Hexagon Cut Amethyst: Pros & Cons

Six straight sides frame a crown of steps, and below the girdle the pavilion falls in tiers. Our model has 37 facets, 61.0% depth and a 29.26° pavilion.

That pavilion angle is far under amethyst's 40.4° guide minimum, which is worked out for rounds, yet the census finds it leaking less than the steeper rectangle: 40% against 72%. We report it as measured.

Against the T73 in amethyst it trails on light and sparkle; against the same hexagon in diamond, on fire and leakage.

Is a hexagon cut a good fit for amethyst? Pros and cons

Pros

Three quarters of the diamond's weight 0.97 vs 1.29 ct

Cons

Under half the diamond hexagon's fire 39 vs 85
Fewer flashes than a round 56 vs 80
About two thirds of the T73's light 49 vs 72
More leakage than in diamond 40 vs 24

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst and with the Hexagon 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 Hexagon 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 2, level on 2, behind on 4.

Global62, the comparison 70, difference −8
Brilliance49, the comparison 72, difference −23
Fire39, the comparison 36, difference +3
Scintillation56, the comparison 80, difference −24
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm64, the comparison 77, difference −13
Tilt100, the comparison 80, difference +20

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 hexagon

Three quarters of the diamond's weight

0.97 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.29 ct for the same cut in diamond (−25%)

Size for size, quartz weighs 2.65 to diamond's 3.52. A hexagon cut to the same millimetres in amethyst is a quarter lighter, which adds up across a cluster or band of several stones.

A Hexagon 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 Hexagon Cut page

The hexagon's costs in amethyst

Under half the diamond hexagon's fire

Fire 39 against 85 for the Hexagon Cut in diamond: 46 points lower

The diamond hexagon scores 85 for fire. In amethyst its tiers reach 39, a few points above the T73's 36, and no more.

Hexagon cut in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 39) — 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.

Hexagon cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 85) — 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.

What helps: Among the cuts within ten points of the T73's brilliance in amethyst, DG-Anteros Amethyst has the highest fire score: 54.

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

Fewer flashes than a round

Scintillation 56 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 24 points lower

37 facets against 73: the clean, stepped face trades sparkle for line. The diamond version scores the same.

Hexagon Cut · 37 facets · Scintillation 56

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: The Octagon Cut Amethyst carries the same tier profile with more facets and scores 66.

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

About two thirds of the T73's light

Brilliance 49 against 72 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 23 points lower

Steps and tiers return light in fewer, larger panels than a round's cone of facets, and less of the face sends it back to the eye.

Hexagon cut in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 49) — 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 hexagon at other angles. In eight sides, the Octagon Cut Amethyst returns 64.

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

More leakage than in diamond

Leakage 40 against 24 for the Hexagon Cut in diamond: 16 points higher

In quartz two fifths of the light leaves through the back; in diamond, about a quarter. Quartz's wider critical angle, 40.4°, lets more light through the low pavilion tiers.

Hexagon cut in amethyst tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 28% of the face leaking — 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.

Hexagon cut in amethyst tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 50% of the face leaking — 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: Size does not change the leak share. The Octagon Cut Amethyst leaks a little less, 36%; DG-M5 Amethyst, the least we measure in amethyst, 15%.

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

Who a hexagon amethyst suits

The hexagon suits geometric amethyst jewelry: clusters, bands and modern pendants where the six-sided outline tiles neatly. It scores 100 for Tilt, measured at 20°, but the face it holds returns about two thirds of the round's light.

For more light and sparkle in a geometric outline, the Octagon Cut Amethyst. For a brighter stone of any shape, DG-M5 Amethyst.

Hexagon Cut Amethyst: questions

Is a hexagon cut good for amethyst?

It is a middling choice for light: Brilliance 49 against 72 for the T73, with 40% leakage. Tipped by 20°, it keeps its share of that light: Tilt 100.

Hexagon or octagon cut amethyst?

The octagon returns more light (64 against 49), sparkles more and leaks a little less; the hexagon has more fire (39 against 28).

What does a 6.5 mm hexagon amethyst weigh?

0.97 ct. Diamond: 1.29 ct.

Get the Hexagon Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Hexagon Cut 3D files

The Hexagon Cut as exact geometry: 37 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 modelling and rendering
FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
GLBWeb, AR and quick previews

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad96 index

Hexagon Cut cutting files

The Hexagon Cut as a faceting design: 31 + 6 girdles = 37 facets, 96 index, 6-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

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

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

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

Hexagon Cut Amethyst: six straight sides, a quarter lighter than diamond