DG-Rafaello Cubic Zirconia: Pros, Cons & Brilliance

DG-Rafaello is a twelve-fold round drawn for diamond. Its pavilion is cut in five tiers, each a little shallower than the last, so the cone curves gently from girdle to point. Our model has 145 facets, is 59.0% deep and measures 40.0° at the pavilion.

It does better in CZ than in the stone it was drawn for: Brilliance 100 against 94 in diamond, with no light lost through the back. Against the T73 in CZ the light gap is small, because the T73 already returns 98 here. The sparkle gap is not small.

Is CZ good in a DG-Rafaello cut? Pros and cons

Pros

Far finer sparkle than the T73 96 vs 80
More fire than the diamond version 87 vs 80
More light than DG-Rafaello in diamond 100 vs 94
No light lost through the back 0 vs 5

Cons

Heavier than diamond, by the material 1.55 vs 0.94 ct
Less steady than the diamond version when tipped 88 vs 97

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia and with the DG-Rafaello in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 2 (Spread) 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 DG-Rafaello in cubic zirconia (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia (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 cubic zirconia: ahead on 6, level on 2.

Global95, the comparison 93, difference +2
Brilliance100, the comparison 98, difference +2
Fire87, the comparison 87, difference 0
Scintillation96, the comparison 80, difference +16
Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm107, the comparison 106, difference +1
Tilt88, the comparison 87, difference +1

Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring.

Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What DG-Rafaello gives cubic zirconia

Far finer sparkle than the T73

Scintillation 96 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 16 points higher

Twelve-fold symmetry and five pavilion tiers multiply the facets: 145 against the T73's 73. Our scintillation score rises with that division, and the crown diagram shows twelve stars where the T73 has eight.

DG-Rafaello · 145 facets · Scintillation 96

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.

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

More fire than the diamond version

Fire 87 against 80 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 7 points higher

Same facets, a more dispersive stone: 0.060 for CZ against 0.044 adds colour to each flash. It does not out-fire the T73 in CZ, though; the two sit level at 87.

Dg-rafaello in cubic zirconia face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 87) — 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.

Dg-rafaello in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 80) — 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

More light than DG-Rafaello in diamond

Brilliance 100 against 94 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 6 points higher

Like the T-series rounds, it returns more light in CZ than in diamond, and here that reaches the top of the scale. The census measures the result, not the reason; the graded tiers may suit CZ's critical angle of 27.7°.

Dg-rafaello in cubic zirconia face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 100) — 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.

Dg-rafaello in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 94) — 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.

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

No light lost through the back

Leakage 0 against 5 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 5 points lower

0% leaks in our census, against 5% for this cut in diamond. Nothing else in CZ scores zero here; the T73 lets 1% through.

Dg-rafaello in cubic zirconia tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 0% 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.

Dg-rafaello in cubic zirconia tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 1% 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.

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

Where DG-Rafaello gives ground in CZ

Heavier than diamond, by the material

1.55 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.94 ct for the same cut in diamond (+65%)

Size for size, a CZ is about 65% heavier than a diamond. At 59.0% deep DG-Rafaello is the shallowest of our round brilliants; 6.5 mm across, it still comes to 1.55 ct.

A DG-Rafaello 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

What helps: Nothing in the cut changes it. Order CZ by diameter.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the DG-Rafaello page

Less steady than the diamond version when tipped

Tilt 88 against 97 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 9 points lower

The CZ stone keeps 88 of its face-up light when tilted, the diamond 97. Against other CZ rounds it is not behind: the T73 keeps 87. Diamond's higher index holds slanting light better.

What helps: Of our brightest rounds in CZ, DG-Miliano Cubic Zirconia holds most when tipped: 90, with Brilliance 97.

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

Who a DG-Rafaello CZ suits

For the brightest CZ we measure, choose this. It suits a solitaire that should read bright face-up, with crisp, fine sparkle on top.

If fire matters more than the last points of light, DG-Miliano Cubic Zirconia scores 90 for fire. For a familiar eight-fold round, the T73 Round Brilliant Cubic Zirconia.

A setter will notice the twenty-four girdle facets of a twelve-fold plan; prongs sit on them as on any faceted girdle.

DG-Rafaello Cubic Zirconia: questions

Which cut is brightest in cubic zirconia?

In our census, DG-Rafaello: Brilliance 100, the only CZ cut at the top of the scale. The T73 and DG-Vitruvio follow at 98 and 98.

Does DG-Rafaello leak light in CZ?

No: 0% in our census, against 1% for the T73 and 5% for DG-Rafaello in diamond.

Is DG-Rafaello better in CZ or in diamond?

For light and fire, CZ: 100 against 94, 87 against 80. Diamond holds steadier when tilted (97 against 88) and weighs far less.

Get the DG-Rafaello Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

DG-Rafaello Cut 3D files

The DG-Rafaello Cut as exact geometry: 145 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

DG-Rafaello Cut cutting files

The DG-Rafaello Cut as a faceting design: 121 + 24 girdles = 145 facets, 96 index, 12-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.

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Cubic Zirconia: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The DG-Rafaello: specifications, model and files

DG-Rafaello Cubic Zirconia: the most light of any cut we measure in this stone