While considering a diamond, a carat is one of the most important factors that define its value, both ascetics and monetary, in the market. Every diamond you see has a fixed carat value, like 2 carats, 3 carats, 8 carats, and so on. Where do you buy a retail or wholesale diamonds? Since this carat value is crucial for calculating the market price, demand and supply chain, and the purpose of jewellery making.

Usually, the carat of a diamond is defined by a term known as Carat Total Weight or CTW and CT TW. These two terms are synonymous with each other and represent the same thing: the total weight of all diamonds used in jewellery making. If we consider only carat weight or CT, it would have represented the weight of a particular or single diamond in loose form.

Why is CTTW given so much importance?

Although the quality of a diamond is defined by using the four Cs’, we must assess how much carat the gem is when determining its price or value in the market. CTW comes into play when one needs to find out the total weight of the diamond in reality rather than what it appears to be after the set is complete. One real-life example of the implementation of CTW is in the illusion setting of diamonds in jewellery.

Considering a solitaire setting, a small or simple central diamond is placed on the metal band and supported by metal rods to give an illusion of a larger solitaire diamond. From the looks, the gem is of high carat, at least three to four carats by weight.

But if we evaluate the CTW value, we will see it is somewhere between one carat to two carats. Therefore, the actual weight of the diamond is completely based on what its CTW is marked as and not what one can see after the loose diamond is set on the jewellery.

Therefore, if any wholesale diamond supplier fails to gauge CTW of the sparkling white gems, they would strike a deal either in too much loss or end up asking for excess money from their customers, which might go against the terms of the diamond market in the world. This particular term has introduced standardization in the market, ensuring the dependency of damage price on its weight defined by carat.

How is CTTW determined for multiple diamonds in jewellery?

When you find beautiful diamond jewellery from seasoned suppliers like KGK Group, CTW represents the total weight of all the diamonds used in the setting of the jewellery. For example, if we talk about a tennis bracelet, around 20 to 25 diamonds are used to complete the paving.

Let’s suppose that the weight of each diamond is 0.5 carat. Therefore, the total weight of the tennis bracelet or CTW will be 1 carat to 1.25 carats. In this case, CTW depends on the number of diamonds used in the total setting of the concerning jewellery and the carat weight, which was determined in the loose state of the gem. Here we have assumed that each diamond has the same weight, which is usually different.

So, dividing the value of CTW by the total number of diamonds used in the jewellery is not an ideal way to understand the carat weight of each piece in loose condition. For example, for a halo engagement ring where the central diamond is the largest and has the highest carat value by weight, followed by the diamonds used in the band, and then the halo ring diamonds. In this case, we have to consider the current value of each diamond individually to calculate the CTW range of that engagement ring.

Does CTW have any relation with the diamond size?

No, the CTW of any KGK diamond represents the weight of the gem, not its size. Two diamonds of the same weight, two carats, can have different sizes based on the cut grade and the type. For example, a Princess cut diamond of two carats will be larger than an emerald-cut diamond of the same weight. Therefore, the carats and size of the diamonds are not related to each other by any means.

Conclusion

With the meaning of CTW now being clear for you, buying a diamond based on this and other factors like colour and clarity won’t be a problem. If you are looking for more insight on the CTW/CTTW you can walk in any of the KGK Group outlets in your city. Here, the team of jewellery and diamond experts will shed more light on your concerns related to it.
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