Carat is a unit of measurement for gold, diamonds and other precious stones, while karat is the measure of purity for gold.
Karat
Karat is a unit of measure for the purity of gold that is equal to 1/24th part of pure gold. So, 24-Karat gold is 100% pure gold, while 18-Karat gold is 75% pure gold.
Carat
Carat is a unit of measure for the weight of gold. One troy ounce equals 31.1 grams, and one Carat equals 1/24th part of that. So, 18-carat gold would be 18/24ths or 75% pure gold by weight.
Carat Vs Karat – The difference
Carat
Carat is simply a unit of weight. When you buy gold, it will be weighed in carats. One carat is equal to 0.2 grams. So, if you see something advertised as “5-carat gold”, that means it weighs 1 gram. The higher the number of carats, the heavier the piece of gold will be.
Karat
Karat is a measure of purity. Pure gold is 24 Karat. This means that 24 out of 24 parts are made up of gold. However, very few things are made entirely out of pure gold because it is too soft for most uses. Most gold jewellery is 14 karat or 18 karats. This means that 14 out of 24 parts (or 18 out of 24 parts) are gold, with the rest being made up of other metals like silver or copper. The percentage of pure gold can also be expressed as “fineness”. For example, 14-karat gold would be described as “58.3% fine”.
How to Choose the Right Carat Weight for Your Diamond
The majority of diamonds used in engagement rings are between 0.5 and 1.0 carats. However, the size of the diamond is not the only factor to consider when choosing a carat weight. The cut, colour, and clarity of the diamond also play a role in determining the overall quality of the stone.
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