Carat vs Karat: Here’s the Difference

Nowadays it is easy to find online jewelry that offers a wide variety of precious metals and precious gemstones, but is there a way to know exactly what we are buying? Well, it is!

That is when the terms “Carat” and “Karat” show up. This standardized way of measurement was adopted around 1901.

Carat vs Karat, What’s the difference?

Now, to make it simple:

Carat (Ct.) refers to the unit of weight measurement exclusive for gemstones. A “carat” is equal to 0.2 Grams. To have a better idea, the average engagement ring diamond is somewhere between 1.08 and 1.2 carats.

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Karat (denoted as k or kt) is used to describe the purity or fineness of a piece of gold. The higher the karat number, the higher content of gold on the piece. The highest karat value is 24k which indicates a 99.99% gold purity. When it comes to 18K, means that the piece is made 75% of pure gold. While 14K is equal to only 58% of gold and so on. 

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So, if there is a standard way of measuring, why is it so confusing? 

For starters, these are homophone words, which means that sound the same but have a different meaning. Secondly, these words have similar spelling. And lastly, a long history of misspelling traced back to the 14th century. 

Of the two terms, “carat” is the older; according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it can be traced back to 1552. By 1568, it was also a measurement for the weight of other precious gemstones like diamonds and rubies, though its first appearance spelled it “kirat.” It’s also been spelled “carrets,” “caracts,” “caracks,” etc. Now the spelling has been standardized.

Aside from the variant spelling for “carat” early on, “karat” did not materialize in English until 1901, when it first appeared in a jewelers magazine, leading to speculation that it was a public relations ploy to differentiate gold value from gemstone value.

In order to understand what a gemstone carat measures, it would help to know the origins of the modern carat system. Carat weight started with the carob seed when early gem traders used the uniforms and comparable size seeds as counterweights in their balance scales. Today, the carat is the same milligram weight worldwide.

Here at Anam Karat, we offer personalized customer service to help you choose the best piece of jewelry for your needs. We provide a lifetime guarantee on all our 18k Solid Gold pieces and an appraisal certificate for our natural diamonds and the best natural emerald jewelry. Also, as a courtesy, we offer FREE insured shipping which includes adult signatures required to make sure your new piece of jewelry arrives safely at your hands.