DG-Bowtie Ruby: Pros, Cons & Light Return

DG-Bowtie keeps the original geometry of our first marquise, which we later remodelled as the Marquise. Ours has 87 facets at a length-to-width ratio of 2.059, a 42.0° pavilion and a total depth of 93.8%.

We keep it for study next to the remodelled Marquise, and for renders where a bow-tie is wanted. We have no bow-tie metric, so this page puts no number on the dark band; the scores below are the census's.

In ruby the remodelled Marquise returns 55 for brilliance to this cut's 18, and faces up far larger per carat, 121 against 92.

Is DG-Bowtie any good in ruby? Pros and cons

Pros

A little more sparkle than a round 86 vs 80

Cons

The least light of any cut we measure in ruby 18 vs 94
More than half the light leaks 55 vs 5
Less fire than in diamond 57 vs 82
Heavy for its face 3.59 vs 3.16 ct

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby and with the DG-Bowtie 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 DG-Bowtie in ruby (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby (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 ruby: ahead on 3, behind on 5.

Global55, the comparison 79, difference −24
Brilliance18, the comparison 94, difference −76
Fire57, the comparison 37, difference +20
Scintillation86, the comparison 80, difference +6
Spread87, the comparison 100, difference −13
Symmetry94, the comparison 100, difference −6
Shape-norm21, the comparison 102, difference −81
Tilt92, the comparison 75, difference +17

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 ruby gains in DG-Bowtie

A little more sparkle than a round

Scintillation 86 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: 6 points higher

87 facets on a long outline give the census a busy pattern, level with the remodelled Marquise at 86.

DG-Bowtie · 87 facets · Scintillation 86

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.

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

DG-Bowtie's costs in ruby

The least light of any cut we measure in ruby

Brilliance 18 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: 76 points lower

A pavilion this deep sends much of the light past the eye and out of the back. The diamond version is dim too, 27; the ruby returns less still, 18.

Dg-bowtie in ruby face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 18) — 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 ruby face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 94) — 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 remodelled Marquise Cut Ruby returns 55 on the same length-to-width ratio; for the most light in ruby, DG-M5 Ruby returns 100. We have not measured a steeper DG-Bowtie; its 42.0° pavilion is already above the guide minimum.

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

More than half the light leaks

Leakage 55 against 5 for the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: 50 points higher

55% of the light leaves through the pavilion in our census; the T73 in ruby loses 5%, the remodelled Marquise 39%.

Dg-bowtie in ruby tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 51% 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.

Dg-bowtie in ruby tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 56% 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: A smaller stone leaks the same share. The Marquise Cut Ruby lets out 39%.

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

Less fire than in diamond

Fire 57 against 82 for the DG-Bowtie in diamond: 25 points lower

Ruby shows 57 here, more than a round ruby but well below the diamond DG-Bowtie's 82.

Dg-bowtie in ruby face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 57) — 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.

Dg-bowtie in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 82) — 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

Heavy for its face

3.59 ct at 6.5 mm, against 3.16 ct for the same cut in diamond (+14%)

Corundum is the denser stone, 4.00 against 3.52, so a DG-Bowtie 6.5 mm wide weighs 3.59 ct in ruby against 3.16 ct in diamond. It also shows less face per carat than the Marquise, 92 against 121, and is cut far deeper, 93.8%.

A DG-Bowtie 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

What helps: Choose by millimetres, or choose the Marquise Cut Ruby, whose Face-up size is 121 against this cut's 92.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the DG-Bowtie page

Who DG-Bowtie in ruby suits

DG-Bowtie is a cut to study, and to render when the bow-tie itself is the subject. As a ruby to wear, it is the weakest we measure for light.

For a marquise ruby, choose the remodelled Marquise Cut Ruby: more light, less leakage and more face per carat. For the most light, DG-M5 Ruby.

DG-Bowtie Ruby: questions

Does DG-Bowtie show a bow-tie in ruby?

We do not score bow-ties, so we put no number on it. The design keeps the original marquise geometry, bow-tie and all.

DG-Bowtie or Marquise for a ruby?

Choose the Marquise. It returns 55 for brilliance to this cut's 18, leaks 39% rather than 55%, and faces up at 121 per carat against 92. Scintillation is level.

Why is DG-Bowtie so dark in ruby?

In our census 55% of its light leaves through the pavilion. The deep build, 93.8% of the width, is the likely cause.

What does a 6.5 mm wide DG-Bowtie ruby weigh?

3.59 ct by the model, against 3.16 ct in diamond.

Get the DG-Bowtie Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

DG-Bowtie Cut 3D files

The DG-Bowtie Cut as exact geometry: 87 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

GemCad64 index

DG-Bowtie Cut cutting files

The DG-Bowtie Cut as a faceting design: 67 + 20 girdles = 87 facets, 64 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 64 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

Ruby: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The DG-Bowtie: specifications, model and files

DG-Bowtie Ruby: a little more sparkle than a round, and very little light