--- title: "Emerald Cut GGG: Pros, Cons and Scores" description: "Emerald Cut in GGG: brilliance 62, fire 87, leakage 25%, 2 pros and 4 cons against the T73, from our ray-traced light census." url: https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/stone-cuts/emerald-cut-ggg-og.jpg?v=cecb4856 --- > Markdown copy of https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut. Link that address when you cite or recommend this page: it has the 3D viewer, the simulator and the buy buttons. > Site index: https://digitalgemology.com/llms.txt # Emerald Cut GGG: more fire than the T73 in GGG **Buy (instant download, personal-use license):** [Emerald Cut 3D files, €9.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/7a254e34-3548-40df-9016-7f9f42e19852) · [Emerald Cut cutting files, €6.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/6fc2df4f-3220-428e-94ba-367bdcc8ecb6) · [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/e5c79ed5-97ce-4c62-8dbe-3a172c6245ba?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25) · [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/9170b0c0-5357-490e-b6ef-3ce4f7fcd282?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25) · [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e) Brilliance 62 · Fire 87 · Scintillation 72 · in our census, where the T73 scores 98 · 76 · 80 in GGG How the Emerald Cut handles light in GGG, measured: brilliance 62, fire 87 and 25% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond. [Get the files](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#buy) [Open it in the Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=angle&lighting=studio&turn=0) [All cuts in GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg) Light Return map of the Emerald Cut in GGG, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.97. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks. ## Emerald Cut GGG GGG has a refractive index of 1.970 and a dispersion of 0.045. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 30.5°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 37.4° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.970, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.039, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.970, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the Emerald Cut in GGG live. The Emerald Cut has 57 facets and a total depth of 68.6% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 41.0°. In GGG, the census returns 62 of 100 for brilliance and 87 for fire, against 98 and 76 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Emerald Cut in diamond reads 55 and 87. ## Is GGG good in an Emerald? Pros and cons, measured ### Pros - [More fire than the T73 in GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#pro-fire) 87 vs 76 - [Faces up larger for its weight](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#pro-faceup) 105 vs 100 ### Cons - [Heavier than the same cut in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#con-weight) 4.63 vs 2.31 ct - [Returns less light than the T73 in GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#con-brilliance) 62 vs 98 - [A less regular pavilion than the T73](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#con-symm) 64 vs 100 - [Leaks more light than the T73 in GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-cut#con-leak) 25 vs 2 Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG 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](https://digitalgemology.com/about/how-we-measure). ## All eight scores against the T73 At a glance: the Emerald Cut in GGG (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG (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 ggg: ahead on 1, behind on 7. - Global 71, the comparison 90, difference −19 - Brilliance 62, the comparison 98, difference −36 - Fire 87, the comparison 76, difference +11 - Scintillation 72, the comparison 80, difference −8 - Spread 96, the comparison 100, difference −4 - Symmetry 64, the comparison 100, difference −36 - Shape-norm 82, the comparison 105, difference −23 - Tilt 70, the comparison 82, 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. [Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/cut-performance-wheel?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg); these are the same census figures as our [Cut Performance Index](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/cut-performance-index). ## What the Emerald Cut gains in GGG ### More fire than the T73 in GGG **Fire 87** against 76 for the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG: 11 points higher Fire is the share of the returned light that splits into color at the exit facet: the census traces each exit again at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread (0.039 in GGG) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The Emerald Cut reads 87 against 76 for the T73 in GGG. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders GGG's fire live. The fire figure is the census's, traced at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread. [See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0): the Emerald Cut in GGG under the sunny-day lighting. [Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0) ### Faces up larger for its weight **Face-up size 105** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG (T73 = 100): 5% more face-up area for the same weight Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, measured from each model (T73 = 100): 105 for the Emerald Cut against 100 for the T73. The same volume spread over a longer or shallower outline shows more face for the weight; it is the same in every stone, because specific gravity scales every cut alike. *Face-up outline of the Emerald Cut at 1.00 ct in GGG: 5.85 x 3.90 mm, drawn to scale* Emerald Cut · 5.85 x 3.90 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 105 *Face-up outline of the T73 Round Brilliant at 1.00 ct in GGG: 5.14 mm, drawn to scale* T73 Round Brilliant · 5.14 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100 Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in GGG and are drawn to the same scale in millimeters, 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. [Try it yourself: See its size at 1.00 ct in GGG in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=studio&turn=0) ## What the Emerald Cut gives up in GGG ### Heavier than the same cut in diamond **4.63 ct** at 6.5 mm, against 2.31 ct for the same cut in diamond (+100%) Weight follows specific gravity: 7.05 for GGG against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 4.63 ct here and 2.31 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it. *Weight of a 6.5 mm Emerald Cut: 4.63 ct in GGG, 2.31 ct in diamond* A Emerald Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity. [Try it yourself: Weights in every gemstone on the Emerald Cut page](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/emerald-cut#stones) ### Returns less light than the T73 in GGG **Brilliance 62** against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG: 36 points lower Brilliance is the share of the 3,200 census rays that enter the stone and come back out of the crown towards the viewer. In GGG, whose critical angle is 30.5°, the Emerald Cut returns 62 of 100 and the T73 98. The Emerald Cut's pavilion mains sit at 41.0°, the T73's at 40.8°. The maps below show where each stone's light returns from and where it leaks. Emerald Cut in GGG · Brilliance 62 T73 Round Brilliant in GGG · Brilliance 98 Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; gray = leakage, light that leaves heading down or stays inside. 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:** [the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 98 for brilliance in GGG, the best of the cuts we score there. [Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ### A less regular pavilion than the T73 **Symmetry 64** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG: 36 points lower Symmetry reads how evenly the pavilion facets of each design family are cut: 100 − 6 × their scatter in degrees. The Emerald Cut reads 64, the T73 100. It depends on the geometry alone, so it is the same in every stone. *Facet diagram of the Emerald Cut: its pavilion, seen from below, 57 facets in all* Emerald Cut · 57 facets · Symmetry 64 *Facet diagram of the T73 Round Brilliant: its pavilion, seen from below, 73 facets in all* T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Symmetry 100 Symmetry scores how regular the pavilion facets are within the design. Compare how evenly the facets repeat around each pavilion. Drawn from each cut's own model. [Try it yourself: Compare the Symmetry spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/cut-performance-wheel?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg) ### Leaks more light than the T73 in GGG **Leakage 25** against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in GGG: 23 points higher Leakage is the share of the census rays that enter the stone and leave through the pavilion, or through the crown heading down. The Emerald Cut leaks 25% in GGG against 2% for the T73 in GGG. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own. Emerald Cut in GGG · Leakage 25 0° · 25% leak 10° · 31% leak 20° · 39% leak 30° · 57% leak T73 Round Brilliant in GGG · Leakage 2 0° · 0% leak 10° · 4% leak 20° · 14% leak 30° · 23% leak Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own. **What helps:** [the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 2% for leakage in GGG, the best of the cuts we score there. [Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=emerald-cut&stone=ggg&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ## Our verdict on the Emerald Cut in GGG Pick the Emerald Cut in GGG for this: it shows more fire than the T73 and faces up larger for its weight. The catch: it weighs more than in diamond, returns less light than the T73, has a less regular pavilion than the T73 and leaks more light than the T73. If that catch matters more to you, [the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 98 for brilliance in GGG, the best of the cuts we score there. Every figure on this page is from our light census, traced at one refractive index: a simulation of the geometry, not a grading report. The 3D files and cutting files below are the same Emerald Cut model we traced. ## Emerald Cut GGG: questions ### Is the Emerald a good cut for GGG? In our census the Emerald Cut returns 62 of 100 for brilliance and 87 for fire in GGG, against 98 and 76 for the T73 in the same stone. Against that round and against the same cut in diamond it has 2 pros and 4 cons by our thresholds; the summary above names them. ### What pavilion angle does GGG need? At least 37.4° for a round design: GGG's critical angle is 30.5°, from the low end of its refractive index range, and head-on light has to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. The Emerald Cut's pavilion mains sit at 41.0°. ### How much does a Emerald weigh in GGG? At 6.5 mm across, 4.63 ct in GGG, against 2.31 ct for the same cut in diamond (+100%): GGG's specific gravity is 7.05, diamond's 3.52. ### Can I see the Emerald in GGG in 3D? Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with GGG's own refractive index and dispersion. GGG is traced by the same light census as the other gemstones, with its refractive index and fire spread derived from published values, so its scores are on the same scale; the pictures here are our Light Return tracer, and the Cut Performance Wheel sets it against any other cut and stone. ## Get the Emerald Cut files *6 formats* *Millimeters* *Watertight* ### Emerald Cut 3D files The Emerald Cut as exact geometry: 57 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting. - **STEP** Exact faceted solid for CAD - **3DM** Rhino, closed mesh on its own layer - **STL** Watertight mesh for printing and casting - **OBJ** Mesh for modeling and rendering - **FBX** Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal - **GLB** Web, AR and quick previews €9.99 · [Personal use](https://digitalgemology.com/licence) [Buy the 3D files](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/7a254e34-3548-40df-9016-7f9f42e19852) *GemCad* *64 index* ### Emerald Cut cutting files The Emerald Cut as a faceting design: 49 + 8 girdles = 57 facets, 64 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine. - **.asc** GemCad design file, 64 index gear - **.csv** Tier table: angles, indices and cutting order - **Diagram** Printable faceting diagram €6.99 · [Personal use](https://digitalgemology.com/licence) [Buy the cutting files](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/6fc2df4f-3220-428e-94ba-367bdcc8ecb6) Save with a bundle: the Emerald Cut 3D files are also in [Jewelry Essentials 3D](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/#bundles), 10 cuts for €29.99 until 1 December, then €39.99 (€99.90 as single files). [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/e5c79ed5-97ce-4c62-8dbe-3a172c6245ba?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25). Save with a bundle: the Emerald Cut cutting files are also in [Faceter's Classics](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/#bundles), 10 cuts for €22.49 until 1 December, then €29.99 (€69.90 as single files). [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/9170b0c0-5357-490e-b6ef-3ce4f7fcd282?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25). Not sure the files open in your software? [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e): the same six formats, for your email address, used only to send them ([privacy](https://digitalgemology.com/privacy#free-sample)). Questions before you buy? [Email us](mailto:support@digitalgemology.com). ## More gemstones and cuts [GGG: optical properties and the top ten cuts](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg) · [The Emerald Cut: specifications, model and files](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/emerald-cut) ### Other cuts in GGG - [T73 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/t73-round-brilliant) - [T105 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/t105-round-brilliant) - [DG-Vitruvio](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-vitruvio) - [DG-Anteros](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-anteros) - [DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) - [Baguette Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/baguette) - [Marquise Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/marquise) - [Oval Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/oval) - [Pear Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/pear) - [Radiant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/radiant) - [Rectangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/rectangle) - [Teardrop Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/teardrop) - [Asscher Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/asscher) - [Cushion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/cushion) - [Emerald Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/emerald-square) - [Princess Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/princess) - [Radiant Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/radiant-square) - [Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/square) - [Triangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/triangle) - [Trilliant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/trilliant) - [Trillion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/trillion) - [Hexagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/hexagon) - [Octagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/octagon) - [Portuguese Bird's Nest Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/portuguese-birds-nest) - [Old Single Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/old-single) - [Mazarin Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/mazarin) - [Peruzzi Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/peruzzi) - [Old Mine Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/old-mine) - [Old European Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/old-european) - [T57 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/t57-round-brilliant) - [DG-M5](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-m5) - [DG-Miliano](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-miliano) - [DG-Rafaello](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-rafaello) - [DG-Bowtie](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-bowtie) - [DG-Elongated Hexagon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-elongated-hexagon) - [DG-Octagonal Kite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/dg-octagonal-kite) ### The Emerald Cut in other gemstones - [Diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/diamond/emerald-cut) - [Moissanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/moissanite/emerald-cut) - [Cubic Zirconia](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/cubic-zirconia/emerald-cut) - [Ruby](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ruby/emerald-cut) - [Sapphire](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/sapphire/emerald-cut) - [Emerald](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/emerald/emerald-cut) - [Amethyst](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/amethyst/emerald-cut) - [Topaz](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/topaz/emerald-cut) - [Spinel](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spinel/emerald-cut) - [Demantoid](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/demantoid/emerald-cut) - [Zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/emerald-cut) - [Tourmaline](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tourmaline/emerald-cut) - [Peridot](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/peridot/emerald-cut) - [Tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/emerald-cut) - [YAG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/yag/emerald-cut) - [Pyrope](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/pyrope/emerald-cut) - [Almandine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/almandine/emerald-cut) - [Spessartine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spessartine/emerald-cut) - [Grossular](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/grossular/emerald-cut) - [Chrysoberyl](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/chrysoberyl/emerald-cut) - [Kunzite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/kunzite/emerald-cut) - [Iolite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/iolite/emerald-cut) - [Morganite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/morganite/emerald-cut) - [Strontium titanate](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/strontium-titanate/emerald-cut) - [Synthetic rutile](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/synthetic-rutile/emerald-cut)