DG-Bowtie Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Fire

When we remodelled our Marquise, the original design stayed in the library under a name of its own: DG-Bowtie. Its depth is 93.8% of its width, so it stands nearly as deep as it is wide, on 87 facets with a 42.0° pavilion and an outline 2.059 times as long as it is wide.

Nothing in it was corrected, so the bow-tie is still there: the dark band across the middle that long brilliants are prone to. We have no bow-tie metric, so the band carries no number here.

In moissanite only DG-M5 and the Old Single score higher for fire. Light is another matter: only DG-Elongated Hexagon returns less.

DG-Bowtie in moissanite: good or not? Pros and cons

Pros

Far more fire than in diamond 98 vs 82
Lighter than in diamond 2.89 vs 3.16 ct
A little more sparkle than a round 86 vs 80

Cons

About a third of a round's light 29 vs 86
More leakage than a round 29 vs 7
Holds less light at an angle 77 vs 94
Smaller for its weight than a round 92 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the DG-Bowtie 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 DG-Bowtie in moissanite (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (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 moissanite: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

Global67, the comparison 91, difference −24
Brilliance29, the comparison 86, difference −57
Fire98, the comparison 97, difference +1
Scintillation86, the comparison 80, difference +6
Spread87, the comparison 100, difference −13
Symmetry94, the comparison 100, difference −6
Shape-norm34, the comparison 93, difference −59
Tilt77, the comparison 94, difference −17

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

What moissanite gains in DG-Bowtie

Far more fire than in diamond

Fire 98 against 82 for the DG-Bowtie in diamond: 16 points higher

Through the same facets diamond scores 82 and moissanite 98: the gain is the stone's.

Dg-bowtie in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 98) — 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.

Dg-bowtie in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 82) — 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

Lighter than in diamond

2.89 ct at 6.5 mm, against 3.16 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Cut this deep, a DG-Bowtie 6.5 mm wide is a heavy stone in any material; moissanite, at 3.22 against 3.52, keeps it under the diamond figure.

A DG-Bowtie 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-Bowtie page

A little more sparkle than a round

Scintillation 86 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 6 points higher

87 facets against the T73's 73 give Scintillation 86, level with the Marquise at 86.

DG-Bowtie · 87 facets · Scintillation 86

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

The catch with a DG-Bowtie moissanite

About a third of a round's light

Brilliance 29 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 57 points lower

29 against 86; the diamond version is no brighter, at 27. Its pavilion, 42.0°, sits above moissanite's 39.5° guide minimum, and no other angles have been measured.

Dg-bowtie in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 29) — 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.

T73 round brilliant in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 86) — 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: The Marquise keeps the outline and returns 59; for the most light, DG-M5 Moissanite at 98.

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

More leakage than a round

Leakage 29 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 22 points higher

29% of the light in our census leaves through the back, against 7% for the T73. In diamond the same model loses 36%, so moissanite holds a little more.

Dg-bowtie in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 43% of the face leaking — 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.

Dg-bowtie in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 44% of the face leaking — 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 smaller stone keeps the same share. The Marquise leaks 19%, DG-Anteros Moissanite 3%.

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

Holds less light at an angle

Tilt 77 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 17 points lower

DG-Bowtie keeps 77 of its face-up light once tipped by 20°, the T73 94. Only DG-Elongated Hexagon keeps less in moissanite, and the Asscher is level.

What helps: No marquise-shaped cut we measure is bright enough to recommend for this. A round that keeps its light at an angle: the Old European, 100 at 20° with Brilliance 79.

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

Smaller for its weight than a round

Face-up size 92 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (T73 = 100): 8% less face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size sets outline area against weight for each model, with the T73 at 100. DG-Bowtie covers 92; the Marquise covers 121, level with the Rectangle for the most we measure.

DG-Bowtie · 9.41 x 4.57 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 92

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.68 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in moissanite 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.

What helps: The Marquise gives far more face for the weight, 121. Otherwise, choose by millimetres: a DG-Bowtie 6.5 mm wide weighs 2.89 ct.

Try it yourself: See its size at 1.00 ct in moissanite in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Who DG-Bowtie in moissanite suits

DG-Bowtie is here to study beside the remodelled Marquise, and to render when a bow-tie is what you want to show. In moissanite it is a fire stone with very little light.

For a marquise to wear, choose the Marquise: more light, less leakage and a larger face for the weight. If the outline is negotiable, DG-M5 Moissanite returns the most light we measure in moissanite.

DG-Bowtie Moissanite: questions

DG-Bowtie or marquise cut moissanite?

The Marquise: Brilliance 59 against 29, leakage 19% against 29%, face-up size 121 against 92. DG-Bowtie has more fire, 98 against 94.

Why is it called DG-Bowtie?

Because the bow-tie was left in: it is our original marquise, unaltered, dark middle band and all. We have no bow-tie metric, so we give it no number.

How much fire does DG-Bowtie have in moissanite?

Fire 98, against 82 in diamond and 97 for the T73 in moissanite.

What does a 6.5 mm wide DG-Bowtie moissanite weigh?

2.89 ct, and 3.16 ct in diamond: heavy for its width, because it is cut so deep.

Get the DG-Bowtie Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

DG-Bowtie Cut 3D files

The DG-Bowtie Cut as exact geometry: 87 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

GemCad64 index

DG-Bowtie Cut cutting files

The DG-Bowtie Cut as a faceting design: 67 + 20 girdles = 87 facets, 64 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 64 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

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

DG-Bowtie Moissanite: fire near the top of our scale, in a deep marquise