Hexagon Cut Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Fire

Ours puts a step-cut crown over a tiered pavilion on six equal sides: 37 facets in all, the pavilion at 29.26°, the depth 61.0%. Hexagons sit edge to edge without gaps, which is why they suit clusters and bands.

Fire is its strength in moissanite: 97, the same as the T73, and only four cuts we measure in moissanite score higher.

The rest of the page is the catch: about two thirds of the round's light, far fewer flashes, more leakage, and a slightly smaller face for its weight.

Hexagon cut moissanite: worth it? Pros and cons

Pros

Far more fire than a diamond hexagon 97 vs 85
Lighter than in diamond 1.18 vs 1.29 ct

Cons

Less light than a round 57 vs 86
Fewer flashes than a round 56 vs 80
Over a quarter of the light leaks 26 vs 7
Slightly smaller for its weight 96 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Hexagon 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.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Hexagon Cut 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 1, level on 3, behind on 4.

Global78, the comparison 91, difference −13
Brilliance57, the comparison 86, difference −29
Fire97, the comparison 97, difference 0
Scintillation56, the comparison 80, difference −24
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm75, the comparison 93, difference −18
Tilt100, the comparison 94, difference +6

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 a hexagon cut

Far more fire than a diamond hexagon

Fire 97 against 85 for the Hexagon Cut in diamond: 12 points higher

Through the hexagon's facets diamond reaches 85 and moissanite 97. The difference is the material, whose refractive index and dispersion both differ from diamond's.

Hexagon cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 97) — 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.

Hexagon cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 85) — 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

1.18 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.29 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

With the same six-sided outline and depth, moissanite's specific gravity of 3.22, against diamond's 3.52, gives the lower carat weight.

A Hexagon Cut 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 Hexagon Cut page

The catch with a hexagon moissanite

Less light than a round

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

57 against 86, almost the same as the diamond hexagon's 58. Its 29.26° pavilion figure is well below the 39.5° guide minimum for rounds, and we have no measurement of a steeper hexagon.

Hexagon cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 57) — 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: For more light on a cornered outline, the Square returns 82; for the most light, DG-M5 Moissanite at 98.

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

Fewer flashes than a round

Scintillation 56 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 24 points lower

With 37 facets to the T73's 73, the hexagon scores 56 for scintillation where the round scores 80. It comes from the facet pattern, so a hexagon scores the same for scintillation in any stone.

Hexagon Cut · 37 facets · Scintillation 56

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.

What helps: The facet plan sets this. On a stepped, many-sided outline the Octagon scores 66; the Cushion scores 85.

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

Over a quarter of the light leaks

Leakage 26 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 19 points higher

26% of the light in our census leaves through the pavilion; the T73 loses 7%, the diamond hexagon 24%.

Hexagon cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 30% 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.

Hexagon cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% 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 hexagon would lose the same share. The Square leaks 11%, DG-Anteros Moissanite 3%.

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

Slightly smaller for its weight

Face-up size 96 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (T73 = 100): 4% less face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size is the outline area a model shows per carat, set against the T73 at 100. A hexagon of the same carat weight covers 96: a small gap, but just large enough for us to list it as a con.

Hexagon Cut · 7.10 x 6.15 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 96

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: Compare stones by millimetres: a hexagon 6.5 mm wide weighs 1.18 ct in moissanite.

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

Who a hexagon moissanite suits

The hexagon suits clusters, bands and geometric designs where a clean six-sided outline and strong colour matter more than brilliance. In moissanite its fire is as high as the round's.

For a brighter stone, a round such as DG-Anteros Moissanite. For a long six-sided stone, DG-Elongated Hexagon Moissanite faces up larger for its weight, 107, but returns far less light, 20.

Its stepped crown has broad facets, where moissanite's double refraction can show as doubled edges; our renders do not model it.

Hexagon Cut Moissanite: questions

Does hexagon cut moissanite have a lot of fire?

Yes: 97, level with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and well above 85 for a diamond hexagon.

Is hexagon cut moissanite bright?

It returns about two thirds of a round's light, Brilliance 57 against 86, and 26% of its light leaks.

What does a 6.5 mm hexagon moissanite weigh?

1.18 ct in moissanite; cut from diamond to the same size, 1.29 ct.

Get the Hexagon Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Hexagon Cut 3D files

The Hexagon Cut as exact geometry: 37 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

Hexagon Cut cutting files

The Hexagon Cut as a faceting design: 31 + 6 girdles = 37 facets, 96 index, 6-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 Hexagon Cut: specifications, model and files

Hexagon Cut Moissanite: fire level with the modern round, far above the diamond hexagon