Baguette Cut Amethyst: Pros, Cons & Fire

The baguette is a slim rectangular step cut, the classic side stone and the building block of channel-set bands. Our model is 1.974 times as long as it is wide, with 21 facets, a 32.37° pavilion and 66.8% depth.

One figure stands out in amethyst. The same model scores 40 for brilliance in diamond and 40 here: in this cut, quartz gives up no brilliance against diamond. It loses out once the stone tips, and it leaks more, 54% against 38%.

Against the T73 in amethyst it wins on fire and face-up size, and loses on light, sparkle and symmetry. It also leaks far more than that round, 54% against 28%, a gap left out of the cons only because a page lists four at most.

Is amethyst a good choice for a baguette? Pros and cons

Pros

Lighter than a diamond baguette 2.74 vs 3.64 ct
More fire than the round brilliant 59 vs 36
A little more face per carat 108 vs 100

Cons

The lowest Symmetry score we measure in amethyst 39 vs 100
Keeps less light when tipped than in diamond 62 vs 100
Few flashes as it moves 43 vs 80
Less light than the T73 40 vs 72

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst and with the Baguette Cut 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 Baguette Cut in amethyst (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: ahead on 1, behind on 7.

Global48, the comparison 70, difference −22
Brilliance40, the comparison 72, difference −32
Fire59, the comparison 36, difference +23
Scintillation43, the comparison 80, difference −37
Spread97, the comparison 100, difference −3
Symmetry39, the comparison 100, difference −61
Shape-norm52, the comparison 77, difference −25
Tilt62, the comparison 80, difference −18

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

What amethyst gains in a baguette

Lighter than a diamond baguette

2.74 ct at 6.5 mm, against 3.64 ct for the same cut in diamond (−25%)

Quartz has a specific gravity of 2.65 against diamond's 3.52, so a baguette weighs about a quarter less in amethyst at the same millimetres. Its outline runs to nearly twice its width, so there is more stone to save on than the width suggests.

A Baguette Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Baguette Cut page

More fire than the round brilliant

Fire 59 against 36 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 23 points higher

Long, flat steps send the light that returns out in broad strokes, and the census finds a larger share of it split into colour than in the T73's small facets. Read it beside the brilliance figure: that share is taken from a stone returning 40 on our scale, so expect the colour in a darker face than a round's.

Baguette cut in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 59) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

T73 round brilliant in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 36) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

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

A little more face per carat

Face-up size 108 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst (T73 = 100): 8% more face-up area for the same weight

Weighed against the T73 at one carat, the baguette's outline covers more area, even though its depth, 66.8% of the width, is greater than the round's 61.7%. Depth is measured across the narrow side, and along its length the stone is shallow for its size.

Baguette Cut · 9.19 x 4.66 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 108

T73 Round Brilliant · 7.12 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in amethyst and are drawn to the same scale in millimetres, 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 amethyst in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Where a baguette amethyst falls short

The lowest Symmetry score we measure in amethyst

Symmetry 39 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 61 points lower

Symmetry on these pages scores how closely each pavilion facet matches its repeats around the design. The census scores its own baguette geometry, and its Symmetry reads buried planes, facets that never reach the surface, so the figure says less about the cutting plan than it seems.

Baguette Cut · 21 facets · Symmetry 39

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Symmetry 100

Symmetry scores how regular the pavilion facets are within the design. Compare how evenly the facets repeat around each pavilion. Drawn from each cut's own model.

What helps: The wider Rectangle Cut Amethyst scores 100 for symmetry, though it returns less light.

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

Keeps less light when tipped than in diamond

Tilt 62 against 100 for the Baguette Cut in diamond: 38 points lower

Tilt is the share of its face-up light a stone keeps when tipped by 20°. On our scale the diamond baguette keeps all of it; the same facets in quartz keep 62. With a critical angle of 40.4°, quartz lets light out of a 32.37° pavilion that diamond holds.

Baguette cut in amethyst tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 44% of the face leaking — 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; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Baguette cut in amethyst tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 57% of the face leaking — 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; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Among bright amethyst cuts, the Square Cut Amethyst brilliant holds 84 when tipped and the T105 Round Brilliant Amethyst 87.

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

Few flashes as it moves

Scintillation 43 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 37 points lower

21 facets against the T73's 73 give our scintillation score little to count. Of the cuts we measure in amethyst, only the triangle scores lower.

Baguette Cut · 21 facets · Scintillation 43

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Scintillation 80

Scintillation follows the number of facets: more facets, more and smaller flashes as the stone moves. Count the facets in each crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

What helps: Angles cannot add flashes to a plan this sparse. DG-Vitruvio Amethyst reaches 98 for scintillation, with brilliance close to the T73's.

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

Less light than the T73

Brilliance 40 against 72 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 32 points lower

The steps fall at 32.37°, under the 40.4° guide minimum worked out for round designs, and the census loses 54% of the light through the back.

Baguette cut in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 40) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

T73 round brilliant in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 72) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: We have not measured a steeper baguette and promise none. For the most light in amethyst, DG-M5 Amethyst: 85.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

Who a baguette amethyst suits

Choose the baguette in amethyst for side stones, channel-set bands and bar settings, where straight lines matter more than how much light each stone returns. Its fire is real, and it shows a little more face per carat than the round.

With so few facets it is also a good first step cut for a new faceter. For a centre stone that should look bright, choose DG-M5 Amethyst or the T73 Round Brilliant Amethyst.

Baguette Cut Amethyst: questions

Is a baguette cut good for amethyst?

For fire and size, yes: Fire 59 against 36 for the T73, and Face-up size 108. For light, it trails: Brilliance 40 against 72.

Is a baguette amethyst as bright as a diamond baguette?

On brilliance, yes: both score 40 in our census. The diamond keeps more when tipped (100 against 62) and leaks less (38% against 54%).

Does a baguette amethyst sparkle?

Not much. With 21 facets it scores 43 for scintillation, where the T73 scores 80.

What does a baguette amethyst 6.5 mm wide weigh?

2.74 ct, or 3.64 ct in diamond.

Get the Baguette Cut files

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Baguette Cut 3D files

The Baguette Cut as exact geometry: 21 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

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3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
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GemCad96 index

Baguette Cut cutting files

The Baguette Cut as a faceting design: 17 + 4 girdles = 21 facets, 96 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

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

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More gemstones and cuts

Amethyst: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Baguette Cut: specifications, model and files

Baguette Cut Amethyst: more fire than the round, in a slim step cut