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Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamond?

StoopidMonkey

StoopidMonkey

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
127
Two weeks ago I purchased a beautiful 0.94ct E VS2 AVC from Good Old Gold and I have a semantics question while I'm waiting for the finished product. I set out to buy a 1 carat stone for both size and "full carat prestige" or whatever you want to call the psychological factor. The stone I bought was a good $3,000 under the "full" carat stones they had and it was a beautiful E color, so I couldn't pass that up at all. Still, I'm wondering how I should characterize the stone to my fiance, and how she can honestly describe it in casual conversation if size comes up. Of course the straight forward answer is that it's "zero point ninety four carats" but I don't know of many people that get that techical about their e-rings. It's usally "half a carat, 3/4 carat, 1ct, and so on". While this definitely is no 3/4ct stone, I'm wondering if people who have stones in the 90 point range typically refer to their stones as "1 carat diamonds" despite them being a few hundreths of a carat shy. I'm thinking of describing it as "a one carat diamond, well, a tiny hair under at 0.94cts but stll a one carat size" or something like that. I know this is silly semantics and that it certainly looks like a one carat stone, but I want to both be honest and still keep as much of the "wow" factor as I can. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

Depends on the company, the scenario and the reason I am sharing the information. But in general polite company IF it were to come up, I'd say a carat, yes.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

Calling a 0.94 ct or even a 9.991 ct a 1 ct is not semantics.
It is wrong.

If you want to use the convention of rounding then a 0.51 ct is a 1 ct.

I would not lie and say it is a carat.
What if the person you lied to finds out?
Do you really want to be worrying about that?

The question of size may not come up, but if it does I'd just tell the truth.

If you look at the history of the unit of measurement one carat doesn't mean much.
1 ct was settled upon because it was the weight of a carob bean, which are of regular weight.
It's not like it was a unit of measurement handed down by Moses.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

Most people who talk about diamonds in engagement rings are not looking for specifics. Rounding up or down to hit an quarter mark is expected. .94ct and 1.04ct is still "one carat" for casual conversation. Of course, the owner/recipient should know all the juicy details.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

This is not a proper nor relevant citation; nevertheless: http://www.diamond.com/education/diamonds/carat-weight.jsp
It's not relevant since you don't have a preset diamond; you bought a loose stone and a separate setting.

I would just say it's a 0.94 August Vintage Cushion. People will naturally ask, "What's an August Vintage Cushion? I'm not sure that I've heard of those." And then you should talk about the diamond's cut. The "wow" factor is about sparkle, not weight.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I'd tell your fiance the exact specs of the stone - but to the rest of the world, honestly, if it came up in conversation, I'd probably describe it as "just under 1 carat" - if anyone was interested in more detail, I'd let them know the 0.94ct weight - and if they were talking with me b/c they're in the market for a diamond or ER, I'd likely tell them how happy I was to find that this 0.94ct stone offered dimensions nearly identical to a 1.0ct stone with the same cut... [your AVC = 5.64x5.81x3.83mm, versus GOG's 1.0ct F-VS2 AVC #8619 = 5.69x5.88x3.87mm]
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

kenny|1320947233|3058745 said:
I would not lie and say it is a carat.
What if the person you lied to finds out?
Do you really want to be worrying about that?
.
Click to expand...
I would be more concerned about how the person found out, than whether they think I lied or not. The recipient and purchaser and vendor and insurer are about the only people who really need to know. Anyone else, who cares?
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I'd just say it's "about a carat" or "right around 1 carat". If they ask for specifics, then you can tell them the exact decimal point number!
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

<< I'd just say it's "about a carat" or "right around 1 carat". If they ask for specifics, then you can tell them the exact decimal point number! >>

Nothing wrong with that. For many people the situation and who is involved might influence how detailed you wish to be.

I'm in the diamond business and am a precise (ok,ok...OCD) speaker in-general. When someone asks about my wife's ring I say "1.57cts."
My wife is not in the business and is a more casual speaker. When someone asks she says "a carat and a half."

When someone asks me about her daily studs I say "98 points total weight."
She says "a half-carat in each ear."

I do not correct her: Neither 0.07 one way nor 0.02 the other, since I would like to continue sleeping in my home.

My occupation makes it logical to mention precise diamond-details regardless of who I'm speaking-to, although I often like to ask first "what's your guess?" I've noticed that my wife does become more precise when speaking to my colleagues or consumer enthusiasts she has come to know through me. At those times she will recollect precise weight and details, probably because she knows they will appreciate it. When it's unimportant she abbreviates her answers. Now that I think about it, she may also feel that going all "1-point-five-seven...40-point-seven-zero...normal-azimuth-indexing..." might give the impression that she's pimping diamonds for me, so she stays casual with most folks.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

Oh, Kenny, you do make me smile ::)

I would feel like a goat saying that my stone is x.xxx carats. In the interests of not feeling like a goat, in my case I just say two and a half. Or, more often, two.

People aren't usually asking because they're interested, they're asking because they're either nosy or making polite conversation... in either case "two" suffices! If someone is actually interested in knowing the details - well, they can't shut me up 8)
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

"About 1 carat" is what I'd use for the casual conversation. But I agree: 0.94 carat to your significant other.

Probably more important to emphasize that its not a carrot.jpg

carrot.jpg
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I agree that people outside of PS are not interested in specific numbers. On the very rare occasion I have been asked, I say about a carat and a half for my 1.63. I certainly see nothing whatsoever wrong with saying a .94 is "about one carat".
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

If she asks, I'd tell your FI the exact weight.

If other people asked, I'd either say: "What a strange question!" if I felt it was inappropriate, or "about a carat" if I felt like answering.

My current stone is 2.30 cts. On the one occasion someone has asked me its weight and I felt like responding, I said "a bit over 2 carats." On the other occasions, I've just said "just right."
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

John Pollard|1320949143|3058772 said:
<< I'd just say it's "about a carat" or "right around 1 carat". If they ask for specifics, then you can tell them the exact decimal point number! >>

Nothing wrong with that. For many people the situation and who is involved might influence how detailed you wish to be.

I'm in the diamond business and am a precise (ok,ok...OCD) speaker in-general. When someone asks about my wife's ring I say "1.57cts."
My wife is not in the business and is a more casual speaker. When someone asks she says "a carat and a half."

When someone asks me about her daily studs I say "98 points total weight."
She says "a half-carat in each ear."

I do not correct her: Neither 0.07 one way nor 0.02 the other, since I would like to continue sleeping in my home.

My occupation makes it logical to mention precise diamond-details regardless of who I'm speaking-to, although I often like to ask first "what's your guess?" I've noticed that my wife does become more precise when speaking to my colleagues or consumer enthusiasts she has come to know through me. At those times she will recollect precise weight and details, probably because she knows they will appreciate it. When it's unimportant she abbreviates her answers. Now that I think about it, she may also feel that going all "1-point-five-seven...40-point-seven-zero...normal-azimuth-indexing..." might give the impression that she's pimping diamonds for me, so she stays casual with most folks.
Click to expand...
She is a lovely woman to share a home and a bed with, I'd say.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

personally i think it's fine to say it's a carat. i think most people think of diamonds in terms of the benchmarks - half carat, three-quarter carat, one carat, carat and a quarter, etc. and they are curious which one they are looking at. if you feel better being more specific, you could word it 'just a hair under a carat, point-94 to be precise'.

in ten years i don't think anyone has asked me the size of my diamonds. if someone had, i would only answer if i thought their question came from a place of pure curiosity and interest. otherwise it can be a loaded question, one intended for judgement or evaluation, in which case i like Haven's response of 'just right!' :)) :wavey:
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I have a 0.47. When asked, I say "about 1/2 a carat". Unless it's on PS. Actually, the thing has never been out of the setting so I have no idea what it is, but that's what it was sold to me as.

For my 0.37 I say about 1/3 of a carat. I'm a rounder! Whatever is closest that the company I'm in might understand.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I have a 0.98 and I always say "it's about a carat." In my experience, no one really asks that often anyway though.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

oh Kenny... :lol: :lol: :lol:

I would say approximately 1 ct and then give the decimal if someone asks.

If she asks, I would of course tell your FI the actual weight.

In general,I think it's totally fine to round to the nearest .25 in regular company, and definitely to the nearest .1
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I've heard the term 'light carat' before for a stone that's very nearly 1 carat. I think most people know very little about diamond specifics, they just want to say how pretty a ring is and ask something that they know about. Tell your fiancee the details but, in general, saying it's a hair under a carat or a carat, depending on who's asking, is fine and hardly the most dishonest thing you could do.

Most people also probably don't think about carat weight and face up size being different. My sister knows very little about diamonds and jewelry in general, but she has noticed that my .55 square radiant looks bigger than some half carat princess cut rings she's seen. I tried to explain why, but she just rolled her eyes. :rolleyes:
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

"Just enough under 1 carat to save three grand".
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

If your GF asks, you should tell her the exact weight, of course!

If anyone else asks, and you want to tell them ;)) rounding is expected. I would say "about a carat" or "just under a carat". I would be more specific if the person was in the market for a diamond.

No one has asked me about the size of my stone, though. Most people ask "what cut is it?"....and I have a round. People will definitely ask about her gorgeous AVC!
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I would say "Around a carat" or "just under a carat"

I have a 1.09 and when asked I say "around a carat" or "just over a carat"
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I always say "1.19" when anyone (rarely) asks the weight of my center stone. But, if you are worried about being too technical, I would say "almost a carat", "just under a carat", or "not quite a carat", but I don't think I'd say "a carat" if it's not. I'm an incredibly honest person and would feel like I was being deceitful if I said it was a carat when it wasn't. That's just me, though.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

decodelighted|1320964443|3058990 said:
"Just enough under 1 carat to save three grand".
Click to expand...

:appl:
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

Yikes, these responses make me feel cheesy - my first thought when I read the OP was - just say a carat, it's pretty darn close! But after reading all the replies, it does seem better and more honest to say "about a carat" or "a little under a carat" to people. I would definitely tell your FI the exact carat weight, though.

Please make sure you post pics of this beauty when you get it!
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I round, because, frankly, giving the exact stats makes people sound a little neurotic - nobody wants to know exact weight, not yours, and not your diamond's! That said, if they seem like Our Kind of People, i.e., interested in gems, I'm happy to rabbit on about buying shy being great value. So I'd say share the details with your GF, but don't feel obligated to disclose to anybory else ....
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

It's "about a carat". I would say a 1.04ct diamond is "about a carat too". Close enough. I mean, your SO will certainly want to know the specifics, but for anyone who asks, it's close enough. If asked , I think most people round to the closest fraction: a quarter carat, third of a carat, etc.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

When I had a .95 and people asked I said " just shy of a carat". Now that I have a 2.06 I say a "little over two" I would say just 2 but since my stone faces like a 2.5 I don't want to perpetuate the wrong impression of how big 2ct faces since you don't see many where I live.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

I had a 0.9, now a 1.06. Both I would describe in a casual conversation as about a carat. More specific details aren't anyones business, other than you and your partner.
 
Re: Semantics: Would you call a 0.94ct stone a 1 Carat Diamo

You would tell anyone except who you're about to marry that it is just around 1ct.

If you want to appear modest, you can say it is just shy of a ct. If you want to be otherwise, you can say its just about 1 ct.

You should state what it is to the lady you are using its magic on.

But seriously? Seriously? Outside of PS, people just gush, look, and tend to move on. Rarely will you be asked weight. And beyond, ct, provenance, cut, etc will not show up. If anyone loupes your stone, ask them for their nick on PS. :tongue:
 
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