What is CCTW for Diamonds? Understanding diamond jargon means being more immersed in the experience of jewelry collecting. Even beginners know about the 4Cs and how they can affect the quality, appearance and overall market value of your diamond.

What CTTW For Diamonds Means for Your Bling

One term that you may have encountered early on is CTTW for diamonds. Acronyms like this typically pertain to one of the qualities that most jewelers are looking for in diamonds. In this case, it’s all about the total carat figure of a diamond ring, an earring, a bracelet, or any bejeweled fine jewelry piece.

Defining CTTW And CTTW Diamonds

So, what does the CTTW acronym stand for? It translates to carat and total weight of a diamond. This may come in especially handy if you have many jewelry pieces that have more than one diamond on their setting.

Typically, CTTW is for diamonds only as far as labels go. It adds up all of the diamonds in a piece of jewelry, so that you know how much it actually goes for. But this also means that multi-jewelry pieces will only have a smaller CTTW if they are made of mostly colored gemstones.

For example, even an elegant ring with a big sapphire or garnet center ring, with a pave of diamonds may have a smaller CTTW. That’s because jewelers will only consider the diamonds on the pave setting.

The basics: CTTW vs Carat

Since “carat” is quite a staple term in fine jewelry, you may be wondering how that plays out in CTTW. Typically, in loose diamonds, you only get to use carat or its abbreviated form ct, because you only need to know the cart weight of a single loose diamond.

Several embedded diamond have a single CTTW. If you’re wondering “Is a TW diamond a real diamond?” the quick answer is yes, because all diamonds have carat weight to them, when you add them to other stones, their weight is considered for a total number.

CTTW for all diamonds

Additionally, CTTW for diamonds does not discriminate against the kind of diamonds under the category. If you ever bought your diamond ring from an ethical store that makes use of conflict-free, lab-grown diamonds, you will still have a CTTW for that jewelry piece. For some buyers, it’s advantageous to look at the CTTW measurement, especially when dealing with lab-grown diamonds.

CTTW isn’t about price

Since it involves the weight of the diamonds, some jewelry collectors may assume that CTTW for diamonds dictates the price. In many cases, this may be far from true. For a single diamond, higher carats mean a higher price tag. But this is mostly because only one diamond is involved in the overall measurement. Larger diamonds with better overall characteristics will fetch higher prices. Carat weight adds to its positive qualities, so to speak.

When you consider total carat weight, it means adding the weight of different diamonds. And in most purchases, the biggest factor in appraising an entire jewelry piece based on its CTTW for diamonds is the carat weight of the center stone.

CTTW In Other Fine Jewelry

Because CTTW can be set in any kind of fine jewelry, some collectors see this as a way to also measure the gemstones in other jewelry pieces. This is a good method to use if you are buying multi-stone bracelets or those that have diamonds that are on the smaller range. Here are a few key accessories that you may want to opt for a CTTW count.

The total carat for bracelets

Due to its simplicity yet undeniable elegance, the tennis bracelet has captured the fancy many collectors as a fashionable and easy-to-wear piece. It can be paired with any outfit, whether as a nice classy touch for a casual look or as a muted sparkle on an elegant gown.

Tennis bracelets have a wide variety of CTTW in the market. Simpler ones that emphasize the setting or the style may have smaller carat weights as they may use smaller diamonds. Some tennis bracelets can have up to 4 CTTW, especially those that have larger diamonds per slot. Experts suggest that, if you can, try to go for more than 1 CTTW for tennis bracelets. Since it follows an eternity style setting so you have diamonds running around your wrist, it means you will have far smaller diamonds when you divide the CTTW.

It’s a different story if the bracelet has a lot of gemstone types. It may be good to at least have 1 CTTW of diamonds in a bracelet. Even if you add other gemstones, remember that you can’t include them in the CTTW. Because if you are wondering, “How do I calculate 1 carat diamond?” you can either consider just one diamond that’s worth one carat or the sum total of all the carat weights of the smaller diamonds.

CTTW for both earrings

Earrings also serve as a good example of how CTTW can be properly used. A pair of earrings may be measured using only one CTTW grade. Make no mistake—if it pertains to CTTW, that is not the carat figure per earring. To know just how big each diamond in your earring is, divide the CTTW by two.

If your earring contains multiple diamonds per earring, remember the carat weight figure for each of the earrings. It might be better to go to a trusted jeweler and have your fine jewelry piece appraised so you know exactly how big each diamond is. However, also keep in mind that, unless you need the paperwork for trades or investment, the exact carat weight per small stone may not be relevant.

So how do you compute the CTTW in earrings? Let’s take the Huggie Earrings with White Diamonds from Aurate NY as an example. Each piece has eight 0.12 carat round cut diamonds with an SI clarity. Since these are all white diamonds, you can add the diamonds’ carat weights to get a total, which you can use as a guide to help in pricing the jewelry piece.

Multiple gems in a ring, one CTTW

Some ornate rings feature beautiful combinations of colored stones. Many patrons prefer this style, as they make a stark contrast to the more popular minimalist engagement rings.

Take this beautiful cluster ring, Bario Neal’s Burst Cluster Morganite with Diamond Ombre Ring. At first glance, it’s clear that the ring has more than one type of gemstone embedded in the setting. While it features two morganite stones as the centerpiece, it still boasts of quite a few diamonds. Specifically, you can find three small champagne diamonds and three small white diamonds. Even if the two big morganite stones remain its biggest feature, you can still give value as well to the two diamonds in the setting.

When’s the best time to consider CTTW?

With all of the jargon related to a diamond’s carat, some people may get confused as to when you should consider things like the total carat weight and when it would be best to focus on the gem’s other qualities.

Here are two main situations where you may want to examine CTTW and how it can actually affect your fine jewelry on paper.

Better appraisals for smaller diamond settings

Ever had an old heirloom that you wanted to refurbish into a new jewelry piece? It’s possible that you may be working with smaller diamonds instead of bigger pieces. Once you have your redesigned ring, you may want to have it appraised, especially if you are planning on selling or auctioning it off.

One smart method to use would be to take advantage of CTTW when appraising diamonds. Rather than having each small stone appraised, get the CTTW for the entire ring, which you can put as the final appraised figure for your diamond ring. Inquire with your jeweler on the best appraisal method you can choose to give you the best value without having to play with the numbers.

Differentiate stone carat weight measurements with different gems

Nowadays, there’s a trend of using more than one gemstone in a ring. It can be a combination of two clashing or complementary gemstones to create a beautiful splash or harmony of colors. If your jewelry piece happens to feature combination gemstones, opt to have all stones appraised separately using CTTW. This adds another layer of official assurance on paper.

Sizes and CTTW

More jewelry collectors prefer a minimalist look. That’s why more jewelry makers are going for smaller diamonds that serve as highlights or accents to simple pieces. So what are the most common CTTW for minimalist diamond jewelry? You can go for three sizes, 1/10 CTTW, 1/3 CTTW, and 1 CTTW for diamonds.

1/10 CTTW diamond

Most jewelers would prefer that you avoid going for jewelry with less than 1 CTTW. But minimalist jewelers may suggest that it’s all about whether or not the diamond size fits the jewelry style.

For instance, if you’re wondering, “What is 1/10 CT TW diamond?” this looks like 0.1-carat worth of a full diamond. In the market, a pair of diamond earrings bearing a 1/10 CTTW diamond would be somewhere around a quarter of an inch. This size makes for a good accent to a simple formal, or if you go for a more intricate setting, it can complete your casual wear.

1/3 CTTW diamond

If you have a bigger budget, going a size higher like 1/3 of a carat can do wonders for your jewelry piece. Many engaged couples expect to have at least a 1-carat diamond ring when they pop the question. Sometimes, when you find the right design, even a third of a carat can do wonders, especially if you are working with a unique setting.

Some may ask, “What does 1/3 CT TW diamond mean?” for unique settings. Recent designs for this kind of ring involve the pave setting. An engagement ring with a pave setting features a center diamond, which is flanked by smaller diamonds lining up the band.

Many brides-to-be love this design because of the dainty way it makes the ring sparkle. Additionally, if you are on a budget, you don’t have to worry about giving the smaller diamonds a very high clarity. Smaller diamonds can no longer be fully examined without the proper tools, so even if there are some inclusions, it won’t negatively affect the overall appearance of the ring as a whole.

1 carat diamond

For many engagement rings, the 1-carat diamond has been the standard. It’s a good size, and if one were to choose a diamond with proper color paired with a good setting, you can get more carat for its features.

So what would a 1 carat CTTW diamond look like? And how much is the 1 carat diamond when set with other smaller diamond gems? The price tag may be highly affected by the color, clarity, cut, and carat of each diamond.

A good tip to go by would be to ensure that the center stone has the best qualities. Smaller stones need not have the highest clarity or even the best cut. It’s more likely that these smaller stones would be too small to be properly examined. They become mere support and accent to the overall ring, especially if you were to follow halo or pave settings. So the 1 ct. t.w. diamond meaning pertains to the overall weight of all of these diamonds combined.

Keeping these in mind can be the difference between needing to add to your budget and working with what you have while still getting the best ring. Make sure to discuss with your trusted jeweler how the CTTW of a ring works depending on a design you fancy, so you can get the most carat for your buck.

Want to know more about unique diamonds? Check out “Upping the Life Cycle of Stones: All About Recycled Diamonds” to learn more about recycled diamonds.