Triangle Cut Moissanite: strong fire in a simple three-sided plan

Brilliance 52 · Fire 96 · Scintillation 34 · in our census, where the T73 scores 86 · 97 · 80 in moissanite

Two crown tiers over three pavilion tiers, and nothing spare: in moissanite the triangle scores high for fire, and has the fewest flashes of any cut we measure.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The Triangle Cut in moissanite, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Triangle Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

Triangle Cut Moissanite

Ours is an equilateral triangle of just 19 facets: a 60.0% table, a 35.3° crown, a 41.76° pavilion, 55.4% deep overall. So few facets make it a fair first project at the faceting machine.

In moissanite the census puts its fire close to the T73's: 96 against 97. What it lacks is sparkle and size, with the lowest scintillation and the smallest face for its weight of every cut we measure.

Among the three-sided cuts in moissanite it also returns the least light: 52, against 71 for the Trilliant and 60 for the Trillion.

Triangle cut moissanite: a good pairing? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

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

Performance wheel: Triangle Cut in moissanite, against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−18Brilliance−34Fire−1Scintillation−46Spread+4Symmetry0Shape-norm−24Tilt−1

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: ahead on 1, level on 1, behind on 6.

  • Global73, the comparison 91, difference −18
  • Brilliance52, the comparison 86, difference −34
  • Fire96, the comparison 97, difference −1
  • Scintillation34, the comparison 80, difference −46
  • Spread104, the comparison 100, difference +4
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm69, the comparison 93, difference −24
  • Tilt93, the comparison 94, difference −1
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 triangle cut

More fire than a diamond triangle

Fire 96 against 86 for the Triangle Cut in diamond: 10 points higher

Cut the same way in both stones, the triangle scores 86 for fire in diamond and 96 in moissanite. The material is the only change.

Triangle cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 96)

Triangle Cut in moissanite · Fire 96

Triangle cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 86)

Triangle Cut in diamond · Fire 86

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

0.72 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.79 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

A triangle 6.5 mm wide is a small stone in carats, and moissanite, at 3.22 against 3.52, makes it smaller still.

Moissanite0.72 ctDiamond0.79 ct
A Triangle 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 Triangle Cut page

The catch with a triangle moissanite

The fewest flashes we measure

Scintillation 34 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 46 points lower

Being read from the facets alone, that score is the same in every gemstone. With 19 facets against the T73's 73, the triangle scores 34, the lowest of every cut we measure.

Triangle Cut · 19 facets · Scintillation 34

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: This is the facet plan. Among three-sided cuts, the Trillion scores 80 and the Trilliant 79.

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

Less light than a round

Brilliance 52 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 34 points lower

52 against 86. The 41.76° pavilion is above moissanite's 39.5° guide minimum; we have not measured other angles.

Triangle cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 52)

Triangle Cut in moissanite · Brilliance 52

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)

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: The Trilliant is the brightest three-sided cut we measure in moissanite, at 71; for the most light, DG-M5 Moissanite.

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

A fifth of the light leaks

Leakage 20 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 13 points higher

Through the pavilion goes 20% of the light in our census, against 7% for the T73; the diamond triangle loses more, 25%.

Triangle Cut in moissanite · Leakage 20

Triangle cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 28% of the face leaking0° · 28% leak
Triangle cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking10° · 30% leak
Triangle cut in moissanite tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 32% of the face leaking20° · 32% leak
Triangle cut in moissanite tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 35% of the face leaking30° · 35% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite · Leakage 7

T73 round brilliant in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking0° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 6% of the face leaking10° · 6% leak
T73 round brilliant in moissanite tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking20° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in moissanite tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 15% of the face leaking30° · 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.

What helps: The share holds at any size. The Trilliant leaks 11% and the Trillion 12%.

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

The smallest face for its weight we measure

Face-up size 89 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (T73 = 100): 11% less face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size, from each model, is the outline's area for every carat, the T73 marking 100. At 89, a triangle of a given weight covers less area than any other cut we measure; the Trillion covers 100.

Triangle Cut · 8.36 x 7.24 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 89

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: Buy by millimetres rather than carats: a triangle 6.5 mm wide weighs 0.72 ct in moissanite. For more face per carat on three sides, the Trillion reaches 100.

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

Who a triangle moissanite suits

The triangle suits a cutter's first moissanite, accent stones and geometric designs where bold flashes of colour are wanted and fine sparkle is not.

For more light and sparkle on three sides, the Trilliant; for more face per carat, the Trillion. Its points need protecting in a setting.

Triangle Cut Moissanite: questions

Is triangle cut moissanite sparkly?

It is fiery rather than sparkly: Fire 96, but Scintillation 34 against 80 for the T73, the lowest we measure.

Triangle or trilliant cut moissanite?

The trilliant returns more light (71 against 52), sparkles far more (79 against 34) and leaks less; the triangle has the more regular pavilion (100 against 62).

How many facets does a triangle cut have?

Our design has 19: two crown tiers and three pavilion tiers on a three-sided outline.

What does a 6.5 mm triangle moissanite weigh?

About 0.72 ct, measured across the width; a diamond triangle that wide is 0.79 ct.

Get the Triangle Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Triangle Cut 3D files

The Triangle Cut as exact geometry: 19 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

Triangle Cut cutting files

The Triangle Cut as a faceting design: 16 + 3 girdles = 19 facets, 96 index, 3-fold 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 Triangle Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in moissanite

The Triangle Cut in other gemstones