T105 Round Brilliant Almandine: more facets, more sparkle

Brilliance 90 · Fire 53 · Scintillation 90 · in our census, where the T73 scores 95 · 54 · 80 in almandine

How the T105 Round Brilliant handles light in almandine, measured: brilliance 90, fire 53 and 10% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond.

The T105 Round Brilliant in almandine, face-up Light Return map from our tracer at refractive index 1.75: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks
Light Return map of the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.75. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks.

T105 Round Brilliant Almandine

Almandine has a refractive index of 1.750 to 1.830 and a dispersion of 0.027. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 34.8°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 36.3° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.790, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.023, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.750, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine live.

The T105 Round Brilliant has 105 facets and a total depth of 59.3% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 40.8°. In almandine, the census returns 90 of 100 for brilliance and 53 for fire, against 95 and 54 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same T105 Round Brilliant in diamond reads 95 and 77.

Is almandine good in a T105? Pros and cons, measured

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine and with the T105 Round Brilliant in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 4% (face-up size per carat) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: T105 Round Brilliant in almandine, against the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−1Brilliance−5Fire−1Scintillation+10Spread+1Symmetry0Shape-norm−5Tilt+3

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine: ahead on 3, level on 1, behind on 4.

  • Global82, the comparison 83, difference −1
  • Brilliance90, the comparison 95, difference −5
  • Fire53, the comparison 54, difference −1
  • Scintillation90, the comparison 80, difference +10
  • Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm97, the comparison 102, difference −5
  • Tilt80, the comparison 77, difference +3
Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring. Spread is the census's estimate from depth alone; the face-up size in the pros and cons is measured from each model's outline. Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel; these are the same census figures as our Cut Performance Index.

What the T105 Round Brilliant gains in almandine

More facets, more sparkle

Scintillation 90 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine: 10 points higher

Scintillation follows the number of facets the stone shows: 100 × (1 − e^(−facets / 45)). The T105 Round Brilliant has 105 facets and the T73 73, so 90 against 80. It depends on the geometry alone, so it is the same in every stone.

T105 Round Brilliant · 105 facets · Scintillation 90

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Scintillation 80

Scintillation follows the number of facets: more facets, more and smaller flashes as the stone moves. Compare the facet counts under the drawings; each drawing shows only the crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: Compare the Scintillation spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Faces up larger for its weight

Face-up size 106 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in almandine (T73 = 100): 6% more face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, measured from each model (T73 = 100): 106 for the T105 Round Brilliant against 100 for the T73. The same volume spread over a longer or shallower outline shows more face for the weight; it is the same in every stone, because specific gravity scales every cut alike.

T105 Round Brilliant · 6.35 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 106

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.15 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in almandine and are drawn to the same scale in millimeters, from each cut's own model. Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, with the T73 at 100: a deeper stone, or a rounder outline, spreads less area for its weight.

Try it yourself: See its size at 1.00 ct in almandine in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

What the T105 Round Brilliant gives up in almandine

Less fire in almandine than in diamond

Fire 53 against 77 for the T105 Round Brilliant in diamond: 24 points lower

Fire is the share of the returned light that splits into color at the exit facet: the census traces each exit again at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread (0.023 in almandine) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The T105 Round Brilliant reads 53 against 77 for the same cut in diamond. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders almandine's fire live.

The fire figure is the census's, traced at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread. See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator: the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine under the sunny-day lighting.

What helps: the DG-Elongated Hexagon reads 88 for fire in almandine, the best of the cuts we score there.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Heavier than the same cut in diamond

1.08 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.92 ct for the same cut in diamond (+17%)

Weight follows specific gravity: 4.125 for almandine against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 1.08 ct here and 0.92 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it.

Almandine1.08 ctDiamond0.92 ct
A T105 Round Brilliant 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in every gemstone on the T105 Round Brilliant page

Leaks more in almandine than in diamond

Leakage 10 against 1 for the T105 Round Brilliant in diamond: 9 points higher

Leakage is the share of the census rays that enter the stone and leave through the pavilion, or through the crown heading down. The T105 Round Brilliant leaks 10% in almandine against 1% for the same cut in diamond. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

T105 Round Brilliant in almandine · Leakage 10

T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 12% of the face leaking0° · 12% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking10° · 10% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking20° · 30% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 31% of the face leaking30° · 31% leak

T105 Round Brilliant in diamond · Leakage 1

T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking0° · 2% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking10° · 2% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 11% of the face leaking20° · 11% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 14% of the face leaking30° · 14% leak
Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the DG-M5 reads 1% for leakage in almandine, the best of the cuts we score there.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Loses more light when tilted than in diamond

Tilt 80 against 87 for the T105 Round Brilliant in diamond: 7 points lower

Tilt is how much of its face-up brilliance a stone keeps when the census tilts it 20° about its long axis, with 2,200 rays. The T105 Round Brilliant keeps 80 against 87 for the same cut in diamond. The tilt strips below show the maps at 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°, with each picture's own leak share under it.

T105 Round Brilliant in almandine · Tilt 80

T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 12% of the face leaking0° · 12% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking10° · 10% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking20° · 30% leak
T105 round brilliant in almandine tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 31% of the face leaking30° · 31% leak

T105 Round Brilliant in diamond · Tilt 87

T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking0° · 2% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking10° · 2% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 11% of the face leaking20° · 11% leak
T105 round brilliant in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 14% of the face leaking30° · 14% leak
Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the DG-Miliano reads 84 for tilt in almandine, the best of the cuts we score there.

Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Our verdict on the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine

Pick the T105 Round Brilliant in almandine for this: it has more facets to sparkle with and faces up larger for its weight. The catch: it shows less fire than in diamond, weighs more than in diamond, leaks more than in diamond and loses more light when tilted than in diamond.

If that catch matters more to you, the DG-Elongated Hexagon reads 88 for fire in almandine, the best of the cuts we score there.

Every figure on this page is from our light census, traced at one refractive index: a simulation of the geometry, not a grading report. The 3D files and cutting files below are the same T105 Round Brilliant model we traced.

T105 Round Brilliant Almandine: questions

Is the T105 a good cut for almandine?

In our census the T105 Round Brilliant returns 90 of 100 for brilliance and 53 for fire in almandine, against 95 and 54 for the T73 in the same stone. Against that round and against the same cut in diamond it has 2 pros and 4 cons by our thresholds; the summary above names them.

What pavilion angle does almandine need?

At least 36.3° for a round design: almandine's critical angle is 34.8°, from the low end of its refractive index range, and head-on light has to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. The T105 Round Brilliant's pavilion mains sit at 40.8°.

How much does a T105 weigh in almandine?

At 6.5 mm across, 1.08 ct in almandine, against 0.92 ct for the same cut in diamond (+17%): almandine's specific gravity is 4.125, diamond's 3.52.

Can I see the T105 in almandine in 3D?

Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with almandine's own refractive index and dispersion. Almandine is traced by the same light census as the other gemstones, with its refractive index and fire spread derived from published values, so its scores are on the same scale; the pictures here are our Light Return tracer, and the Cut Performance Wheel sets it against any other cut and stone.

Get the T105 Round Brilliant Cut files

6 formatsMillimetersWatertight

T105 Round Brilliant Cut 3D files

The T105 Round Brilliant Cut as exact geometry: 105 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

  • STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
  • 3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
  • STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
  • OBJMesh for modeling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
GemCad96 index

T105 Round Brilliant Cut cutting files

The T105 Round Brilliant Cut as a faceting design: 105 facets, 96 index, 8-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

Not sure the files open in your software? Get the cube free: the same six formats, for your email address, used only to send them (privacy).

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Almandine: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The T105 Round Brilliant: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in almandine

The T105 Round Brilliant in other gemstones