Rectangle Cut Moissanite: as much face for its weight as any cut we measure
Brilliance 50 · Fire 90 · Scintillation 63 · in our census, where the T73 scores 86 · 97 · 80 in moissanite
Square corners and wide steps: in moissanite the rectangle covers as much area for its weight as any cut we measure, with little more than half a round's light.
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Rectangle Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.
Rectangle Cut Moissanite
No cropped corners here: our rectangle keeps them square, with 45 facets on an outline 1.506 times as long as wide, a 33.48° pavilion and 62.0% depth. Side stones, bar settings and minimalist pieces are its usual home.
Moissanite changes its fire and its weight and little else. The same rectangle in diamond returns the same light, 50, and leaks a few points more, 32%.
Its four cons are all against the T73 in moissanite, and light is the largest of them.
Rectangle cut moissanite: pros, cons and the verdict
Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Rectangle 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 Rectangle 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: level on 2, behind on 6.
Global72, the comparison 91, difference −19
Brilliance50, the comparison 86, difference −36
Fire90, the comparison 97, difference −7
Scintillation63, the comparison 80, difference −17
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm66, the comparison 93, difference −27
Tilt86, the comparison 94, difference −8
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.
Face-up size 121 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (T73 = 100): 21% more face-up area for the same weight
Face-up size divides the outline's area by carat weight, measured from each model, the T73 at 100. The rectangle and the marquise share the top figure, 121; per carat, nothing we measure covers more.
Rectangle Cut · 7.87 x 5.23 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 121
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.
Fire 90 against 77 for the Rectangle Cut in diamond: 13 points higher
Light through the same steps scores 77 for fire in diamond and 90 in moissanite.
Rectangle Cut in moissanite · Fire 90
Rectangle Cut in diamond · Fire 77
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.
1.92 ct at 6.5 mm, against 2.10 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)
Moissanite's specific gravity is 3.22 to diamond's 3.52, so a rectangle cut to the same size comes in lighter, on top of the large face it already shows for its weight.
A Rectangle Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.
Brilliance 50 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 36 points lower
50 against 86. Its pavilion figure, 33.48°, is under the 39.5° guide minimum, but that guide is for rounds and we have not measured a steeper rectangle.
Rectangle Cut in moissanite · Brilliance 50
T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite · 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: Among long step cuts, the Emerald Cut returns 51, about the same. For the most light, a round such as DG-M5 Moissanite, at 98.
Leakage 29 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 22 points higher
29% of the light in our census escapes through the pavilion, against 7% for the T73; the diamond rectangle loses a little more, 32%.
Rectangle Cut in moissanite · Leakage 29
0° · 34% leak
10° · 36% leak
20° · 36% leak
30° · 39% leak
T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite · Leakage 7
0° · 10% leak
10° · 6% leak
20° · 10% leak
30° · 15% leak
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.
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 step plan sets this. The Emerald Cut keeps a long stepped outline and scores 72.
Tilt 86 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 8 points lower
Tipped by 20°, the rectangle holds 86 of its face-up light, the T73 94: a small gap, on a stone that starts with far less light.
Rectangle Cut in moissanite · Tilt 86
0° · 34% leak
10° · 36% leak
20° · 36% leak
30° · 39% leak
T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite · Tilt 94
0° · 10% leak
10° · 6% leak
20° · 10% leak
30° · 15% leak
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.
What helps: For tilt, a round that is also bright: DG-Rafaello Moissanite keeps 98 with Brilliance 84.
The rectangle suits side stones, bar settings and clean modern designs where a large face for the weight and colour matter more than brilliance. In moissanite it matches the diamond rectangle for light and beats it for fire.
For a long step cut with a little more light and less leakage, the Emerald Cut; for a bright stone, a round such as DG-Anteros Moissanite.
The rectangle's wide steps are where moissanite's double refraction could show as doubled back facets. Our renders use one refractive index, so we leave that unscored.
Rectangle Cut Moissanite: questions
Does rectangle cut moissanite look big for its weight?
As far as outline goes, yes: no cut we measure shows more face per carat. The figure is 121, shared with the marquise, against 100 for the T73.
Rectangle or emerald cut moissanite?
Close on light (50 against 51). The rectangle faces up larger for its weight (121 against 105) and has a fully regular pavilion; the emerald cut has more fire (95 against 90).
What does a 6.5 mm wide rectangle moissanite weigh?
1.92 ct by our model; in diamond the same rectangle comes to 2.10 ct.
Get the Rectangle Cut files
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Rectangle Cut 3D files
The Rectangle Cut as exact geometry: 45 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD,
rendering, printing and casting.
