Peruzzi Cut Topaz: what our light census measures

Brilliance 36 · Fire 15 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 86 · 35 · 80 in topaz

How the Peruzzi Cut handles light in topaz, measured: brilliance 36, fire 15 and 63% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond.

The Peruzzi Cut in topaz, face-up Light Return map from our tracer at refractive index 1.606: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks
Light Return map of the Peruzzi Cut in topaz, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.606. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks.

Peruzzi Cut Topaz

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 Peruzzi Cut in topaz live.

The Peruzzi Cut has 74 facets, a table of 56.8% of its width and a total depth of 69.1% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 46.2°. In topaz, the census returns 36 of 100 for brilliance and 15 for fire, against 86 and 35 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Peruzzi Cut in diamond reads 75 and 68.

Is topaz good in a Peruzzi? Pros and cons, measured

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz and with the Peruzzi 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 Peruzzi Cut 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.

Performance wheel: Peruzzi Cut in topaz, against the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−23Brilliance−50Fire−20Scintillation+1Spread−4Symmetry−15Shape-norm−35Tilt+26

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

  • Global52, the comparison 75, difference −23
  • Brilliance36, the comparison 86, difference −50
  • Fire15, the comparison 35, difference −20
  • Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
  • Spread96, the comparison 100, difference −4
  • Symmetry85, the comparison 100, difference −15
  • Shape-norm57, the comparison 92, difference −35
  • Tilt100, the comparison 74, difference +26
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 Peruzzi Cut gains in topaz

Against the T73 in topaz and the same cut in diamond, no figure of the Peruzzi Cut is ahead by the thresholds above. Its figures are in the wheel and the FAQ; Topaz ranks every cut we score in topaz.

What the Peruzzi Cut gives up in topaz

Less fire in topaz than in diamond

Fire 15 against 68 for the Peruzzi Cut in diamond: 53 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 Peruzzi Cut reads 15 against 68 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 Peruzzi Cut 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

Returns less light than the T73 in topaz

Brilliance 36 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz: 50 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 topaz, whose critical angle is 38.5°, the Peruzzi Cut returns 36 of 100 and the T73 86. The Peruzzi Cut's pavilion mains sit at 46.2°, the T73's at 40.8°. The maps below show where each stone's light returns from and where it leaks.

Peruzzi cut in topaz face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 36)

Peruzzi Cut in topaz · Brilliance 36

T73 round brilliant in topaz face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, gray shows where it leaks (Brilliance 86)

T73 Round Brilliant in topaz · Brilliance 86

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

Leaks more light than the T73 in topaz

Leakage 63 against 14 for the T73 Round Brilliant in topaz: 49 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 Peruzzi Cut leaks 63% in topaz against 14% for the T73 in topaz. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

Peruzzi Cut in topaz · Leakage 63

Peruzzi cut in topaz tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 66% of the face leaking0° · 66% leak
Peruzzi cut in topaz tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 59% of the face leaking10° · 59% leak
Peruzzi cut in topaz tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 50% of the face leaking20° · 50% leak
Peruzzi cut in topaz tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 40% of the face leaking30° · 40% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in topaz · Leakage 14

T73 round brilliant in topaz tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking0° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in topaz tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 28% of the face leaking10° · 28% leak
T73 round brilliant in topaz tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 32% of the face leaking20° · 32% leak
T73 round brilliant in topaz tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 37% of the face leaking30° · 37% 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 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

A less regular pavilion than the T73

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

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

Peruzzi Cut · 74 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

Our verdict on the Peruzzi Cut in topaz

Against the T73 in topaz and the same cut in diamond, no figure of the Peruzzi Cut is ahead by our thresholds. The catch: it shows less fire than in diamond, returns less light than the T73, leaks more light than the T73 and has a less regular pavilion than the T73.

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 Peruzzi Cut model we traced.

Peruzzi Cut Topaz: questions

Is the Peruzzi a good cut for topaz?

In our census the Peruzzi Cut returns 36 of 100 for brilliance and 15 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 0 pros 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 Peruzzi Cut's pavilion mains sit at 46.2°.

How much does a Peruzzi weigh in topaz?

At 6.5 mm across, 1.32 ct in topaz, against 1.32 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 Peruzzi 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 Peruzzi Cut files

6 formatsMillimetersWatertight

Peruzzi Cut 3D files

The Peruzzi 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 modeling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
GemCad96 index

Peruzzi Cut cutting files

The Peruzzi Cut as a faceting design: 58 + 16 girdles = 74 facets, 96 index, 4-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

Save with a bundle: the Peruzzi Cut 3D and cutting files are also in Historic Cuts Complete, 6 cuts for €29.99 until 1 December, then €39.99 (€101.88 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

Topaz: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Peruzzi Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in topaz

The Peruzzi Cut in other gemstones