Marquise Cut Cubic Zirconia: Pros, Cons & Fire

The marquise, or navette, draws a brilliant plan out to a point at each end. Our model is 2.059 times as long as it is wide, 62.0% deep, with a 31.41° pavilion.

That pavilion sits well below the 38.1° guide minimum we give for rounds, and 20% of the light leaks. We have not measured a steeper marquise, so we do not promise one would help.

Is a marquise cut a good choice for CZ? Pros and cons

Cons

Heavy for its width 3.45 vs 2.09 ct
A third less light than the T73 in CZ 66 vs 98
A fifth of the light leaks 20 vs 1
Loses more light when tipped 80 vs 87

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia and with the Marquise Cut 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 Marquise Cut 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 2, level on 1, behind on 5.

Global80, the comparison 93, difference −13
Brilliance66, the comparison 98, difference −32
Fire93, the comparison 87, difference +6
Scintillation86, the comparison 80, difference +6
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry94, the comparison 100, difference −6
Shape-norm77, the comparison 106, difference −29
Tilt80, the comparison 87, difference −7

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 the marquise gives cubic zirconia

More fire than the T73 in CZ

Fire 93 against 87 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 6 points higher

The colour here is the marquise's own, since both stones are CZ. Long facets running to the points send light out in broad coloured flashes.

Marquise cut in cubic zirconia face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 93) — 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 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.

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

More sparkle than the T73

Scintillation 86 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 6 points higher

87 facets against the T73's 73: the score follows the count, and the crown diagram shows the extra division towards the points.

Marquise Cut · 87 facets · Scintillation 86

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

The catch with a marquise CZ

Heavy for its width

3.45 ct at 6.5 mm, against 2.09 ct for the same cut in diamond (+65%)

A marquise 6.5 mm wide is about twice that in length, so it weighs 3.45 ct in CZ; in diamond, 2.09 ct.

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

What helps: Compare marquises by length.

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

A third less light than the T73 in CZ

Brilliance 66 against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 32 points lower

The T73 is near perfect in CZ, so the gap is wide, and it is real. In diamond the same marquise returns 64, so CZ is not the problem.

Marquise cut in cubic zirconia face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 66) — 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 cubic zirconia face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 98) — 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: For light, a round: DG-Rafaello Cubic Zirconia returns 100.

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

A fifth of the light leaks

Leakage 20 against 1 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 19 points higher

20% of it leaves through the pavilion in our census, against 1% for the T73 in CZ and 17% for the diamond marquise.

Marquise cut in cubic zirconia tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 14% 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.

Marquise cut in cubic zirconia tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 21% 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: A smaller marquise leaks the same share. DG-Rafaello Cubic Zirconia leaks 0% in CZ.

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

Loses more light when tipped

Tilt 80 against 87 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 7 points lower

Tilted, it keeps 80 of its face-up light, against 87 for the T73 in CZ. For comparison, the T73's own strip in CZ stays nearly clear to 10° and is about a fifth grey by 30°.

What helps: DG-Miliano Cubic Zirconia holds 90 tipped in CZ.

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

Who a marquise CZ suits

Choose the marquise in CZ for an outline that looks long on the finger and throws plenty of colour. Protect the points, usually with V-prongs.

No elongated cut we measure returns more light in CZ; the Oval Cut Cubic Zirconia returns 63. For brightness, a round such as the T73 Round Brilliant Cubic Zirconia.

Against the same marquise in diamond, the CZ is close on light (66 against 64) and ahead on fire (93 against 89); the diamond keeps more of its light when tilted, 87 against 80.

Marquise Cut Cubic Zirconia: questions

Is a marquise cut good for cubic zirconia?

For fire and sparkle, yes: 93 and 86, against 87 and 80 for the T73. For light, no: 66 against 98.

Marquise or oval in CZ?

Close: the marquise returns 66 against 63 and leaks 20% against 19%; the oval has more fire, 96 against 93.

What does a 6.5 mm wide marquise CZ weigh?

3.45 ct, because it is about twice as long as it is wide.

Will a marquise CZ show a bow-tie?

Many marquises show a darker band across the middle. We have no bow-tie measure, so we cannot say how strong this one's is.

Get the Marquise Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Marquise Cut 3D files

The Marquise Cut as exact geometry: 87 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

GemCad64 index

Marquise Cut cutting files

The Marquise Cut as a faceting design: 67 + 20 girdles = 87 facets, 64 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 64 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

Cubic Zirconia: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Marquise Cut: specifications, model and files

Marquise Cut Cubic Zirconia: more fire and sparkle than the modern round