Carats or Karats?

Two Different Meanings

The word carat (or karat in the USA) has two distinctly different meanings, both used in the jewellery industry.

  • Carat Weight
    When the word “carat” is applied to gemstones, including diamonds, it means a unit of weight. A carat is equal to one fifth (0.20) of a metric gram. It is actually incorrect to refer to a “1 carat sized” diamond, it should be referred to as being a “1 carat weight” diamond.
  • Carat Gold Alloys
    A carat is 1/24th by weight
    A carat as applied to gold alloys means a proportion by weight of one part in twenty-four, 4.166%, or 41.66 parts per 1000. The higher the carat value, the higher the proportion of gold in relation to the base metal content. Pure gold is therefore 24 carat.
24 Carat