Carat Weight:

Bigger is not always better when it comes to choosing a diamond. In fact, the carat weight has nothing to do with the quality of the stone. Carat weight refers to the standard unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones One "carat" is a unit of mass that is equal to 0.2 grams. A carat can also be divided into points with one carat equal to 100 points. Therefore, a quarter carat dia"mond has 25 points and can be written as 0.25 carats.

The word "carat" is derived from the Greek word keration, meaning "seed of the carob." In ancient times, carob seeds were used to counterbalance scales because of their consistently uniform weight.