3D model and faceting diagram · 32 facets · 11.44 x 6.73 mm
An elongated hexagon with square points, step cut the same on both faces: two steps either side of a six-facet girdle, a table in front and a flat of the same size behind. Drawn for emerald.
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An elongated hexagon with square points, step cut the same on both faces: two steps either side of a six-facet girdle, a table in front and a flat of the same size behind. Drawn for emerald.
Because both faces are finished, it reads the same from either side, for pendants and open settings where the back is on show. The back flat is a window by design, so the light figures on this page leave it out. In emerald and amethyst the steps beside the table also sit below the critical angle and let some light through.
Measured from the delivered model, not quoted from a standard.
The same geometry behaves differently in every material. Light that meets a pavilion facet at less than the stone's critical angle passes straight out of the back instead of reflecting, which shows face-up as a window. For each stone we measured how much of this model's pavilion, as seen face-down, is steeper than that angle, and what the model weighs at its reference size. The back flat of this two-sided stone is a window by design and is left out of the figure.
| Stone | Refractive index | Critical angle | Pavilion reflecting head-on light | Weight at this size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | 2.417 | 24.4° | 100% | 2.00 ct | Holds head-on light |
| Moissanite | 2.648 to 2.691 | 22.2° | 100% | 1.83 ct | Holds head-on light |
| Cubic Zirconia | 2.15 to 2.18 | 27.7° | 100% | 3.30 ct | Holds head-on light |
| Ruby | 1.762 to 1.770 | 34.6° | 100% | 2.27 ct | Holds head-on light |
| Sapphire | 1.762 to 1.770 | 34.6° | 100% | 2.27 ct | Holds head-on light |
| Emerald | 1.577 to 1.583 | 39.4° | 24% | 1.55 ct | Steepen the pavilion |
| Amethyst | 1.544 to 1.553 | 40.4° | 24% | 1.51 ct | Steepen the pavilion |
Head-on light, first reflection. The full Light Return, traced in each of these gemstones, is in the 3D Gemstone Simulator.
Open it in the 3D Gemstone Simulator: set its carat, colour, clarity and cut grade in any of seven gemstones, turn it under ten kinds of light, and watch its grading report change as you go. Free, in your browser.
Six formats: STEP (the exact faceted solid for CAD), 3DM for Rhino, STL and OBJ meshes, FBX for Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity and Unreal, and GLB for the web and AR. All are in millimetres at real-world scale, with 32 planar facets.
Yes. The cutting files contain a GemCad .asc design (26 + 6 girdles = 32 facets, 96 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry), a tier table with angles, indices and cutting order in CSV, and a printable faceting diagram.
We measured the pavilion of this model against the critical angle of each stone. In Diamond, Moissanite, Cubic Zirconia, Ruby, Sapphire, the whole pavilion reflects head-on light; in Emerald, Amethyst, part of the pavilion lets light out of the back, so a steeper pavilion is advised.
We check it facet by facet against the 3D model it was written from. Every crown and pavilion facet within under 0.001° of the 3D model (average under 0.001°). The angles are the ones you set on the machine; the 3D model is the same stone you render or set.
The model measures 11.44 x 6.73 x 3.05 mm, which is 2.00 ct in diamond. The same size weighs 1.83 ct in moissanite, 3.30 ct in cubic zirconia, 2.27 ct in ruby, 2.27 ct in sapphire, 1.55 ct in emerald, 1.51 ct in amethyst. Scale it uniformly to any size: weight follows the cube of the size.
Yes. The mesh is watertight and manifold, with outward normals and no duplicate vertices, so it prints and casts without repair. Use the STEP file when you need the exact faceted solid in CAD.
The BL-Elongated Hexagon Cut as exact geometry: 32 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.
The BL-Elongated Hexagon Cut as a faceting design: 26 + 6 girdles = 32 facets, 96 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.
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