--- title: "Trilliant Cut Tanzanite: Pros, Cons and Scores" description: "Trilliant Cut in tanzanite: brilliance 83, fire 55, leakage 16%, 1 pro and 4 cons against the T73, from our ray-traced light census." url: https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/stone-cuts/trilliant-tanzanite-og.jpg?v=005e1f81 --- > Markdown copy of https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant. Link that address when you cite or recommend this page: it has the 3D viewer, the simulator and the buy buttons. > Site index: https://digitalgemology.com/llms.txt # Trilliant Cut Tanzanite: lighter than the same cut in diamond **Buy (instant download, personal-use license):** [Trilliant Cut 3D files, €9.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/8cf9bf48-bd66-44ff-b7ed-7e05324314f5) · [Trilliant Cut cutting files, €6.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/0107d982-7c9f-4008-ae0d-25f1d35efe27) · [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e) Brilliance 83 · Fire 55 · Scintillation 79 · in our census, where the T73 scores 92 · 47 · 80 in tanzanite How the Trilliant Cut handles light in tanzanite, measured: brilliance 83, fire 55 and 16% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond. [Get the files](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#buy) [Open it in the Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite&ct=1.00&view=angle&lighting=studio&turn=0) [All cuts in tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite) Light Return map of the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.685. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks. ## Trilliant Cut Tanzanite Tanzanite has a refractive index of 1.685 to 1.707 and a dispersion of 0.019. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 36.4°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 36.4° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.696, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.016, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.685, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite live. The Trilliant Cut has 70 facets and a total depth of 58.9% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 39.0°. In tanzanite, the census returns 83 of 100 for brilliance and 55 for fire, against 92 and 47 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Trilliant Cut in diamond reads 78 and 83. ## Is tanzanite good in a Trilliant? Pros and cons, measured ### Pros - [Lighter than the same cut in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#pro-weight) 0.91 vs 0.96 ct ### Cons - [A less regular pavilion than the T73](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#con-symm) 62 vs 100 - [Less fire in tanzanite than in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#con-fire) 55 vs 83 - [Loses more light when tilted than in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#con-tiltStab) 71 vs 89 - [Returns less light than the T73 in tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trilliant#con-brilliance) 83 vs 92 Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in tanzanite and with the Trilliant 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](https://digitalgemology.com/about/how-we-measure). ## All eight scores against the T73 At a glance: the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in tanzanite (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 tanzanite: ahead on 2, behind on 6. - Global 73, the comparison 80, difference −7 - Brilliance 83, the comparison 92, difference −9 - Fire 55, the comparison 47, difference +8 - Scintillation 79, the comparison 80, difference −1 - Spread 101, the comparison 100, difference +1 - Symmetry 62, the comparison 100, difference −38 - Shape-norm 97, the comparison 99, difference −2 - Tilt 71, the comparison 73, difference −2 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](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/cut-performance-wheel?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite); these are the same census figures as our [Cut Performance Index](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/cut-performance-index). ## What the Trilliant Cut gains in tanzanite ### Lighter than the same cut in diamond **0.91 ct** at 6.5 mm, against 0.96 ct for the same cut in diamond (−5%) Weight follows specific gravity: 3.35 for tanzanite against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 0.91 ct here and 0.96 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it. *Weight of a 6.5 mm Trilliant Cut: 0.91 ct in tanzanite, 0.96 ct in diamond* A Trilliant 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 Trilliant Cut page](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/trilliant#stones) ## What the Trilliant Cut gives up in tanzanite ### A less regular pavilion than the T73 **Symmetry 62** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in tanzanite: 38 points lower Symmetry reads how evenly the pavilion facets of each design family are cut: 100 − 6 × their scatter in degrees. The Trilliant Cut reads 62, the T73 100. It depends on the geometry alone, so it is the same in every stone. *Facet diagram of the Trilliant Cut: its pavilion, seen from below, 70 facets in all* Trilliant Cut · 70 facets · Symmetry 62 *Facet diagram of the T73 Round Brilliant: its pavilion, seen from below, 73 facets in all* 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](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/cut-performance-wheel?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite) ### Less fire in tanzanite than in diamond **Fire 55** against 83 for the Trilliant Cut in diamond: 28 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 (0.016 in tanzanite) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The Trilliant Cut reads 55 against 83 for the same cut in diamond. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders tanzanite'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](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0): the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite under the sunny-day lighting. **What helps:** [the DG-Elongated Hexagon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-elongated-hexagon) reads 79 for fire in tanzanite, the best of the cuts we score there. [Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0) ### Loses more light when tilted than in diamond **Tilt 71** against 89 for the Trilliant Cut in diamond: 18 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 Trilliant Cut keeps 71 against 89 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. Trilliant Cut in tanzanite · Tilt 71 0° · 15% leak 10° · 26% leak 20° · 31% leak 30° · 34% leak Trilliant Cut in diamond · Tilt 89 0° · 12% leak 10° · 16% leak 20° · 20% leak 30° · 24% 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 DG-Miliano](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-miliano) reads 84 for tilt in tanzanite, the best of the cuts we score there. [Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/cut-performance-wheel?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite&vs=trilliant&vsstone=diamond) ### Returns less light than the T73 in tanzanite **Brilliance 83** against 92 for the T73 Round Brilliant in tanzanite: 9 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 tanzanite, whose critical angle is 36.4°, the Trilliant Cut returns 83 of 100 and the T73 92. The Trilliant Cut's pavilion mains sit at 39.0°, the T73's at 40.8°. The maps below show where each stone's light returns from and where it leaks. Trilliant Cut in tanzanite · Brilliance 83 T73 Round Brilliant in tanzanite · 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](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-m5) reads 100 for brilliance in tanzanite, the best of the cuts we score there. [Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=trilliant&stone=tanzanite&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ## Our verdict on the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite Pick the Trilliant Cut in tanzanite for this: it weighs less than in diamond. The catch: it has a less regular pavilion than the T73, shows less fire than in diamond, loses more light when tilted than in diamond and returns less light than the T73. If that catch matters more to you, [the DG-Elongated Hexagon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-elongated-hexagon) reads 79 for fire in tanzanite, 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 Trilliant Cut model we traced. ## Trilliant Cut Tanzanite: questions ### Is the Trilliant a good cut for tanzanite? In our census the Trilliant Cut returns 83 of 100 for brilliance and 55 for fire in tanzanite, against 92 and 47 for the T73 in the same stone. Against that round and against the same cut in diamond it has 1 pro and 4 cons by our thresholds; the summary above names them. ### What pavilion angle does tanzanite need? At least 36.4° for a round design: tanzanite's critical angle is 36.4°, 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 Trilliant Cut's pavilion mains sit at 39.0°. ### How much does a Trilliant weigh in tanzanite? At 6.5 mm across, 0.91 ct in tanzanite, against 0.96 ct for the same cut in diamond (-5%): tanzanite's specific gravity is 3.35, diamond's 3.52. ### Can I see the Trilliant in tanzanite in 3D? Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with tanzanite's own refractive index and dispersion. Tanzanite 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 Trilliant Cut files *6 formats* *Millimeters* *Watertight* ### Trilliant Cut 3D files The Trilliant Cut as exact geometry: 72 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting. - **STEP** Exact faceted solid for CAD - **3DM** Rhino, closed mesh on its own layer - **STL** Watertight mesh for printing and casting - **OBJ** Mesh for modeling and rendering - **FBX** Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal - **GLB** Web, AR and quick previews €9.99 · [Personal use](https://digitalgemology.com/licence) [Buy the 3D files](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/8cf9bf48-bd66-44ff-b7ed-7e05324314f5) *GemCad* *96 index* ### Trilliant Cut cutting files The Trilliant Cut as a faceting design: 58 + 12 girdles = 70 facets, 96 index, 3-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine. - **.asc** GemCad design file, 96 index gear - **.csv** Tier table: angles, indices and cutting order - **Diagram** Printable faceting diagram €6.99 · [Personal use](https://digitalgemology.com/licence) [Buy the cutting files](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/0107d982-7c9f-4008-ae0d-25f1d35efe27) Not sure the files open in your software? [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e): the same six formats, for your email address, used only to send them ([privacy](https://digitalgemology.com/privacy#free-sample)). Questions before you buy? [Email us](mailto:support@digitalgemology.com). ## More gemstones and cuts [Tanzanite: optical properties and the top ten cuts](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite) · [The Trilliant Cut: specifications, model and files](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/trilliant) ### Other cuts in tanzanite - [T73 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/t73-round-brilliant) - [T105 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/t105-round-brilliant) - [DG-Vitruvio](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-vitruvio) - [DG-Anteros](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-anteros) - [DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) - [Baguette Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/baguette) - [Emerald Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/emerald-cut) - [Marquise Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/marquise) - [Oval Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/oval) - [Pear Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/pear) - [Radiant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/radiant) - [Rectangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/rectangle) - [Teardrop Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/teardrop) - [Asscher Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/asscher) - [Cushion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/cushion) - [Emerald Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/emerald-square) - [Princess Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/princess) - [Radiant Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/radiant-square) - [Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/square) - [Triangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/triangle) - [Trillion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/trillion) - [Hexagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/hexagon) - [Octagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/octagon) - [Portuguese Bird's Nest Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/portuguese-birds-nest) - [Old Single Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/old-single) - [Mazarin Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/mazarin) - [Peruzzi Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/peruzzi) - [Old Mine Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/old-mine) - [Old European Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/old-european) - [T57 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/t57-round-brilliant) - [DG-M5](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-m5) - [DG-Miliano](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-miliano) - [DG-Rafaello](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-rafaello) - [DG-Bowtie](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-bowtie) - [DG-Elongated Hexagon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-elongated-hexagon) - [DG-Octagonal Kite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/dg-octagonal-kite) ### The Trilliant Cut in other gemstones - [Diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/diamond/trilliant) - [Moissanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/moissanite/trilliant) - [Cubic Zirconia](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/cubic-zirconia/trilliant) - [Ruby](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ruby/trilliant) - [Sapphire](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/sapphire/trilliant) - [Emerald](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/emerald/trilliant) - [Amethyst](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/amethyst/trilliant) - [Topaz](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/topaz/trilliant) - [Spinel](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spinel/trilliant) - [Demantoid](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/demantoid/trilliant) - [Zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant) - [Tourmaline](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tourmaline/trilliant) - [Peridot](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/peridot/trilliant) - [YAG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/yag/trilliant) - [Pyrope](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/pyrope/trilliant) - [Almandine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/almandine/trilliant) - [Spessartine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spessartine/trilliant) - [Grossular](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/grossular/trilliant) - [Chrysoberyl](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/chrysoberyl/trilliant) - [Kunzite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/kunzite/trilliant) - [Iolite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/iolite/trilliant) - [Morganite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/morganite/trilliant) - [GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/trilliant) - [Strontium titanate](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/strontium-titanate/trilliant) - [Synthetic rutile](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/synthetic-rutile/trilliant)