Teardrop Cut Diamond: more fire and a larger face for its weight than a round
Brilliance 46 · Fire 89 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 93 · 78 · 80 in diamond
A pear with a fuller shoulder: in diamond it shows more fire than the T73 and faces up larger for its weight, and returns about half of a round's light.
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Teardrop Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.
Teardrop Cut Diamond
The teardrop softens the pear: a fuller shoulder, a rounder body and a gentler point. Our teardrop carries 74 facets at a length-to-width ratio of 1.445; its pavilion sits at 38.46° and its depth at 60.0%.
Against the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond it gains on fire and face-up size and loses on brilliance, leakage and tilt. Scintillation and symmetry stay close to the round's, at 81 and 98.
Beside the Pear Cut Diamond it trades light for a higher Fire score: more fire and a more regular pavilion, less brilliance and more leakage.
Is a teardrop cut diamond a good buy? Pros and cons
Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant 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 Teardrop Cut in diamond (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond (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 diamond: ahead on 3, behind on 5.
Global71, the comparison 90, difference −19
Brilliance46, the comparison 93, difference −47
Fire89, the comparison 78, difference +11
Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
Symmetry98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Shape-norm54, the comparison 100, difference −46
Tilt80, the comparison 92, difference −12
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.
Face-up size 116 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond (T73 = 100): 16% more face-up area for the same weight
At the same carat weight its outline covers about a sixth more area than the T73's. That puts it fourth in diamond, a point ahead of the pear and behind the marquise, the rectangle and the radiant.
Teardrop Cut · 8.65 x 5.99 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 116
T73 Round Brilliant · 6.48 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100
Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in diamond 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.
Fire 89 against 78 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 11 points higher
Level with the marquise, and behind only DG-Elongated Hexagon and the oval among the cuts we measure in diamond. Fire is a share of the light that returns, so read it beside the brilliance below.
Teardrop Cut in diamond · Fire 89
T73 Round Brilliant in diamond · Fire 78
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.
Brilliance 46 against 93 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 47 points lower
In the head-on map more than a third of the teardrop's face is grey, against a sliver of the T73's. The pavilion figure, 38.46°, sits just under the 38.9° guide minimum we use for round designs.
Teardrop Cut in diamond · Brilliance 46
T73 Round Brilliant in diamond · Brilliance 93
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.
Leakage 28 against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 26 points higher
28% of its light leaves through the back in our census, the T73's 2%. In the strip the grey grows as the stone tips, from about a third of the face at 0° to more than two-fifths at 30°.
Teardrop Cut in diamond · Leakage 28
0° · 34% leak
10° · 35% leak
20° · 37% leak
30° · 44% leak
T73 Round Brilliant in diamond · Leakage 2
0° · 4% leak
10° · 2% leak
20° · 9% leak
30° · 14% 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: We have not measured a steeper teardrop, so we cannot promise that a different pavilion would help. The Pear Cut Diamond leaks 22%, the Marquise Cut Diamond 17%.
Tilt 80 against 92 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 12 points lower
Tipped by 20°, it keeps 80 of its face-up light against the T73's 92, level with the pear. The strip agrees: more grey at every step.
Teardrop Cut in diamond · Tilt 80
0° · 34% leak
10° · 35% leak
20° · 37% leak
30° · 44% leak
T73 Round Brilliant in diamond · Tilt 92
0° · 4% leak
10° · 2% leak
20° · 9% leak
30° · 14% leak
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: A round holds more at an angle: DG-Rafaello Diamond keeps 97, with brilliance level with the T73's.
Choose the teardrop for pendants and earrings where a gentler point suits the design and a high Fire score matters more than brilliance. Like the pear, it may show a bowtie across its middle, which we do not measure.
For more light with one point, the Pear Cut Diamond. If two points will do, the Marquise Cut Diamond matches its fire and beats it on light, leakage and face-up size.
Teardrop Cut Diamond: questions
Teardrop or pear diamond: which has more brilliance?
The pear: Brilliance 53 against 46, and 22% leakage against 28%. The teardrop has more fire, 89 against 84.
Is a teardrop diamond fiery?
Yes: Fire 89 against 78 for the T73, the third-highest we measure in diamond, shared with the marquise.
Does a teardrop diamond look bigger than a round?
For its weight, yes: Face-up size 116 against 100, from each model's outline.
What does a 6.5 mm teardrop diamond weigh?
1.28 ct at 6.5 mm wide, from the measured volume of our model.
Get the Teardrop Cut files
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Teardrop Cut 3D files
The Teardrop Cut as exact geometry: 74 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD,
rendering, printing and casting.
