Question: What is the carat used to...

Question: What is the carat used to weigh diamonds, and how does it relate to the karat used to measure gold?

Answer: A carat is a unit of weight used to measure precious stones. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. There are 453,000 milligrams in a pound, so a 1-pound diamond would be 2,265 carats. The karat, used in gold, is a measure of purity. Pure gold is 24 karats; 18-karat gold is 3/4 gold and 1/4 some other metal that makes the blend harder. The term arose, according to www.howstuffworks.com , because the German gold mark--made of pure gold--was once the standard of purity. It weighed 24 carats, or 4.8 grams.