DG-Rafaello Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Tilt

Above the girdle DG-Rafaello is a plain twelve-fold crown, twenty-four mains and twelve stars. Below it, five pavilion tiers, each a little shallower than the one above, bend the cone into a gentle curve from girdle to point. Our model has 145 facets, a 40.0° pavilion main and a depth of 59.0%.

It was drawn for diamond, and the census shows it: Brilliance 94 in diamond, 84 in moissanite. Here it still beats the T73 on sparkle and tilt, and the diamond version on fire.

Is DG-Rafaello a good moissanite cut? Pros and cons

Pros

More sparkle than the T73 96 vs 80
More fire than in diamond 90 vs 80
Lighter for its width than diamond 0.86 vs 0.94 ct
Holds its light when tipped 98 vs 94

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite 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 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 3, level on 2, behind on 3.

Global91, the comparison 91, difference 0
Brilliance84, the comparison 86, difference −2
Fire90, the comparison 97, difference −7
Scintillation96, the comparison 80, difference +16
Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm91, the comparison 93, difference −2
Tilt98, the comparison 94, difference +4

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 moissanite gains in DG-Rafaello

More sparkle than the T73

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

Five pavilion tiers and a twelve-fold crown put 145 facets in the light's way, nearly twice the T73's 73, and our scintillation score follows that count.

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

More fire than in diamond

Fire 90 against 80 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 10 points higher

The design does not add this; moissanite's dispersion does. In moissanite DG-Rafaello trails the T73 for fire, 90 against 97, so this is a pro against diamond only.

Dg-rafaello in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 90) — 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-rafaello in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 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

Lighter for its width than diamond

0.86 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.94 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Moissanite's lower density sets the figure; nothing in the five tiers changes it.

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

Holds its light when tipped

Tilt 98 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 4 points higher

Tipped by 20°, DG-Rafaello keeps 98 of its face-up light, more than the T73's 94. Its brilliance is within a few points of the T73's, so the steadiness counts. Why a curved pavilion behaves this way is outside what our census computes.

Dg-rafaello in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 13% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. 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-rafaello in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 9% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. 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: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

The catch with a DG-Rafaello moissanite

Less light than in diamond

Brilliance 84 against 94 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 10 points lower

The tiers were set for diamond's refractive index. In moissanite, which bends light more strongly, the same angles return less. The T73 in moissanite sits between the two, at 86.

Dg-rafaello in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 84) — 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.

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) — 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: For a round moissanite with more light, DG-M5 Moissanite (98) or DG-Anteros Moissanite (92), both drawn for this stone.

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

More leakage than in diamond

Leakage 12 against 5 for the DG-Rafaello in diamond: 7 points higher

12% of the light in our census escapes through the pavilion, against 5% for DG-Rafaello in diamond and 7% for the T73 in moissanite.

What helps: The pavilion main, at 40.0°, is above moissanite's 39.5° guide minimum, so our data does not point to steepening. DG-M5 leaks 1% and DG-Anteros 3%.

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

Who a DG-Rafaello moissanite suits

DG-Rafaello suits a moissanite that will be seen moving, in a pendant, an earring or a ring worn at an angle, where steadiness under tilt matters. Its sparkle is close to the top of our scale.

For the most light face-up, DG-M5 Moissanite. For diamond, where this design returns more light, see DG-Rafaello.

DG-Rafaello Moissanite: questions

Is DG-Rafaello good for moissanite?

For sparkle and tilt, yes: Scintillation 96 and Tilt 98, both above the T73. Its brilliance, 84, is just under the T73's 86.

DG-Rafaello or DG-M5 for moissanite?

DG-M5 for light and fire (98 and 100). DG-Rafaello for sparkle (96 against 85) and for holding its light when tipped (98 against 84).

Was DG-Rafaello designed for moissanite?

No, for diamond, where it returns 94 for brilliance. In moissanite it returns 84.

What does a 6.5 mm DG-Rafaello moissanite weigh?

Close to 0.86 ct; in diamond, 0.94 ct.

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.

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DG-Rafaello Moissanite: lively sparkle and light that holds when tipped