What is the difference between a Carat and Karat?
Since ancient times, people have tried to find the perfect measure to estimate the weight of a stone. The carat has become this measurement. But what is measured in carats in precious metals? Let’s figure out what is actually the difference between a Carat and Karat. Today the word “carat” is used to measure the weight of a gemstone (ct) as well as to determine the purity of the metal (Kt).
Karat – is a unit of gold in the purity of an alloy.
Carat – is a unit of mass used to measure the weight of gemstones and pearls 1 carat = 200 mg.
Carat as a stone weight
Since precious and semi-precious stones have different densities, it is a mistake to assume that a diamond and a sapphire weighing 1 carat will be of the same size. It is worth remembering that in order to determine the value of a stone, in addition to its weight, the purity of the mineral is also taken into account. So, for example, 2 sapphires of 5 carats each will have a different value if one of them has a purer, more intense color. However, you can roughly estimate the carat weight of a stone depending on its size.
It is interesting that experienced jewelers can quite accurately determine by eye the carat of a stone based on its size. A one-carat round diamond has a diameter of approximately 6.5 mm.
And here is another interesting statistic – in order to extract one carat of emerald, 20 tons of rock are taken out in the mines in Colombia.
Have a look at the difference of weight and shape of a precious stone, it is a good way to choose the best cut for your future jewel.
Karat (Kt) as a gold purity
The term “karat” is also used to measure the purity of gold, although it is mainly used in the West. The number of karats can be 8, 9, 10, 14, 18, 22. 24-karat gold is also possible, but in reality this is almost impossible to achieve – there is always a minimum percentage of impurities. That is when it comes to measuring gold in karats, it means the level of impurities in the metal. Ultimately, it is from these impurities that the color of the metal depends: whether it will be red gold, pink or, white.
It should be noted that a high content of pure gold in a piece does not mean that the jewellery will be better, brighter or more beautiful. To explain this concept, one should understand why one mixes gold with other metals at all. The fact is that gold is an unusually soft metal. It is so soft that it can be molded almost by hand. Due to this property, products with a high content of pure gold do not withstand practical and everyday use. Such jewellery is very susceptible to various deformations and scratches. For these reasons, jewelers in most cases use various gold-containing alloys, which are designed to increase the stability of products.
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