Trillion Cut Moissanite: a wide face for its weight, and lighter in the hand than diamond

Brilliance 60 · Fire 93 · Scintillation 80 · in our census, where the T73 scores 86 · 97 · 80 in moissanite

A three-sided brilliant with gently bowed sides: in moissanite it shows a wide face for its weight, with much less light than a round.

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

Trillion Cut Moissanite

The trillion's sides bow gently outward, rounder than the straight-sided trilliant. Our model is shallow, 50.7% deep, with a 56.6% table, a 36.0° crown, a 31.91° pavilion and 73 facets.

That shallow build is where its pros come from: a wide face for the weight, in a material lighter than diamond. The cost is light: Brilliance 60 against 86 for the T73.

Fire is not where it struggles: 93, a few points under the T73's 97 and well above the diamond trillion. Its pavilion is fully regular too, Symmetry 100, which the straight-sided trilliant cannot claim. The weak point is light, and the census is plain about it.

Trillion cut moissanite: good or not? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Trillion 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 Trillion 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: Trillion 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−10Brilliance−26Fire−4Scintillation0Spread+7Symmetry0Shape-norm−24Tilt−2

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: ahead on 1, level on 2, behind on 5.

  • Global81, the comparison 91, difference −10
  • Brilliance60, the comparison 86, difference −26
  • Fire93, the comparison 97, difference −4
  • Scintillation80, the comparison 80, difference 0
  • Spread107, the comparison 100, difference +7
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm69, the comparison 93, difference −24
  • Tilt92, the comparison 94, difference −2
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 trillion cut

Lighter than a diamond trillion

0.73 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.80 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Moissanite's specific gravity, 3.22, is below diamond's 3.52, and this shallow cut is light for its width to begin with.

Moissanite0.73 ctDiamond0.80 ct
A Trillion 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 Trillion Cut page

A wide face for its weight

Spread 107 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 7 points higher

Spread sets face-up area against weight. At 50.7% deep the trillion holds little weight below the girdle, so a stone of a given carat weight shows a larger outline than the T73.

Trillion Cut · 7.22 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 107

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.

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

More fire than in diamond

Fire 93 against 87 for the Trillion Cut in diamond: 6 points higher

The diamond trillion scores 87; moissanite, with more than twice the dispersion, scores 93.

Trillion cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 93)

Trillion Cut in moissanite · Fire 93

Trillion cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 87)

Trillion Cut in diamond · Fire 87

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

The catch with a trillion moissanite

Much less light than a round

Brilliance 60 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 26 points lower

60 against 86. Its pavilion, at 31.91°, sits well under the 39.5° guide minimum drawn for round designs; for a triangle that guide does not apply directly, and we have not measured a steeper trillion.

Trillion cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 60)

Trillion Cut in moissanite · Brilliance 60

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 straight-sided Trilliant Cut Moissanite returns 71 in moissanite, the most of our three-sided cuts, though its pavilion is less regular. For the most light, DG-M5 Moissanite.

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

More leakage than a round

Leakage 12 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 5 points higher

Our census loses 12% of the light through the trillion's pavilion, against 7% for the T73.

Trillion Cut in moissanite · Leakage 12

Trillion cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 19% of the face leaking0° · 19% leak
Trillion cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 19% of the face leaking10° · 19% leak
Trillion cut in moissanite tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 23% of the face leaking20° · 23% leak
Trillion cut in moissanite tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 29% of the face leaking30° · 29% 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 is the same at any size; the trilliant leaks 11%, barely less. For a real drop, a round: DG-Anteros Moissanite at 3%.

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

Who a trillion moissanite suits

The trillion suits a solitaire or side stones where a big outline for the carat weight matters and colour is welcome. Its spread, 107, is the widest face per carat among our three-sided cuts in moissanite.

For more light in a triangle, the Trilliant Cut Moissanite; for the most light overall, a round such as DG-M5 Moissanite.

Trillion Cut Moissanite: questions

Does trillion cut moissanite look big for its weight?

In our census its spread is 107, against 100 for the T73: more face-up area per carat. A 6.5 mm stone weighs 0.73 ct.

Is trillion cut moissanite bright?

Not by a round's standard. It returns 60 for brilliance where the T73 returns 86, and leaks 12% of its light.

Trillion or trilliant moissanite?

The trillion is wider for its weight and has a regular pavilion; the trilliant returns more light, 71 against 60.

Does trillion cut moissanite have fire?

Plenty: 93, against 87 for a diamond trillion and 97 for the T73 in moissanite.

Get the Trillion Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Trillion Cut 3D files

The Trillion Cut as exact geometry: 73 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
GemCad120 index

Trillion Cut cutting files

The Trillion Cut as a faceting design: 61 + 12 girdles = 73 facets, 120 index, 3-fold symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 120 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 Trillion Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in moissanite

The Trillion Cut in other gemstones