What’s the difference between Karat and Carat and a Carrot.

We are often asked by people is there a difference between Carats and Karats as it can be confusing to people who are not used to the terms on a regular basis.

The simple explanation is that one is a unit of weight and the other is a unit of pureness or fineness.

Carats is the term used when measuring the weight of diamonds. When placed on the scales a Carat is 200 milligrams or in simpler terms a fifth of a gram.

Due to the movies, Carat is a term used by the public to determine the size of a diamond it has become the norm for the public to talk about diamonds using carat to discuss the size of a diamond. We often tell people that unless two diamonds are cut the same they may look the same looking down from above but in fact weigh very different amounts. For example a 1ct diamonds may look smaller from above then a .80 carat diamond if either the .80ct diamond is cut too wide in diameter around the girdle (widest point of the diamond circumference) or the 1 carat diamond is cut too narrow. In both of these instances the diamond will either be too shallow or too deep and will not perform like it should and the stone will appear lifeless. We would recommend that it is always better to have a smaller diamond cut correctly then a large spready diamond that does not perform by emitting sparkle, brilliance, fire and scintillation.

Karat on the other hand is a measurement or purity or fineness. Karat is used in the measurement of golds purity. 24 carat is pure gold. There is a problem with using pure gold for jewelry in that it is too soft. This is why we add other metals called alloys to the gold to give the old other properties such as strength and/or colour.

So 1 Karat is 1/24th of pure gold.

In the case of 18 karat gold the gold is 75% pure. The alloy metal added to the gold may be different for different types of gold. The usual mixes used in gold are as follows –

For 18 Karat yellow gold the mix is 75% gold and then a mixture of approximately 5% copper and 20% fine silver.

For 18 Karat white gold the mixture is 75% gold and then 25% palladium or platinum.

For 18 karat rose gold the mix is 75% gold and then 20% copper and 5% fine silver.

*These mixtures are just an example. Different manufactures of jewelry will make their own mixes and obviously some are better than other and some also claim to be better/superior than others gold. Prices may vary accordingly.

The use of Zinc and Nickle have be know to cause allergies in some people. Some mixes may contain this but if purchasing a ring with a high palladium content as we sell in Loyes Diamonds you can be assured that the risk of allergies is virtually non existent. I say virtually due to the fact that despite Palladium being hyper allergenic (as is platinum) there have been cases in the past of people being allergic to palladium.

According to wikipedia…. (so we are not sure if the information is correct)

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist. Carrots are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. The most commonly eaten part of the plant is the taproot, although the greens are sometimes eaten as well. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot.

Goes particularly well in stews or can be mashed with parsnip. So now you know the difference between karat, carat and carrot, you can amaze your friends with your knowledge or use it to help you choose the wedding or engagement ring of your dreams!