Mazarin Cut Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Fire

Moissanite rescues the Mazarin's fire. In diamond this cut is dim and colourless next to a modern round; in moissanite the same 42 facets throw colour, because the stone's dispersion is more than twice diamond's.

The light it loses does not come back: the shallow 31.4° crown and steep 44.33° pavilion still let a share of it out through the pavilion.

We compare it twice. Against the same Mazarin in diamond, the stone is the only thing that changes, and moissanite wins on fire. Against the T73 in moissanite, the cut is the only thing that changes, and the Mazarin loses on light. That split is the honest summary of this page.

Is moissanite good in a Mazarin cut? Pros and cons

Pros

Much more fire than in diamond 88 vs 63
Lighter than the diamond version 1.21 vs 1.32 ct

Cons

Much less light than a modern round 61 vs 86
Fewer flashes 61 vs 80
More light leaks than in the T73 17 vs 7
A little smaller for its weight 96 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Mazarin 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 Mazarin 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
Brilliance61, the comparison 86, difference −25
Fire88, the comparison 97, difference −9
Scintillation61, the comparison 80, difference −19
Spread96, the comparison 100, difference −4
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm66, the comparison 93, difference −27
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 a Mazarin cut

Much more fire than in diamond

Fire 88 against 63 for the Mazarin Cut in diamond: 25 points higher

The largest fire gain on our moissanite pages. Under the same light, the moissanite render shows more and stronger flashes of colour than the diamond.

Mazarin cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 88) — 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.

Mazarin cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 63) — 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 the diamond version

1.21 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.32 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Moissanite's specific gravity is 3.22 against 3.52, so for the same face-up size there is less stone to carry.

A Mazarin 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 Mazarin Cut page

The catch with a Mazarin moissanite

Much less light than a modern round

Brilliance 61 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 25 points lower

Light that enters the table often meets a pavilion facet it can pass through. The face-up maps show the grey in the cushion's corners.

Mazarin cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 61) — 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: In moissanite, DG-Anteros returns 92. For a cushion, the Peruzzi Cut Moissanite returns 71.

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

Fewer flashes

Scintillation 61 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 19 points lower

42 facets against the T73's 73: a slower sparkle.

Mazarin Cut · 42 facets · Scintillation 61

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 Peruzzi Cut Moissanite keeps a cushion with 81 for scintillation.

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

More light leaks than in the T73

Leakage 17 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 10 points higher

17% of the light in our census leaves through the pavilion, against 7% for the T73 in moissanite.

Mazarin cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 25% 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.

Mazarin cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 24% 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: Size does not change the share. DG-Anteros leaks 3% in moissanite.

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

A little smaller for its weight

Spread 96 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 4 points lower

At 68.8% deep it is narrower for its carat weight than the T73.

Mazarin Cut · 6.10 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 96

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.68 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in moissanite and are drawn to the same scale, from each cut's own model. Spread is face-up size per carat: a deeper stone carries more weight below the girdle and looks smaller for its weight.

What helps: Compare by diameter rather than weight.

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

Who a Mazarin moissanite suits

A Mazarin in moissanite suits someone who wants the antique cushion and plenty of colour, and does not mind a softer face. It is the clearest case on this site of a stone fixing a cut's weakness: the fire that is missing in diamond is here.

For more light in a cushion, the Peruzzi Cut Moissanite; for the most light in moissanite, DG-Anteros Moissanite.

Mazarin Cut Moissanite: questions

Does a Mazarin cut look good in moissanite?

It shows far more fire than in diamond, 88 against 63, but less light than a modern round: Brilliance 61 against 86.

Mazarin or Peruzzi cut moissanite?

The Peruzzi returns more light (71 against 61) and more fire (94 against 88).

What does a 6.5 mm Mazarin moissanite weigh?

About 1.21 ct, against 1.32 ct for the same size in diamond.

Is a Mazarin moissanite good for a vintage ring?

If colour is what you want, yes: Fire 88. If the ring should look bright from across a room, the face-up light is the limit: 61 brilliance, with 17% leaking.

Get the Mazarin Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Mazarin Cut 3D files

The Mazarin Cut as exact geometry: 42 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

Mazarin Cut cutting files

The Mazarin Cut as a faceting design: 34 + 8 girdles = 42 facets, 96 index, 4-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 Mazarin Cut: specifications, model and files

Mazarin Cut Moissanite: 25 more points of fire than the same cut in diamond