What Determines The Size Of A 6 Carat Diamond?
6 carat diamonds weigh 1.2 grams, or 0.049 ounces. The actual size of the diamond, meaning the dimensions of width, length, and depth, are determined by their cut and shape: some shapes carry considerable weight in their pavilions, others in their table. At this weight, sizes are not as consistent.
“Once you get into these large carat sizes the top-down jump in carat weight isn't quite as dramatic - this is especially true with fancy shapes (non round) since they have much more variance in their proportions,” warns Grace Taylor, VRAI’s Senior Director of Sales and Customer Experience. “For example, a 6 and 7 carat diamond could have nearly identical length and width measurements if one is particularly shallow and the other more deep.”
Round brilliant cut diamonds have a more precise size range as their proportions are more regulated.
This is all because as a diamond gets larger, it also gets deeper. “More of the carat weight is going towards the underside of the stone in larger shapes, making the differences between them much less noticeable,” continues Taylor. “We see this when customers are shopping - people looking below 2 carats generally have a very specific carat weight range they seek, but people looking for the larger carat weights generally have a much wider range.”
The following principle will always hold true: elongated shapes such as Marquise, Pear, Emerald, and Oval will have a larger surface area than round or equilateral shapes such as the Round Brilliant cut, the Asscher, the Princess, and the square Radiant cut.
