Marquise Cut Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Light

Our marquise, or navette, is a long brilliant with a point at each end. The model has 87 facets, a length-to-width ratio of 2.059, a 31.41° pavilion and a depth of 62.0%.

The site's cut copy credits it with the largest face-up area for its weight of any classic shape. In our census its spread is level with the T73, 100 against 100, so it is not a pro here.

In moissanite its pros are modest: less weight than diamond, a little more sparkle than the T73, a little more fire and tilt than the diamond marquise. Its cons are large: much less light than a round, and far more leakage.

Is moissanite a good marquise stone? Pros and cons

Pros

Lighter than a diamond marquise 1.91 vs 2.09 ct
A little more sparkle than the T73 86 vs 80
A little more fire than in diamond 94 vs 89
Holds its light a little better than in diamond 91 vs 87

Cons

Much less light than a round 59 vs 86
Far more leakage than a round 19 vs 7
A slightly less regular pavilion 94 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Marquise Cut 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 Marquise 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 1, behind on 6.

Global79, the comparison 91, difference −12
Brilliance59, the comparison 86, difference −27
Fire94, the comparison 97, difference −3
Scintillation86, the comparison 80, difference +6
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry94, the comparison 100, difference −6
Shape-norm68, the comparison 93, difference −25
Tilt91, the comparison 94, difference −3

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 a marquise cut

Lighter than a diamond marquise

1.91 ct at 6.5 mm, against 2.09 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

A marquise 6.5 mm wide is a long stone, and so a big one in carats. Moissanite, being less dense, brings that figure down against the same outline in diamond.

A Marquise 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 Marquise Cut page

A little more sparkle than the T73

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

87 facets against the T73's 73, and our scintillation score follows the count.

Marquise Cut · 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

A little more fire than in diamond

Fire 94 against 89 for the Marquise Cut in diamond: 5 points higher

The gain is smaller than on most of our moissanite pages, because the marquise already scores 89 in diamond. Moissanite's higher dispersion takes it to 94.

Marquise cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 94) — 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.

Marquise cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 89) — 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

Holds its light a little better than in diamond

Tilt 91 against 87 for the Marquise Cut in diamond: 4 points higher

Tipped by 20°, the moissanite marquise keeps 91 of its face-up light against 87 for the diamond. Its brilliance is within a few points of the diamond's, 59 against 64, so we count it.

Marquise cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 21% 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.

Marquise cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 23% 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 marquise moissanite

Much less light than a round

Brilliance 59 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 27 points lower

59 against 86 for the T73. Even so, it is the brightest elongated cut we measure in moissanite: the Pear returns 49 and the Oval 38.

Marquise cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 59) — 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: No elongated cut we sell returns more in moissanite. Giving up the long outline is the only route to more light; DG-M5 Moissanite reaches 98.

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

Far more leakage than a round

Leakage 19 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 12 points higher

Almost a fifth of the light, 19%, escapes the marquise through its pavilion; the T73 loses 7%. Its 31.41° pavilion figure is far under the 39.5° guide minimum, but that guide is drawn for rounds, and we have no measurement of a steeper marquise.

What helps: Among long outlines nothing we sell leaks less in moissanite; the Pear Cut Moissanite loses 22%. A round such as DG-Anteros leaks 3%.

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

A slightly less regular pavilion

Symmetry 94 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 6 points lower

Symmetry 94: the marquise's pavilion facets vary a little more in size along its length than a round's do around its circle.

Marquise Cut · 87 facets · Symmetry 94

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.

What helps: The Oval Cut Moissanite scores 98 for symmetry, but returns far less light, 38.

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

Who a marquise moissanite suits

The marquise suits a ring where length on the finger matters more than brightness. Among elongated cuts in moissanite it is the brightest and least leaky we measure.

Many elongated brilliants show a dark bowtie across the middle; we have no bowtie metric, so we cannot say how much this one shows.

If brightness comes first, choose a round such as DG-M5 Moissanite. The points need protection in a setting, usually V-prongs.

Marquise Cut Moissanite: questions

Is moissanite good in a marquise cut?

It is the brightest elongated cut we measure in moissanite, 59, but well behind a round at 86.

Does a marquise moissanite have a bowtie?

We have no bowtie measure, so we cannot score it. Our census puts its leakage at 19%.

What does a 6.5 mm wide marquise moissanite weigh?

1.91 ct, against 2.09 ct in diamond; at a ratio of 2.059 it is a long stone.

Get the Marquise Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Marquise Cut 3D files

The Marquise 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

Marquise Cut cutting files

The Marquise 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 Marquise Cut: specifications, model and files

Marquise Cut Moissanite: lighter in weight than diamond, with lively sparkle