Human beings are social animals, and we are upgrading ourselves for thousands of years. Apart from learning and developing life-saving skills, we also like to decorate other things as well ourselves, and jewelry is one of the things we are using for many years. In jewelry, its purity and weight are the two most important features, and Karat and Carat are two unique words that are used to denote that two things, respectively.
Karat vs Carat
The main difference between Karat and Carat is that the term Karat is used to denote the purity of Gold. It tells how many parts of Gold are mixed in an alloy, whereas the term Carat is used to denote the weight of any valuable gemstone. One Carat equals 200 milligrams.
Karat is used mainly for denoting the purity of Gold, 24 Karat gold is the purest, and to make jewelry, gold is mixed with other metals like copper if it is 18 Karat gold that means in 24 parts gold is 18 part and another 6 part of other metal is mixed. Gold can be mixed in different ratios with other metals. This ratio is denoted by Karat.
In contrast, Carat is a unit for measuring the weight of gemstones. Gemstones like diamonds are very precious and measured in a very small unit. This small unit is known as Carat. In one Carat diamond, there is only 0.2 gram of diamond.
Comparison Table Between Karat and Carat
| Parameters of Comparison | Karat | Carat |
| Definition | It is a measurement unit to measure the purity of Gold. | It is a measurement unit to measure the weight of gemstones. |
| Used For | It is mostly used for Gold. | It is mainly used for gemstones like diamonds. |
| Aim | To measure purity. | To measure weight. |
| Range | Its highest value is up to 24 Karat in gold. | It does not have any such limit. |
| Example | 18 Karat of gold means 18 part gold with 6 part other metal. | 5 Carat diamond means 1 gram of diamond. |
What is Karat?
Whenever you buy Gold, you check its weight, color, purity, etc., and in this process, you must have encountered 18K, 14K, or something like this. It denotes 18 Karat and 14 Karat, respectively. Karat denotes the purity of Gold. 14 Karat denotes that the jewelry is made using 14 parts of Gold and 10 parts of any other metal like copper.
As Gold is a soft metal, it can not be used to make jewelry, so it is mostly mixed with copper in fixed ratios to prepare jewelry. This ratio is denoted by Karat. The higher the value of Karat pure, the more gold. Gold is bright yellow, but the decrease in Karat value results in a decrease in the brightness of pure Gold.
A decrease in Karat value results in a decrease in the brightness of pure Gold, but it increases the durability of Gold. As pure gold is soft, mixing with other tough metals makes Gold tougher, and Karat’s value also affects the price of the jewelry. As the Karat value increases, the price of jewelry also increases.
Karat’s term is evolved from the term Carat to measure the purity of Gold. It denotes the fineness of jewelry, and it is represented by ‘K’ and sometimes as ‘Kt.’
What is Carat?
Carat is a measurement unit for measuring the mass of gemstones. Gemstones like diamonds are very precious, and jewelers use a very small part of these stone to work on, these small unit includes Carat. One Carat is the 5th part of 1 gram. It is the standardized form of weighing jewelry in most parts of the world.
It gets its name from a seed named ‘carob.’ In the mid 15th century, people used to weigh jewelry using this seed, as they believed that the weight of this seed is the same for every other seed. The weight of one carob seed was around one Carat.
It was standardized in 1907 that one Carat equals 200 milligrams. Before that, many parts of the world used somehow similar units for measuring gemstones. Initially, Carat was also used for measuring Gold, but as it is used to measure mass, another term Karat came into existence to measure purity.
While buying jewelry like a diamond, people have 4Cs in their mind, which are Cut, Clarity, Colour, and Carat. By increase in Carat, all other 4s also increases; hence the price of jewelry also increases exponentially because of little increase in value of Carat.
Main Differences Between Karat and Carat
- The main difference between Karat and Carat is that Karat is a unit to measure the purity of Gold, whereas Carat is a unit to measure the weight of gemstones.
- The highest value in Karat can be measured is 24K. On the other hand, Carat can have any value.
- The word Karat is evolved from the word Carat to measure the purity of Gold, but Carat is made from a seed named ‘carob.’
- The term Karat is mainly used for Gold. On the other hand, Carat is mostly used for diamonds and other gemstones.
- The term Carat can be used at the place of Karat in the case of Gold, but Karat can not be used at the place of Carat.
Conclusion
Sometimes two words can sound similar but have different meanings, Karat and Carat are two similar words that sound the same and sometimes are also used in the same context, but both words differ from each other in many ways. Both words are related to jewelry like Gold and diamond.
Karat is a word that evolved from the word Carat and is used to denote the purity of Gold. The purest Gold is given a value of 24K, and it decreases as it is mixed with other metals. In contrast, Carat is derived from the word ‘Carob,’ which is a type of seed that was used in the 16th century to measure the weight of diamonds. One Carat equals 200 milligrams and is used to measure the weight of gemstones.
References
- http://www.beaconsociety.com/uploads/3/7/3/8/37380505/beacon_tour_-gems___stones_of_sherlock_holmes.pdf
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02843332