DG-Rafaello Emerald: fine twelve-fold sparkle from a five-tier pavilion

Brilliance 54 · Fire 28 · Scintillation 96 · in our census, where the T73 scores 78 · 39 · 80 in emerald

Drawn for diamond, where it is among our best rounds. In emerald nearly half its light leaves through the curved pavilion.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The DG-Rafaello in emerald, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the DG-Rafaello model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

DG-Rafaello Emerald

DG-Rafaello is a twelve-fold round: twenty-four crown mains and twelve stars over a pavilion cut in five tiers, each a little shallower than the last. Our model has 145 facets and is 59.0% deep; its pavilion figure is 40.0°.

That figure sits less than a degree above emerald's guide minimum of 39.4°, and the lower tiers are shallower still. In our census 46% of the light leaks, the most of any round on our emerald pages bar the Old Single.

In diamond the curved pavilion is a strength: Brilliance 94, Fire 80. Carried into emerald, the same geometry shows how far a design worked out around one stone's optics can depend on them.

Is DG-Rafaello a fit for emerald? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald 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 emerald (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: DG-Rafaello in emerald, against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−8Brilliance−24Fire−11Scintillation+16Spread+1Symmetry0Shape-norm−26Tilt+23

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

  • Global65, the comparison 73, difference −8
  • Brilliance54, the comparison 78, difference −24
  • Fire28, the comparison 39, difference −11
  • Scintillation96, the comparison 80, difference +16
  • Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm58, the comparison 84, difference −26
  • Tilt100, the comparison 77, difference +23
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 emerald gains in DG-Rafaello

Lighter than the diamond it was drawn for

0.73 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.94 ct for the same cut in diamond (−23%)

0.73 ct at 6.5 mm in emerald, 0.94 ct in diamond: beryl is roughly three-quarters as dense.

Emerald0.73 ctDiamond0.94 ct
A DG-Rafaello 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 DG-Rafaello page

Much more sparkle than the T73

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

Twelve-fold symmetry and five pavilion tiers break the stone into 145 facets. Our score, which depends on the plan and not the stone, puts that at 96 against 80.

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

Where DG-Rafaello struggles in emerald

Very little fire against the diamond version

Fire 28 against 80 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 52 points lower

In diamond DG-Rafaello scores 80; in emerald, 28, the lowest fire of the ten rounds on our emerald pages.

Dg-rafaello in emerald face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 28)

DG-Rafaello in emerald · Fire 28

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

DG-Rafaello in diamond · Fire 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

Nearly half the light leaks

Leakage 46 against 5 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 41 points higher

46% of the light in our census, against 5% in diamond. The shallower tiers toward the point give light more chances to strike inside emerald's 39.4° critical angle.

DG-Rafaello in emerald · Leakage 46

Dg-rafaello in emerald tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 46% of the face leaking0° · 46% leak
Dg-rafaello in emerald tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 42% of the face leaking10° · 42% leak
Dg-rafaello in emerald tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 38% of the face leaking20° · 38% leak
Dg-rafaello in emerald tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 38% of the face leaking30° · 38% leak

DG-Rafaello in diamond · Leakage 5

Dg-rafaello in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 4% of the face leaking0° · 4% leak
Dg-rafaello in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 4% of the face leaking10° · 4% leak
Dg-rafaello in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 7% of the face leaking20° · 7% leak
Dg-rafaello in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 17% of the face leaking30° · 17% 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: DG-M5 Emerald leaks 10%. We have not measured a steeper DG-Rafaello, so we cannot say what changing its tiers would do.

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

Little more than half the diamond version's light

Brilliance 54 against 94 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 40 points lower

54 against 94: after the Old Single, the widest gap between emerald and diamond among the rounds on our emerald pages.

Dg-rafaello in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 54)

DG-Rafaello in emerald · Brilliance 54

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)

DG-Rafaello in diamond · 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.

What helps: In emerald, DG-M5 Emerald, also twelve-fold, returns 90 from a single pavilion angle.

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

Who a DG-Rafaello emerald suits

In emerald we would not choose DG-Rafaello for light. It keeps a fine, busy sparkle, and suits a cutter who wants the twelve-fold pattern and accepts a darker stone.

For a twelve-fold round that suits emerald, DG-M5 Emerald. For fine sparkle with more light, DG-Vitruvio Emerald. In diamond DG-Rafaello is a different story: see the DG-Rafaello page.

DG-Rafaello Emerald: questions

Is DG-Rafaello good for emerald?

Not for light: Brilliance 54 against 78 for the T73 in emerald, with 46% leakage. Its scintillation, 96, is high.

DG-Rafaello or DG-M5 for an emerald?

DG-M5: Brilliance 90 against 54, leakage 10% against 46%. Both are twelve-fold.

Why is DG-Rafaello's Tilt score so high in emerald?

Our Tilt figure compares a stone with itself: how much of its face-up light survives a 20° tip. DG-Rafaello keeps all of it, 100, but with Brilliance 54 there is less to keep, so we do not count it as a pro.

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.

More gemstones and cuts

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

Other cuts in emerald

The DG-Rafaello in other gemstones