Old European Cut Cubic Zirconia: nearly a modern round's light, more fire than diamond

Brilliance 92 · Fire 84 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 98 · 87 · 80 in cubic zirconia

The one antique cut that stays bright in CZ: Brilliance 92, with more fire than the diamond version.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The Old European Cut in cubic zirconia, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Old European Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

Old European Cut Cubic Zirconia

Of the antique cuts we measure in cubic zirconia, the Old European is the only one that comes close to the T73: Brilliance 92 against 98. Its small 45.0% table and 41.5° pavilion suit CZ almost as well as diamond.

CZ adds fire over the diamond version, and weight: CZ is far denser.

It is also the CZ page where the comparison with diamond is closest to even: Brilliance 92 in CZ against 90 in diamond, with CZ ahead on fire. For an Old European look at a CZ price, the numbers support it.

Is CZ good in an Old European cut? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia and with the Old European 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 Old European 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.

Performance wheel: Old European Cut in cubic zirconia, against the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−3Brilliance−6Fire−3Scintillation+1Spread−2Symmetry0Shape-norm+19Tilt+4

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

  • Global90, the comparison 93, difference −3
  • Brilliance92, the comparison 98, difference −6
  • Fire84, the comparison 87, difference −3
  • Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
  • Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm125, the comparison 106, difference +19
  • Tilt91, the comparison 87, difference +4
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 cubic zirconia gains in an Old European cut

More fire than in diamond

Fire 84 against 74 for the Old European Cut in diamond: 10 points higher

CZ's dispersion, higher than diamond's, adds colour to the same flashes.

Old european cut in cubic zirconia face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 84)

Old European Cut in cubic zirconia · Fire 84

Old european cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 74)

Old European Cut in diamond · Fire 74

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

Where the Old European CZ falls short

Far heavier than diamond

1.79 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.09 ct for the same cut in diamond (+65%)

Cubic zirconia is about 65% denser than diamond, so the stone weighs more than it looks.

Cubic Zirconia1.79 ctDiamond1.09 ct
A Old European Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

What helps: None in the cut; buy and set it by millimetres.

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

A little less light than the T73 in CZ

Brilliance 92 against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 6 points lower

Both face-up maps are almost all colour; the T73 suits CZ exceptionally well.

Old european 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 92)

Old European Cut in cubic zirconia · Brilliance 92

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)

T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia · 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 the last few points in CZ, the T73 Round Brilliant (98).

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

A little more leakage once tilted

Leakage 7 against 1 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 6 points higher

7% against 1%. Face-up it holds its light; the strip shows grey appearing from 10°.

Old European Cut in cubic zirconia · Leakage 7

Old european cut in cubic zirconia tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 1% of the face leaking0° · 1% leak
Old european cut in cubic zirconia tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 9% of the face leaking10° · 9% leak
Old european cut in cubic zirconia tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 12% of the face leaking20° · 12% leak
Old european cut in cubic zirconia tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 19% of the face leaking30° · 19% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia · Leakage 1

T73 round brilliant in cubic zirconia tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 0% of the face leaking0° · 0% leak
T73 round brilliant in cubic zirconia tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 1% of the face leaking10° · 1% leak
T73 round brilliant in cubic zirconia tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 9% of the face leaking20° · 9% leak
T73 round brilliant in cubic zirconia tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 21% of the face leaking30° · 21% leak
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: Seen face-up, the difference is smallest.

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

Marginally smaller for its weight

Spread 98 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in cubic zirconia: 2 points lower

At 64.7% deep it is slightly narrower for its weight than the T73.

Old European Cut · 5.35 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 98

T73 Round Brilliant · 5.49 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in cubic zirconia and are drawn to the same scale, from each cut's own model. Spread is face-up size per carat: a deeper stone carries more weight below the girdle and looks smaller for its weight.

What helps: A 6.5 mm stone is 1.79 ct in CZ.

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

Who an Old European CZ suits

The CZ to choose for an antique round that still looks bright: close to the T73 in light, with more fire than the same cut in diamond. A good practice stone for the Old European before cutting it in something costlier.

For the most light in CZ, the T73 Round Brilliant; in moissanite, the same cut gains even more fire: see Old European Cut Moissanite.

One practical caution: CZ is softer than diamond (8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale against 10), so facet edges can wear with years of daily wear.

Against the T73 in CZ it gives up a little light (92 against 98) and fire (84 against 87) in exchange for the antique look and its small table.

Old European Cut Cubic Zirconia: questions

Is Old European cut CZ bright?

Yes: Brilliance 92 against 98 for the T73 in CZ, the closest of the antique cuts we measure.

Old European CZ or diamond?

CZ has more fire (84 against 74) and similar light (92 against 90); diamond is far lighter and harder.

What does a 6.5 mm Old European CZ weigh?

Close to 1.79 ct; a diamond of that width is 1.09 ct.

Does Old European CZ look like an old diamond?

Its face-up pattern is the same cut's and its light is close: 92 against 90 for the diamond. Its fire is higher, 84 against 74.

Get the Old European Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Old European Cut 3D files

The Old European Cut as exact geometry: 74 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

Old European Cut cutting files

The Old European Cut as a faceting design: 58 + 16 girdles = 74 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
€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 Old European Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in cubic zirconia

The Old European Cut in other gemstones