What is a “Carat”?
A “carat” is used to measure the weight of a diamond or other precious and semi-precious stones, such as emeralds, rubies, opals, etc.
A “carat” is equal to 0.2 grams; that is to say one gram contains 5 carats.
Since an ounce is equal to 28.35 grams, an ounce is equal to 141.75 carats.
How is that different from a “Karat”?
When talking about gold, a “karat” is a measure of purity, that is how much gold there is in an item. The range used is 0-24 karat. See “About Gold”
What are precious and semi-precious stones?
Stones used in jewelry are divided into “precious”, “semi-precious”, and “common” categories.
The “Precious” category has stones such as diamond, emerald, ruby and jade. These stones are rare, they are extremely expensive, sometimes costing into thousands of dollars per carat.
Gold Silver Creations® does not carry any jewelry with precious stones (See Note Below).
The “Semi-precious” category has stones such as opals, amber, jade, alexandrite, etc. These stones are moderately priced and are more readily available in many colors and shapes.
Artificial or imitation stones are made to resemble precious and semiprecious atones.
Gold Silver Creations® carries many items of jewelry with semi-precious or imitation stones. Each item we carry that contains stones, is clearly identified as to the type and color of stones and, where applicable, the carat weight of the stones.
