Brilliance 58 · Fire 36 · Scintillation 72 · in our census, where the T73 scores 78 · 39 · 80 in emerald
A long step cut with cropped corners. In our census it faces up a little larger than the T73 for its weight but returns less light, and no other cut we measure in emerald keeps a smaller share of its light when tipped.
Long open table, concentric steps, corners cropped off: according to the site's cut notes, those cropped corners guard a brittle stone at its weakest points, and that is how the cut came by its name. Our model has 57 facets on a 1.5 to 1 outline, a pavilion figure of 41.0° and a total depth of 68.6%.
Measured in emerald, two results stand out. It returns slightly more light in emerald than in diamond (58 against 55), so the step plan, not the stone, limits its light. And it holds that light worse when tipped than any other cut on our emerald pages. Why emeralds are step cut at all (colour, inclusions, chipping) our census does not score.
Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald and with the Emerald Cut 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.
At a glance: the Emerald Cut 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.
Against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: behind on 8.
1.79 ct at 6.5 mm, against 2.31 ct for the same cut in diamond (−23%)
Beryl has a specific gravity of 2.72, diamond 3.52. An emerald cut 6.5 mm wide and 1.5 times as long comes to 1.79 ct in emerald; in diamond, 2.31 ct.
Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Emerald Cut page
Face-up size 105 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald (T73 = 100): 5% more face-up area for the same weight
The model stands 68.6% deep against the T73's 61.7%, yet each carat shows a little more face. Depth is measured across the short side, and the long side adds area without adding depth. The figure comes from the model, so it is the same in every gemstone.
Emerald Cut · 8.04 x 5.36 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 105
T73 Round Brilliant · 7.06 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100
Try it yourself: See its size at 1.00 ct in emerald in the 3D Gemstone Simulator
Fire 36 against 87 for the Emerald Cut in diamond: 51 points lower
36 against 87, and a little under the T73 in emerald too, 39. Expect the stone's body colour, not flashes of spectral colour.
Emerald Cut in emerald · Fire 36
Emerald Cut in diamond · Fire 87
What helps: This is the material. Of the cuts within 10 points of the T73's brilliance in emerald, DG-Anteros Emerald scores the most fire, 52 at 86 brilliance.
Symmetry 64 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 36 points lower
The symmetry score reads how evenly the pavilion facets repeat. Here the short corner facets differ from the long steps, and the score is 64. That is a property of the design, the same in diamond.
Emerald Cut · 57 facets · Symmetry 64
T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Symmetry 100
What helps: It is the design. On a square outline, the Emerald Square Cut Emerald keeps the step look with a fully regular plan, 100.
Try it yourself: Compare the Symmetry spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel
Tilt 52 against 83 for the Emerald Cut in diamond: 31 points lower
Tipped by 20°, it keeps 52 of its face-up light, the lowest Tilt of every cut we measure in emerald; the diamond emerald cut keeps 83. A stone seen at an angle shows this more than one seen face-up.
Emerald Cut in emerald · Tilt 52
Emerald Cut in diamond · Tilt 83
What helps: Steepening is not the fix: the pavilion figure is already 41.0°, above the 39.4° guide minimum. For a step-cut outline that holds steady, the Octagon Cut Emerald keeps 83 when tipped, at 69 brilliance.
Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel
Brilliance 58 against 78 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 20 points lower
58 against 78, with 35% of the light leaking against the T73's 22%. Emerald is not the reason: the diamond emerald cut returns 55.
Emerald Cut in emerald · Brilliance 58
T73 Round Brilliant in emerald · Brilliance 78
What helps: In a step-cut outline, the Octagon Cut Emerald returns 69 and the Emerald Square Cut Emerald 66. For the most light in emerald, DG-M5 Emerald, 90.
Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator
Choose the emerald cut for the classic look: a long, open table that shows the stone's colour plainly, with its corners protected. Our census backs a slightly larger face for the weight. It does not back the cut for light, or for steadiness when tipped.
For a step cut with more light that also holds it at an angle, the Octagon Cut Emerald. For the square version, the Emerald Square Cut Emerald. For the most light this stone gives, DG-M5 Emerald.
For face size, yes: Face-up size 105 against 100 for the T73, and it is the traditional cut for the stone. For light, it trails: Brilliance 58, against 78 for the T73 and 90 for DG-M5, the most we measure in emerald.
The site's cut notes say its cropped corners were made to protect brittle emeralds at their weakest points, and the cut took the stone's name. Our census measures the optics only.
Less well than any other cut we measure in emerald: it keeps 52 of its face-up light at 20°, against 77 for the T73 and 83 for the same cut in diamond.
Our model gives 1.79 ct in emerald. The same cut in diamond would be 2.31 ct.
The Emerald Cut as exact geometry: 57 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.
The Emerald Cut as a faceting design: 49 + 8 girdles = 57 facets, 64 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.
Questions before you buy? Email us.
Emerald: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Emerald Cut: specifications, model and files