DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Topaz: Pros, Cons and Scores

Topaz has a refractive index of 1.606 to 1.644 and a dispersion of 0.014. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 38.5°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 38.5° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.625, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.012, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.606, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz live.

The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows has 89 facets, a table of 53.0% of its width and a total depth of 61.7% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 40.8°. In topaz, the census returns 85 of 100 for brilliance and 35 for fire, against 86 and 35 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in diamond reads 93 and 78.

Is topaz good in a DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows? Pros and cons, measured

Pros

More facets, more sparkle 86 vs 80

Cons

Less fire in topaz than in diamond 35 vs 78
Loses more light when tilted than in diamond 77 vs 93
Leaks more in topaz than in diamond 15 vs 2
Dimmer in topaz than in diamond 85 vs 93

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz and with the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows 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-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz (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 topaz: ahead on 2, level on 3, behind on 3.

Global75, the comparison 75, difference 0
Brilliance85, the comparison 86, difference −1
Fire35, the comparison 35, difference 0
Scintillation86, the comparison 80, difference +6
Spread100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Symmetry99, the comparison 100, difference −1
Shape-norm91, the comparison 92, difference −1
Tilt77, the comparison 74, difference +3

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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows gains in topaz

More facets, more sparkle

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

Scintillation follows the number of facets the stone shows: 100 × (1 − e^(−facets / 45)). The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows has 89 facets and the T73 73, so 86 against 80. It depends on the geometry alone, so it is the same in every stone.

DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows · 89 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. Compare the facet counts under the drawings; each drawing shows only the crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

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

What the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows gives up in topaz

Less fire in topaz than in diamond

Fire 35 against 78 for the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in diamond: 43 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 (0.012 in topaz) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows reads 35 against 78 for the same cut in diamond. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders topaz'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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz under the sunny-day lighting.

What helps: the Oval Cut reads 68 for fire in topaz, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Loses more light when tilted than in diamond

Tilt 77 against 93 for the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in diamond: 16 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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows keeps 77 against 93 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.

Dg-broken hearts and arrows in topaz tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 10% 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; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Dg-broken hearts and arrows in topaz tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 28% 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; gray is leakage. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: the T105 Round Brilliant reads 78 for tilt in topaz, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Leaks more in topaz than in diamond

Leakage 15 against 2 for the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in diamond: 13 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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows leaks 15% in topaz against 2% for the same cut in diamond. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

What helps: the DG-M5 reads 4% for leakage in topaz, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Dimmer in topaz than in diamond

Brilliance 85 against 93 for the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in diamond: 8 points lower

The same cut in diamond returns 93. Topaz bends light less than diamond: its critical angle is 38.5°, diamond's 24.4°, so a pavilion facet has to be steeper before light reflects off it rather than passing out. The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows's pavilion returns less of topaz's light than of diamond's, as the two maps show.

Dg-broken hearts and arrows in topaz face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 85) — 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.

Dg-broken hearts and arrows in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 93) — 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 96 for brilliance in topaz, the best of the cuts we score there.

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

Our verdict on the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz

Pick the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz for this: it has more facets to sparkle with. The catch: it shows less fire than in diamond, loses more light when tilted than in diamond, leaks more than in diamond and returns less light than in diamond.

If that catch matters more to you, the Oval Cut reads 68 for fire in topaz, 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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows model we traced.

DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Topaz: questions

Is the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows a good cut for topaz?

In our census the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows returns 85 of 100 for brilliance and 35 for fire in topaz, against 86 and 35 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 topaz need?

At least 38.5° for a round design: topaz's critical angle is 38.5°, 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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows's pavilion mains sit at 40.8°.

How much does a DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows weigh in topaz?

At 6.5 mm across, 1.01 ct in topaz, against 1.01 ct for the same cut in diamond, the same weight to the per cent: topaz's specific gravity is 3.535, diamond's 3.52.

Can I see the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows in topaz in 3D?

Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with topaz's own refractive index and dispersion. Topaz 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 DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut files

6 formatsMillimetersWatertight

DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut 3D files

The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut as exact geometry: 89 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

€14.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad96 index

DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut cutting files

The DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut as a faceting design: 73 + 16 girdles = 89 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

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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.

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