Whether you’re an amateur collector, a designer, or a professional jeweler, it’s essential than you can accurately size-up gemstones and precious metals. If you simply take someone’s word for carat size, you’re relying on trust. You’re trusting in the accuracy of their equipment, and more often than not, you’re relying on the honesty of their person. But even a well-intentioned person can go wrong if they’re using a scale that’s not adequately calibrated or prone to errors. For anyone buying, selling, or making jewelry, there’s no way to get around the necessity of a carat scale.
But what sets apart a carat scale from a great carat scale? To begin with, you’re looking for a digital device because most people aren’t going to want to bother with an analogue technology. It’s not that analogue is necessarily worse, after all, physicians still widely make use of analogue scales. But digital scales are far superior when it comes to small weight measurements, like the kind of miniature sizes you typically see with gemstones and precious metals.
At Scales Plus, this question comes up a lot so we wanted to help clear up the mystery.
The two terms really have no relation at all. One refers to the class of a balance while the other is in reference to a style. Let us explain further.
An analytical balance is a class of a balance that has a readability of 0.1 mg or better. At this level of readability, it is required for the balance to have a draft shield. Samples are placed inside of the draft shield onto the weighing pan. The purpose of the draft shield is to prevent drafts from influencing the weighing results. Most analytical balances are so accurate, even just minor breezes caused by someone walking by would disrupt the reading. This is why analytical balances have draft shields. And because of the fact that the weighing pan on an analytical balance is covered by a draft shield, they are not considered to be a 'top loading' balance.
Industrial platform scales are usually simple tools, made of stainless steel for easy cleaning or with a diamond plate surface for added grip. Some have wheels to be moved more easily. They tend to be very sturdy with a high capacity, and components like cables are shielded for extra durability. They are available in varying sizes and have functions adapted to various applications, such as counting or checkweighing. Some weighing platforms, like the PTM, have integrated ramps, while others have them as optional accessories.