DG-M5 Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Light Return

DG-M5 rings the table with twelve stars and twenty-four crown mains, over a single tier of twenty-four pavilion mains cut at one angle, 41.49°, to a pointed culet. There are no halves above or below; a faceted girdle brings the count to 85.

We measured it in moissanite against the T73 Round Brilliant, and against the same model in diamond. It leads on light, fire and leakage. What it gives back is some of that light once the stone tips.

Be clear about where the fire comes from. Against diamond the gain is mostly the material: dispersion 0.104 against 0.044. Against the T73 in moissanite the cut adds only a little, 100 against 97. The design shows in its light: Brilliance 98, where the T73 reaches 86.

Is DG-M5 a good cut for moissanite? Pros and cons

Pros

The top of our fire scale 100 vs 67
More light back than the T73 98 vs 86
Lighter than a diamond of the same width 0.90 vs 0.98 ct
Almost no light lost through the back 1 vs 7

Cons

Gives back some light when tipped 84 vs 94

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the DG-M5 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-M5 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 5, level on 2, behind on 1.

Global95, the comparison 91, difference +4
Brilliance98, the comparison 86, difference +12
Fire100, the comparison 97, difference +3
Scintillation85, the comparison 80, difference +5
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm105, the comparison 93, difference +12
Tilt84, the comparison 94, difference −10

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 DG-M5 does for moissanite

The top of our fire scale

Fire 100 against 67 for the DG-M5 in diamond: 33 points higher

The two renders hold the model and the light fixed and change only the material. Moissanite splits white light into colour more than twice as strongly as diamond, and that, not the twelve-fold plan, accounts for most of the gap to the diamond version.

Dg-m5 in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 100) — 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-m5 in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 67) — 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

More light back than the T73

Brilliance 98 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 12 points higher

The T73's angles were worked out for diamond. DG-M5 was drawn for moissanite's higher refractive index, and in our census it sends back more of the light that enters than any other cut in this stone, ahead of DG-Anteros at 92.

Dg-m5 in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 98) — 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.

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

Lighter than a diamond of the same width

0.90 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.98 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Density decides this, not the facets: moissanite's specific gravity is 3.22, diamond's 3.52. Every cut on our moissanite pages shares the same -9% figure.

A DG-M5 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-M5 page

Almost no light lost through the back

Leakage 1 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 6 points lower

Just 1% of the light in our census leaves through the pavilion, the least of any cut we sell in moissanite. The T73 loses 7%, and DG-Anteros, our other round drawn for this stone, 3%.

Dg-m5 in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 0% 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-m5 in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 2% 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.

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

The catch with DG-M5

Gives back some light when tipped

Tilt 84 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 10 points lower

Rock DG-M5 over by 20° and it keeps 84 of the light it shows face-up; the T73 keeps 94. It starts from far more light, so a steeper drop need not make it the darker stone at an angle.

What helps: Among our rounds in moissanite, DG-Miliano Moissanite keeps 95 when tipped and DG-Rafaello Moissanite 98, both at lower brilliance (86 and 84). We have not measured DG-M5 with other angles, so we offer no recut.

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

Who DG-M5 suits

For a round moissanite chosen on light and fire, this is the cut our census puts first: Brilliance 98, Fire 100 and 1% leakage. It suits a solitaire that is mostly seen face-up.

If the stone will swing or be seen from the side, DG-Miliano Moissanite holds its light better at an angle. If you prefer the eight-fold plan of a classic round, DG-Anteros Moissanite is our other round drawn for moissanite.

In diamond the same cut stays bright, Brilliance 97, but its fire drops to 67.

DG-M5 Moissanite: questions

Is DG-M5 the best cut for moissanite?

On light and fire it scores highest of the cuts we measure in moissanite: Brilliance 98, Fire 100, 1% leakage. Its tilt score, 84, is below the T73's 94.

DG-M5 or DG-Anteros for a moissanite?

DG-M5 returns more light (98 against 92) and more fire (100 against 91), and leaks less. DG-Anteros keeps the T73's eight-fold plan.

Does DG-M5 moissanite have more fire than diamond?

Yes: 100 against 67 for DG-M5 cut in diamond, mostly from moissanite's higher dispersion.

What does a 6.5 mm DG-M5 moissanite weigh?

About 0.90 ct. Cut in diamond, the same model would weigh 0.98 ct.

Get the DG-M5 Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

DG-M5 Cut 3D files

The DG-M5 Cut as exact geometry: 85 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-M5 Cut cutting files

The DG-M5 Cut as a faceting design: 61 + 24 girdles = 85 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

Moissanite: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The DG-M5: specifications, model and files

DG-M5 Moissanite: our highest light and fire scores in this stone