The weight of a gem is not measured in grams. The conventional unit for determining the value of diamonds for many centuries has been the carat - a value that has varied from 0, 188 grams to 200 milligrams over the course of trade history.
Formation of carat as an international unit of measurement of weight
Gems and some other gifts of nature are measured in carats. The roots that gave rise to this definition go back centuries. One popular belief is that the weight of diamonds was originally measured by acacia seeds. This plant grew in the Mediterranean. The pods of the bush are called "little horn", and in the Greek pronunciation - "karat".
Another suggestion points to a coral tree. The weight of its seeds is approximately equal to the weight of an average diamond. The Romans also measured jewelry with plant seeds. 24 grains served as a weight.
In Greece, coins were minted, the weight of which corresponded to 24 acacia seeds.
In carats, precious stones, the proportion of gold in the alloy and pearls are measured. It was rather difficult to measure the value of the latter and estimate it. This depended on many factors. Even the consignment of the grown pearls mattered.
Carats and grams
These were all only approximate values. They could vary from the terrain of the grown tree, from the type of pods, and even from the humidity of the air. Later, the carat was measured in grams, but even then there was no officially established value for how much one carat weighs. Even on the territory of one country, measurement boundaries were recorded from 0, 188 to 0, 213 grams.
When trade began to acquire a global scale, it became necessary to come to a single measurement value.
The first to try were the Parisian merchants. At the meeting of the Precious Chamber in 1877, an official measure was proposed: one carat corresponded to 0.205 grams. However, the international community did not support this initiative. Later, in 1907, a General Conference was held in Paris, which dealt with issues of a unified system of measures and weights. One of the agenda was to determine the official value of the carat. From now on, 1 carat is equal to 200 milligrams.
However, not all countries supported the establishment. The French had to be active in involving the world community in creating a standard of measures. Resolutions in some countries were adopted, in others they were canceled, in others they were simply ignored. But by 1914, the French committee had already gained weight in the eyes of representatives of many countries. Finally, the actions were crowned with success. In 1930, the proposed measure of the weight of precious stones was finally approved and became an international unit of measurement.
