Pear Cut Synthetic rutile: faces up larger for its weight

Brilliance 46 · Fire 92 · Scintillation 76 · in our census, where the T73 scores 81 · 94 · 80 in synthetic rutile

How the Pear Cut handles light in synthetic rutile, measured: brilliance 46, fire 92 and 22% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond.

The Pear Cut in synthetic rutile, face-up Light Return map from our tracer at refractive index 2.616: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks
Light Return map of the Pear Cut in synthetic rutile, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 2.616. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks.

Pear Cut Synthetic rutile

Synthetic rutile has a refractive index of 2.616 to 2.903 and a dispersion of 0.330. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 22.5°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 39.4° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 2.760, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.284, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 2.616, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the Pear Cut in synthetic rutile live. Synthetic rutile is strongly doubly refractive (birefringence 0.287): its two rays have critical angles of 22.5° and 20.1°. Our census traces one index, so every figure for it is a rough approximation.

The Pear Cut has 64 facets and a total depth of 60.0% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 34.9°. In synthetic rutile, the census returns 46 of 100 for brilliance and 92 for fire, against 81 and 94 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Pear Cut in diamond reads 53 and 84.

Is synthetic rutile good in a Pear? Pros and cons, measured

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

Performance wheel: Pear Cut in synthetic rutile, against the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−16Brilliance−35Fire−2Scintillation−4Spread+1Symmetry−15Shape-norm−33Tilt−6

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile: ahead on 1, behind on 7.

  • Global72, the comparison 88, difference −16
  • Brilliance46, the comparison 81, difference −35
  • Fire92, the comparison 94, difference −2
  • Scintillation76, the comparison 80, difference −4
  • Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
  • Symmetry85, the comparison 100, difference −15
  • Shape-norm54, the comparison 87, difference −33
  • Tilt88, the comparison 94, difference −6
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 Pear Cut gains in synthetic rutile

Faces up larger for its weight

Face-up size 115 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile (T73 = 100): 15% more face-up area for the same weight

Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, measured from each model (T73 = 100): 115 for the Pear Cut 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.

Pear Cut · 8.25 x 5.49 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 115

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.08 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in synthetic rutile 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 synthetic rutile in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

More fire in synthetic rutile than in diamond

Fire 92 against 84 for the Pear Cut in diamond: 8 points higher

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 (0.284 in synthetic rutile) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The Pear Cut reads 92 against 84 for the same cut in diamond. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders synthetic rutile'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 Pear Cut in synthetic rutile under the sunny-day lighting.

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

What the Pear Cut gives up in synthetic rutile

Returns less light than the T73 in synthetic rutile

Brilliance 46 against 81 for the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile: 35 points lower

Brilliance is the share of the 3,200 census rays that enter the stone and come back out of the crown towards the viewer. In synthetic rutile, whose critical angle is 22.5°, the Pear Cut returns 46 of 100 and the T73 81. The Pear Cut's pavilion mains sit at 34.9°, the T73's at 40.8°. The maps below show where each stone's light returns from and where it leaks.

Pear cut in synthetic rutile face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 46)

Pear Cut in synthetic rutile · Brilliance 46

T73 round brilliant in synthetic rutile face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 81)

T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile · Brilliance 81

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 97 for brilliance in synthetic rutile, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Heavier than the same cut in diamond

1.65 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.37 ct for the same cut in diamond (+21%)

Weight follows specific gravity: 4.26 for synthetic rutile against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 1.65 ct here and 1.37 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it.

Synthetic rutile1.65 ctDiamond1.37 ct
A Pear Cut 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 Pear Cut page

A less regular pavilion than the T73

Symmetry 85 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile: 15 points lower

Symmetry reads how evenly the pavilion facets of each design family are cut: 100 − 6 × their scatter in degrees. The Pear Cut reads 85, the T73 100. It depends on the geometry alone, so it is the same in every stone.

Pear Cut · 64 facets · Symmetry 85

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Symmetry 100

Symmetry scores how regular the pavilion facets are within the design. Compare how evenly the facets repeat around each pavilion. Drawn from each cut's own model.

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

Leaks more light than the T73 in synthetic rutile

Leakage 22 against 10 for the T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile: 12 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 Pear Cut leaks 22% in synthetic rutile against 10% for the T73 in synthetic rutile. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

Pear Cut in synthetic rutile · Leakage 22

Pear cut in synthetic rutile tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 27% of the face leaking0° · 27% leak
Pear cut in synthetic rutile tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking10° · 30% leak
Pear cut in synthetic rutile tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 34% of the face leaking20° · 34% leak
Pear cut in synthetic rutile tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking30° · 33% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in synthetic rutile · Leakage 10

T73 round brilliant in synthetic rutile tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking0° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in synthetic rutile tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 6% of the face leaking10° · 6% leak
T73 round brilliant in synthetic rutile tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking20° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in synthetic rutile 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; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the DG-M5 reads 2% for leakage in synthetic rutile, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Our verdict on the Pear Cut in synthetic rutile

Pick the Pear Cut in synthetic rutile for this: it faces up larger for its weight and shows more fire than in diamond. The catch: it returns less light than the T73, weighs more than in diamond, has a less regular pavilion than the T73 and leaks more light than the T73.

If that catch matters more to you, the DG-M5 reads 97 for brilliance in synthetic rutile, 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 Pear Cut model we traced.

Pear Cut Synthetic rutile: questions

Is the Pear a good cut for synthetic rutile?

In our census the Pear Cut returns 46 of 100 for brilliance and 92 for fire in synthetic rutile, against 81 and 94 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 synthetic rutile need?

At least 39.4° for a round design: synthetic rutile's critical angle is 22.5°, 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 Pear Cut's pavilion mains sit at 34.9°.

How much does a Pear weigh in synthetic rutile?

At 6.5 mm across, 1.65 ct in synthetic rutile, against 1.37 ct for the same cut in diamond (+21%): synthetic rutile's specific gravity is 4.26, diamond's 3.52.

Can I see the Pear in synthetic rutile in 3D?

Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with synthetic rutile's own refractive index and dispersion. Synthetic rutile 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 Pear Cut files

6 formatsMillimetersWatertight

Pear Cut 3D files

The Pear Cut as exact geometry: 64 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
GemCad64 index

Pear Cut cutting files

The Pear Cut as a faceting design: 50 + 14 girdles = 64 facets, 64 index, 1-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 64 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

Save with a bundle: the Pear Cut 3D files are also in Jewelry Essentials 3D, 10 cuts for €29.99 until 1 December, then €39.99 (€99.90 as single files). Buy the bundle.

Save with a bundle: the Pear Cut cutting files are also in Faceter's Classics, 10 cuts for €22.49 until 1 December, then €29.99 (€69.90 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

Synthetic rutile: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Pear Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in synthetic rutile

The Pear Cut in other gemstones