size. The larger the crystal, the more expensive the price of an established measure of weight.

It turns out that the carat of the above Cullinan is worth about 38 million dollars. Whereas a carat of a modest diamond weighing 200 mg is estimated at 3600-8900 dollars.

You wondered: "How many grams in a karate?" Not everyone will answer this question. Perhaps a friend boasted of a 3-carat diamond ring, but you don’t know how to convert grams to carats, or are you just suffering from broadening your horizons? Then sit down comfortably and read with pleasure.

The word "carat" is familiar to many. At least, it is well known and is first of all associated with the very friends of girls - diamonds.

Unless you're a gemstone expert or a walking encyclopedia, it's entirely possible that your mind is confused about this concept. This often occurs, and this is due to the long history of the term, coming from the historical depths of the countries of the East.

First, you need to unequivocally define what, in fact, a carat is. A carat is a measure of weight, not size, shape, or even beauty. What is the weight of a carat?

At different times in different countries, the carat had certain values, ranging from 0.1 to 0.25 g rounded. In 1907, the current effective number was established for him, equal to one fifth of a gram, or 200 mg. That is, 1 gram of a stone will equal 5 carats.

Is carat a diamond's best friend?

Often people, thinking about how many grams is 1 carat, think that we are talking only about diamonds. Is it so?

No, carat is the measure of weight for all gemstones.

And that is why, a carat (that is, 0.2 grams of weight) of gemstones may differ in appearance. One carat of diamond, emerald or sapphire looks different.

If we recall a little the course of school physics, namely the fact that the density of substances differs, everything falls into place.

The same stones of 1 carat may differ in appearance, as there are more than 250 ways of cutting.

The ratio of grams - dimensions

In jewelry, there are tables that correspond to carat weight and diamond size. Of course, given that they have the same cut. For example, a round diamond weighing 1 carat has a diameter of 6.5 mm.

From which, by the way, we can conclude that such a diamond is considered a large stone.

2 diamonds of the same weight may differ in price. The fact is that the cost of a precious stone also depends on the clarity, cut and other factors.

Origin of the word

The origins of the word "carat" takes from the countries of the Middle East, famous for their love of jewelry, wealth and jewelry. In ancient times, in order to somehow compare stones with each other, jewelers were looking for a measure that was close to universal.

Of course, they found: she was given the seeds of the carob tree, famous for its constancy of shape and size. And their weight was close to the same 200 mg. And such a tree was called in Greek "keratonia".

It is easy to guess that this is where the similar-sounding word "carat" came from.

But you must admit, for such valuable things as precious stones, I wanted more accuracy. No one could give a 100% guarantee of the identity of the seeds. This was the reason for the introduction of the "metric carat".

The first version, to which the Europeans came in 1877, after conferring, said that a carat is equal to 205 mg. "What kind of number is this?" - a little later, other merchants and jewelers were indignant and offered a more convenient value.

So, since 1907, after the passage of the IV General Conference on Weights and Measures, from now on and forever 1 carat has become equal to one fiftieth of a gram. Gradually, the number of countries using the adopted measure increased. In the USSR, the carat was introduced in 1922.

What are the letters?

Carat has its own abbreviation - "ct". For example, 0.5 carats - 0.5 ct. It is used when talking about a single diamond. When considering the total mass of stones in a piece, the abbreviation "ct TW" is used.

Different carats are needed, different carats are important

I would like to note that the carat has a "brother" - a designation used to assess the purity of gold. But this is a separate issue.

At the beginning, we asked ourselves the question: “1 carat contains how many grams?” It turned out that the conversion of carats to grams is quite simple. Carat is a measure of weight for all gemstones and it weighs 0.2 grams. Accordingly, with different cuts, the appearance of the same stone may differ.

When asked what a carat is, most will answer that it is a measure of weight for diamonds. More knowledgeable people will think more about gold. They are right.

This is a unit of measure. It is used by jewelers, other specialists dealing with precious stones, pearls, gold.

Origin and variety of the term

The name comes from the carob tree - ceratonia, the fruits of which resemble a horn (keraton from Greek - horn). The ancient Romans, appreciating the "uniformity" of seeds, made their weight a unit of measurement; it was equal to 0.189 g. Only the Roman Empire thought so.

How much one carat weighs, everyone decided in their own way: English - 205.3, Florentine - 197.2, canonized Arabic - 223.2 mg. The northern states tried to introduce their own unit - a grain, equal to the mass of a barley grain. But this indicator also varied from country to country.

The global jewelry trade was in a fever. It could not go on like this for a long time, it was necessary to accurately solve the question: 1 carat is how many grams? The answer was given by the international Paris conference. In 1907, she established a single measure of carats - 200 mg. By 1913, most countries agreed with this, and since 1923, the Soviet Union.

It can measure both the weight of stones and the purity of gold. Therefore, there are several types:

Weight in all respects

Consider how to convert carats to grams and vice versa.

One carat is equal to 0.2 g, so 1 g is five carats. Translation is simple:

• carat weight is the weight in grams multiplied by five;
• weight in grams is carat weight divided by five.

For example, 20 carats is how many grams? The weight of such a stone is 4 g (20÷5=4). A 100g stone is 500 carats.

To find out how much gold an ingot of a certain weight and carat contains, you need to divide its total weight by 24, and then multiply by the carat number. For example, 240g of a 20 carat bar contains 200g of gold (240÷24x20=200).

How many centimeters are in one carat? The question may seem incorrect, because carats are mass, and centimeters are distance. However, the mass of pearls or round-cut diamonds, from 0.2 to 15 carats, can be recognized without removing them from the frame, according to special tables. But in centimeters (in cm), natural gems are rarely evaluated, more often they talk about millimeters (mm).

For example, if a diamond has a diameter of 11 mm, its mass will be five carats, and if 16 mm, then 15. To account for each millimeter, you will need a caliper. Different gems with the same mass differ in size. After all, each mineral has its own density; it can fluctuate even for specimens of the same species, but from different deposits. An emerald will be larger than a diamond of the same mass, and a diamond will have a volume greater than that of a ruby, since the density of an emerald is the smallest of them, and that of a ruby ​​is the highest.

For connoisseurs, special detailed tables have been compiled, which compare the size, cut, weight for different stones. Their accuracy is relative, applicable mainly to factory-made products. Hand-cut masterpieces are always unique, so their weight may deviate from the standard.

More about purity and measure

Why were samples needed at all, what else to pay attention to when evaluating a gem? For jewelry, pure gold is not used because of its softness: it wears out too quickly.

To give strength, to diversify shades, it is “strengthened” with other metals. Red is obtained by adding copper, white - platinum or silver. But the percentage of impurities is limited. Thus, the UK considers gold jewelry to be at least 9K, the USA - 10K. To indicate the amount of other metals, a carat or sample was introduced.

The weight of semi-precious, ornamental or rough stones is measured in grams, in Europe - sometimes in ounces. Accuracy is determined to the second digit after the decimal point, that is, up to a hundredth of a gram.

Jewelers operate with the term estimated weight. It means determining the size of the stone by eye, according to the diameter.

But, for example, the processing style can be misleading. A stone with a fine cut is visually larger than its equal, but more solid. It is worth sorting out your wealth from the box. Perhaps you will appreciate their significance in a completely new way.

Precious stones and some other gifts of nature in carats. The roots that gave rise to this definition go back centuries. One popular belief is that weight was originally measured by acacia seeds. This plant is native to the Mediterranean. The pods of the shrub are called "little horn", and in Greek pronunciation - "carat".

Another suggestion points to a coral tree. The weight of its seeds is approximately equal to the weight of the average. The Romans also measured gems with plant seeds. 24 grains served as a weight weight.

In Greece, coins were minted, the weight of which corresponded to 24 acacia seeds.

Carats are used to measure precious stones, the percentage of gold in an alloy, and pearls. It was quite difficult to measure the magnitude of the latter and evaluate it. This depended on many factors. Even a shipment of cultured pearls mattered.

Carats and grams

All these were only approximate values. They could fluctuate from the location of the grown tree, from the type of pods, and even from the humidity of the air. Later they began to measure in, but even then there was no officially established value of how much one carat weighs. Even on the territory of one country, the limits of measurements from 0.188 to 0.213 grams were fixed.

When trade began to take on a global scale, it became necessary to come to a single measurement value.

The Parisian merchants were the first to make an attempt. At the meeting of the Precious Chamber in 1877, an official measure was proposed: one carat corresponded to 0.205 grams. However, the international community did not support this initiative. Later, in 1907, the General Conference was held in Paris, which dealt with the issues of a unified system of weights and measures. One of the agendas was to determine the official size of the carat. From now on, 1 carat has become equal to 200 milligrams.

However, not all countries supported the establishment. The French had to be active in involving the world community in the creation of a standard of measures. Resolutions were adopted in some countries, canceled in others, and simply ignored in others. But by 1914 the French Committee had already gained weight in the eyes of the representatives of many countries. And, finally, the actions were crowned with success. In 1930, the proposed measure of the weight of precious stones was finally approved and became an international unit of measurement.