T57 Round Brilliant Morganite: lighter than the same cut in diamond

Brilliance 79 · Fire 40 · Scintillation 72 · in our census, where the T73 scores 79 · 39 · 80 in morganite

How the T57 Round Brilliant handles light in morganite, measured: brilliance 79, fire 40 and 21% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond.

The T57 Round Brilliant in morganite, face-up Light Return map from our tracer at refractive index 1.572: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks
Light Return map of the T57 Round Brilliant in morganite, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.572. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks.

T57 Round Brilliant Morganite

Morganite has a refractive index of 1.572 to 1.600 and a dispersion of 0.014. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 39.5°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 39.5° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.586, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.012, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.572, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the T57 Round Brilliant in morganite live.

The T57 Round Brilliant has 57 facets and a total depth of 59.2% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 40.8°. In morganite, the census returns 79 of 100 for brilliance and 40 for fire, against 79 and 39 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same T57 Round Brilliant in diamond reads 92 and 79.

Is morganite good in a T57? Pros and cons, measured

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in morganite and with the T57 Round Brilliant 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 T57 Round Brilliant in morganite (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in morganite (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: T57 Round Brilliant in morganite, against the T73 Round Brilliant in morganite as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−1Brilliance0Fire+1Scintillation−8Spread+1Symmetry0Shape-norm0Tilt−1

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in morganite: ahead on 2, level on 3, behind on 3.

  • Global72, the comparison 73, difference −1
  • Brilliance79, the comparison 79, difference 0
  • Fire40, the comparison 39, difference +1
  • Scintillation72, the comparison 80, difference −8
  • Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm85, the comparison 85, difference 0
  • Tilt76, the comparison 77, 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; these are the same census figures as our Cut Performance Index.

What the T57 Round Brilliant gains in morganite

Lighter than the same cut in diamond

0.74 ct at 6.5 mm, against 0.92 ct for the same cut in diamond (−19%)

Weight follows specific gravity: 2.855 for morganite against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 0.74 ct here and 0.92 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it.

Morganite0.74 ctDiamond0.92 ct
A T57 Round Brilliant 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in every gemstone on the T57 Round Brilliant page

Faces up larger for its weight

Face-up size 107 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in morganite (T73 = 100): 7% more face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, measured from each model (T73 = 100): 107 for the T57 Round Brilliant against 100 for the T73. The same volume spread over a longer or shallower outline shows more face for the weight; it is the same in every stone, because specific gravity scales every cut alike.

T57 Round Brilliant · 7.17 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 107

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.94 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in morganite and are drawn to the same scale in millimeters, 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.

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

What the T57 Round Brilliant gives up in morganite

Less fire in morganite than in diamond

Fire 40 against 79 for the T57 Round Brilliant in diamond: 39 points lower

Fire is the share of the returned light that splits into color at the exit facet: the census traces each exit again at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread (0.012 in morganite) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The T57 Round Brilliant reads 40 against 79 for the same cut in diamond. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders morganite's fire live.

The fire figure is the census's, traced at the refractive index minus and plus the fire spread. See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator: the T57 Round Brilliant in morganite under the sunny-day lighting.

What helps: the Oval Cut reads 70 for fire in morganite, the best of the cuts we score there.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Leaks more in morganite than in diamond

Leakage 21 against 2 for the T57 Round Brilliant in diamond: 19 points higher

Leakage is the share of the census rays that enter the stone and leave through the pavilion, or through the crown heading down. The T57 Round Brilliant leaks 21% in morganite against 2% for the same cut in diamond. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

T57 Round Brilliant in morganite · Leakage 21

T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 11% of the face leaking0° · 11% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 36% of the face leaking10° · 36% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 35% of the face leaking20° · 35% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 38% of the face leaking30° · 38% leak

T57 Round Brilliant in diamond · Leakage 2

T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 4% of the face leaking0° · 4% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking10° · 2% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking20° · 10% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking30° · 16% leak
Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the DG-M5 reads 9% for leakage in morganite, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Loses more light when tilted than in diamond

Tilt 76 against 90 for the T57 Round Brilliant in diamond: 14 points lower

Tilt is how much of its face-up brilliance a stone keeps when the census tilts it 20° about its long axis, with 2,200 rays. The T57 Round Brilliant keeps 76 against 90 for the same cut in diamond. The tilt strips below show the maps at 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°, with each picture's own leak share under it.

T57 Round Brilliant in morganite · Tilt 76

T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 11% of the face leaking0° · 11% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 36% of the face leaking10° · 36% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 35% of the face leaking20° · 35% leak
T57 round brilliant in morganite tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 38% of the face leaking30° · 38% leak

T57 Round Brilliant in diamond · Tilt 90

T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 4% of the face leaking0° · 4% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 2% of the face leaking10° · 2% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking20° · 10% leak
T57 round brilliant in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking30° · 16% 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; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the Square Cut reads 85 for tilt in morganite, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Dimmer in morganite than in diamond

Brilliance 79 against 92 for the T57 Round Brilliant in diamond: 13 points lower

The same cut in diamond returns 92. Morganite bends light less than diamond: its critical angle is 39.5°, diamond's 24.4°, so a pavilion facet has to be steeper before light reflects off it rather than passing out. The T57 Round Brilliant's pavilion returns less of morganite's light than of diamond's, as the two maps show.

T57 round brilliant in morganite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 79)

T57 Round Brilliant in morganite · Brilliance 79

T57 round brilliant in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 92)

T57 Round Brilliant in diamond · Brilliance 92

Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; gray = leakage, light that leaves heading down or stays inside. 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 DG-M5 reads 91 for brilliance in morganite, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Our verdict on the T57 Round Brilliant in morganite

Pick the T57 Round Brilliant in morganite for this: it weighs less than in diamond and faces up larger for its weight. The catch: it shows less fire than in diamond, leaks more than in diamond, loses more light when tilted than in diamond and returns less light than in diamond.

If that catch matters more to you, the Oval Cut reads 70 for fire in morganite, the best of the cuts we score there.

Every figure on this page is from our light census, traced at one refractive index: a simulation of the geometry, not a grading report. The 3D files and cutting files below are the same T57 Round Brilliant model we traced.

T57 Round Brilliant Morganite: questions

Is the T57 a good cut for morganite?

In our census the T57 Round Brilliant returns 79 of 100 for brilliance and 40 for fire in morganite, against 79 and 39 for the T73 in the same stone. Against that round and against the same cut in diamond it has 2 pros and 4 cons by our thresholds; the summary above names them.

What pavilion angle does morganite need?

At least 39.5° for a round design: morganite's critical angle is 39.5°, from the low end of its refractive index range, and head-on light has to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. The T57 Round Brilliant's pavilion mains sit at 40.8°.

How much does a T57 weigh in morganite?

At 6.5 mm across, 0.74 ct in morganite, against 0.92 ct for the same cut in diamond (-19%): morganite's specific gravity is 2.855, diamond's 3.52.

Can I see the T57 in morganite in 3D?

Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with morganite's own refractive index and dispersion. Morganite is traced by the same light census as the other gemstones, with its refractive index and fire spread derived from published values, so its scores are on the same scale; the pictures here are our Light Return tracer, and the Cut Performance Wheel sets it against any other cut and stone.

Get the T57 Round Brilliant Cut files

6 formatsMillimetersWatertight

T57 Round Brilliant Cut 3D files

The T57 Round Brilliant Cut as exact geometry: 57 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 modeling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
GemCad96 index

T57 Round Brilliant Cut cutting files

The T57 Round Brilliant Cut as a faceting design: 57 facets, 96 index, 8-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

Save with a bundle: the T57 Round Brilliant Cut 3D and cutting files are also in Historic Cuts Complete, 6 cuts for €29.99 until 1 December, then €39.99 (€101.88 as single files). Buy the bundle.

Not sure the files open in your software? Get the cube free: the same six formats, for your email address, used only to send them (privacy).

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Morganite: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The T57 Round Brilliant: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in morganite

The T57 Round Brilliant in other gemstones