Old European Cut Sapphire: brighter than any other antique cut we measure

Brilliance 78 · Fire 39 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 94 · 37 · 80 in sapphire

Of the old cuts, the one that suits sapphire best: most of a modern round's light, with some leaking once tilted.

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

Old European Cut Sapphire

In sapphire every antique cut we measure leaks more than a modern round. The Old European leaks least, and returns the most light: Brilliance 78, against 58 for the Mazarin, the next best.

Its small 45.0% table and 41.5° pavilion are the gentlest of the old cuts. The price is fire, which sapphire cannot give, and some light lost once the stone tilts.

Tilted, it keeps 87 of its face-up light, more than the T73 in sapphire (75). With brilliance 78 against 94 we do not count that as a pro, but it means the stone does not darken much as it moves.

Is sapphire good in an Old European cut? Pros and cons

Pros

None against our baselines, but it is the best antique cut we measure in sapphire.

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire and with the Old European 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 Old European Cut 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.

Performance wheel: Old European Cut in sapphire, against the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−5Brilliance−16Fire+2Scintillation+1Spread−2Symmetry0Shape-norm+20Tilt+12

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: ahead on 4, level on 1, behind on 3.

  • Global74, the comparison 79, difference −5
  • Brilliance78, the comparison 94, difference −16
  • Fire39, the comparison 37, difference +2
  • Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
  • Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm122, the comparison 102, difference +20
  • Tilt87, the comparison 75, difference +12
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 sapphire gains in an Old European cut

No score beats the T73 in sapphire or the same cut in diamond by our margins. Its fire, 39, is level with the T73's 37 in sapphire. Among the antique cuts, though, it is clearly the one for sapphire: Brilliance 78 and 22% leakage, against 50 and 49% for the Old Mine.

Where the Old European falls short in sapphire

Far less fire than in diamond

Fire 39 against 74 for the Old European Cut in diamond: 35 points lower

Sapphire's dispersion is 0.018 against diamond's 0.044: Fire 39 against 74 for the same cut in diamond. That is the stone, not the cut.

Old european cut in sapphire face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 39)

Old European Cut in sapphire · Fire 39

Old european cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 74)

Old European Cut in diamond · Fire 74

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 cut gives sapphire diamond's fire; our best in sapphire is the Oval Cut at 74.

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

Light leaks once it tilts

Leakage 22 against 5 for the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: 17 points higher

Our census puts it at 22%, the T73 at 5%. The strip shows the grey growing from 20° on.

Old European Cut in sapphire · Leakage 22

Old european cut in sapphire tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 25% of the face leaking0° · 25% leak
Old european cut in sapphire tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking10° · 16% leak
Old european cut in sapphire tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 34% of the face leaking20° · 34% leak
Old european cut in sapphire tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 37% of the face leaking30° · 37% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire · Leakage 5

T73 round brilliant in sapphire tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 1% of the face leaking0° · 1% leak
T73 round brilliant in sapphire tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking10° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in sapphire tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 29% of the face leaking20° · 29% leak
T73 round brilliant in sapphire tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking30° · 30% 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: Set it to be seen face-up. For less leakage, DG-Anteros leaks 3% in sapphire.

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

Less light than the T73 in sapphire

Brilliance 78 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: 16 points lower

The face-up map holds a blue centre and red star; grey takes the outer ring.

Old european cut in sapphire face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 78)

Old European Cut in sapphire · Brilliance 78

T73 round brilliant in sapphire face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 94)

T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire · 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 T73 Round Brilliant returns 94, DG-Anteros 97.

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

Heavier than diamond

1.24 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.09 ct for the same cut in diamond (+14%)

Corundum is denser than diamond, so the same width carries more weight.

Sapphire1.24 ctDiamond1.09 ct
A Old European Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

What helps: None in the cut; choose by millimetres.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Old European Cut page

Who an Old European sapphire suits

For an antique round sapphire, this is the cut we would choose. It suits a vintage ring where the stone's colour leads.

For the most light in a round sapphire, DG-Anteros or the T73 Round Brilliant.

It also shows more of a sapphire's face than any other antique cut here: less grey in its face-up map than the Mazarin, Peruzzi, Old Mine or Old Single.

Old European Cut Sapphire: questions

Is the Old European a good cut for sapphire?

The best antique cut we measure in sapphire: Brilliance 78 against 94 for the T73, with 22% leakage.

Does an Old European sapphire have fire?

Little: Fire 39, about the same as the T73 in sapphire (37). Sapphire disperses light weakly.

What does a 6.5 mm Old European sapphire weigh?

Roughly 1.24 ct; in diamond, 1.09 ct.

Old European sapphire or DG-Anteros sapphire?

DG-Anteros returns more light (97 against 78) and leaks less (3% against 22%); the Old European has the antique look.

Get the Old European Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Old European Cut 3D files

The Old European Cut as exact geometry: 74 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

Old European Cut cutting files

The Old European Cut as a faceting design: 58 + 16 girdles = 74 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.

More gemstones and cuts

Sapphire: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Old European Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in sapphire

The Old European Cut in other gemstones