DG-Miliano Sapphire: Pros, Cons & Tilt

DG-Miliano was drawn for moissanite: eight stars, eight crown mains and sixteen upper girdle facets over a girdle of ninety-six, with a pavilion in three tiers of sixteen, steepest at the girdle and shallowest at the point. Our model has 177 facets and a pavilion figure of 38.3°.

That figure sits closer to sapphire's guide minimum of 36.4° than any other modern round we sell. Against the T73 in sapphire the design gains sparkle and keeps more light when tilted; against the same cut in diamond it loses fire, a little light and a share to leakage.

Does DG-Miliano suit sapphire? Pros and cons

Pros

Among the finest sparkle we measure in sapphire 98 vs 80
Keeps more light than the T73 when tipped 83 vs 75

Cons

Fire falls further than on almost any round 35 vs 82
Heavier than the diamond version 1.17 vs 1.03 ct
More leakage than in diamond 10 vs 3
A few points less light than in diamond 90 vs 95

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire and with the DG-Miliano 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 DG-Miliano in sapphire (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire (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 sapphire: ahead on 4, level on 1, behind on 3.

Global80, the comparison 79, difference +1
Brilliance90, the comparison 94, difference −4
Fire35, the comparison 37, difference −2
Scintillation98, the comparison 80, difference +18
Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm96, the comparison 102, difference −6
Tilt83, the comparison 75, difference +8

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

Where DG-Miliano helps a sapphire

Among the finest sparkle we measure in sapphire

Scintillation 98 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: 18 points higher

177 facets against 73: the girdle band and the three pavilion tiers both divide the face into smaller pieces. DG-Vitruvio ties it; nothing we sell in sapphire scores higher.

DG-Miliano · 177 facets · Scintillation 98

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

Keeps more light than the T73 when tipped

Tilt 83 against 75 for the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: 8 points higher

Tilted 20°, it holds 83 of its face-up light, the T73 in sapphire 75. Its brilliance is within a few points of the T73's, so this counts as a gain rather than a dim stone keeping a small amount.

Dg-miliano in sapphire tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 13% of the face leaking — 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.

Dg-miliano in sapphire tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking — 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.

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

Where DG-Miliano gives ground in sapphire

Fire falls further than on almost any round

Fire 35 against 82 for the DG-Miliano in diamond: 47 points lower

The diamond version scores 82, one of our higher fire figures for a round. In sapphire it drops to 35; only DG-Rafaello loses more in the move.

Dg-miliano in sapphire face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 35) — 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-miliano 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.

What helps: No round lifts sapphire's fire far; DG-Anteros manages 43. Elongated cuts score higher, the Oval Cut Sapphire at 74, with less light.

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

Heavier than the diamond version

1.17 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.03 ct for the same cut in diamond (+14%)

Corundum is the denser stone, so a 6.5 mm DG-Miliano is 1.17 ct here and 1.03 ct in diamond.

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

What helps: Nothing in the cut changes it: compare by width.

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

More leakage than in diamond

Leakage 10 against 3 for the DG-Miliano in diamond: 7 points higher

10% of the light in our census leaves through the pavilion; the diamond version loses 3%. A lower pavilion figure leaves less margin over sapphire's 34.6° critical angle.

What helps: DG-M5 Sapphire leaks 0% in sapphire and DG-Anteros Sapphire 3%, though both keep less light than DG-Miliano when tipped.

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

A few points less light than in diamond

Brilliance 90 against 95 for the DG-Miliano in diamond: 5 points lower

Brilliance 90 in sapphire, 95 in diamond, and 94 for the T73 in sapphire. A small gap, and perhaps the price of its steadiness at a tilt.

Dg-miliano in sapphire face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 90) — 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.

Dg-miliano in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 95) — 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: For the most light in this stone, DG-M5 Sapphire returns 100.

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

Who a DG-Miliano sapphire suits

DG-Miliano suits a sapphire that will be seen in motion, an earring or a pendant, where keeping light through a tilt is worth a few points face-up.

For a ring seen mostly from above, DG-M5 Sapphire returns more light and leaks none. For the same finely divided sparkle with the T73's face-up light, DG-Vitruvio Sapphire.

Cutters working colour-zoned rough may find its many small pavilion facets help blend bands of blue across the face.

DG-Miliano Sapphire: questions

Is DG-Miliano good for sapphire?

For sparkle and tilt, yes: Scintillation 98 and Tilt 83, against 80 and 75 for the T73. Its light is a little lower, 90.

DG-Miliano or DG-M5 for a sapphire?

DG-M5 returns more light (100 against 90) and leaks less; DG-Miliano sparkles more (98 against 85) and holds more light when tilted.

What does a 6.5 mm DG-Miliano sapphire weigh?

1.17 ct by the model's volume; the same stone in diamond is 1.03 ct.

Get the DG-Miliano Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

DG-Miliano Cut 3D files

The DG-Miliano Cut as exact geometry: 177 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

DG-Miliano Cut cutting files

The DG-Miliano Cut as a faceting design: 81 + 96 girdles = 177 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

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

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