Carat The term "carat" stands for the weight of a diamond or other gemstone (1 carat = 0.2 grams). A carat is subdivided into one hundred points and is always expressed in two decimal places (1.00 carat = 100 points). Larger diamonds are found less often than smaller diamonds. That is why a diamond with a weight of, for example, 1.00 carat is more valuable than the total weight of 2 small diamonds of 0.50 carat each.