| Diamonds are measured in Carat Weight. One | | | | much as four grains of rice, it was four |
| carat weighs 200 milligrams. If a diamond is | | | | grains - or one carat as we know it to be |
| referred to as four grains, this also means | | | | now. The majority of diamond purchases are |
| that it is a one carat diamond. | | | | for diamonds that are 1/3 of a carat. |
| | | | |
| The word Carat comes from the word carob. A | | | | Beware when shopping for diamonds that are |
| carob is a bean that grows on a tree in the | | | | already set or mounted. If more than one |
| Mediterranean. In times past, if a diamond | | | | diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the |
| weighed the same as a carob bean, it was one | | | | jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total |
| carob, or one carat. | | | | Weight - it does not tell you the carat |
| | | | weight of each stone in the piece. You need |
| However, in the far east, where Carob trees | | | | to ask the jeweler for the total carat weight |
| do not grow, rice was used to measure the | | | | of the largest diamond in the piece to truly |
| weight of a diamond. If a diamond weighed as | | | | understand what you are buying. |