---
title: "Pear Cut Zircon: Pros, Cons and Scores"
description: "Pear Cut in zircon: brilliance 61, fire 83, leakage 22%, 2 pros and 4 cons against the T73, from our ray-traced light census."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/stone-cuts/pear-zircon-og.jpg?v=3ce462af
---

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# Pear Cut Zircon: faces up larger for its weight

**Buy (instant download, personal-use license):** [Pear Cut 3D files, €9.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/19f3d75d-2a04-447b-b0f8-19c1445e9a2e) · [Pear Cut cutting files, €6.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/d889ac63-e435-420a-a780-1ffe91601386) · [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/e5c79ed5-97ce-4c62-8dbe-3a172c6245ba?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25) · [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/9170b0c0-5357-490e-b6ef-3ce4f7fcd282?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25) · [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e)

Brilliance 61 · Fire 83 · Scintillation 76 · in our census, where the T73 scores 98 · 69 · 80 in zircon

How the Pear Cut handles light in zircon, measured: brilliance 61, fire 83 and 22% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond.

[Get the files](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#buy) [Open it in the Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=angle&lighting=studio&turn=0) [All cuts in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon)

Light Return map of the Pear Cut in zircon, face-up, from our own tracer at refractive index 1.925. Red, green and blue return light to the eye; gray leaks.

## Pear Cut Zircon

Zircon has a refractive index of 1.925 to 1.984 and a dispersion of 0.039. Its critical angle, from the low end of that range, is 31.3°, so a round design needs a pavilion of at least 37.2° for head-on light to reflect off both sides of the pavilion and leave through the table. We trace it with one index, 1.955, the midpoint of the published range, and a fire spread of 0.034, 0.86 of the published dispersion. Every picture here is our Light Return tracer at 1.925, and every figure is from the same light census that scores the other gemstones; the 3D Gemstone Simulator shows the Pear Cut in zircon live. Zircon is strongly doubly refractive (birefringence up to 0.059), so its back facets can look doubled. Our census traces one index (1.955), so the doubling is not in these figures.

The Pear Cut has 64 facets and a total depth of 60.0% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 34.9°. In zircon, the census returns 61 of 100 for brilliance and 83 for fire, against 98 and 69 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Pear Cut in diamond reads 53 and 84.

## Is zircon good in a Pear? Pros and cons, measured

### Pros

- [Faces up larger for its weight](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#pro-faceup) 115 vs 100
- [More fire than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#pro-fire) 83 vs 69

### Cons

- [Returns less light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#con-brilliance) 61 vs 98
- [Heavier than the same cut in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#con-weight) 1.81 vs 1.37 ct
- [Loses more of its light when tilted](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#con-tiltStab) 62 vs 82
- [Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear#con-leak) 22 vs 2

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon 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](https://digitalgemology.com/about/how-we-measure).

## All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Pear Cut in zircon (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon (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 zircon: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

- Global 71, the comparison 88, difference −17
- Brilliance 61, the comparison 98, difference −37
- Fire 83, the comparison 69, difference +14
- Scintillation 76, the comparison 80, difference −4
- Spread 101, the comparison 100, difference +1
- Symmetry 85, the comparison 100, difference −15
- Shape-norm 71, the comparison 105, difference −34
- Tilt 62, the comparison 82, difference −20

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=pear&stone=zircon); these are the same census figures as our [Cut Performance Index](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/cut-performance-index).

## What the Pear Cut gains in zircon

### Faces up larger for its weight

**Face-up size 115** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon (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.

*Face-up outline of the Pear Cut at 1.00 ct in zircon: 8.01 x 5.33 mm, drawn to scale*

Pear Cut · 8.01 x 5.33 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 115

*Face-up outline of the T73 Round Brilliant at 1.00 ct in zircon: 5.90 mm, drawn to scale*

T73 Round Brilliant · 5.90 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in zircon 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 zircon in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=studio&turn=0)

### More fire than the T73 in zircon

**Fire 83** against 69 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 14 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 (0.034 in zircon) and counts a ray as fire when the two directions differ by more than 0.6°. The Pear Cut reads 83 against 69 for the T73 in zircon. The figure is the census's; the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders zircon'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=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0): the Pear Cut in zircon under the sunny-day lighting.

[Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0)

## What the Pear Cut gives up in zircon

### Returns less light than the T73 in zircon

**Brilliance 61** against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 37 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 zircon, whose critical angle is 31.3°, the Pear Cut returns 61 of 100 and the T73 98. 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 zircon · Brilliance 61

T73 Round Brilliant in zircon · Brilliance 98

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-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 98 for brilliance in zircon, 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=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0)

### Heavier than the same cut in diamond

**1.81 ct** at 6.5 mm, against 1.37 ct for the same cut in diamond (+33%)

Weight follows specific gravity: 4.665 for zircon against 3.52 for diamond, so the same model at the same size weighs 1.81 ct here and 1.37 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it.

*Weight of a 6.5 mm Pear Cut: 1.81 ct in zircon, 1.37 ct in diamond*

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](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/pear#stones)

### Loses more of its light when tilted

**Tilt 62** against 82 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 20 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 Pear Cut keeps 62 against 82 for the T73. The tilt strips below show the maps at 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°, with each picture's own leak share under it.

Pear Cut in zircon · Tilt 62

0° · 20% leak

10° · 15% leak

20° · 18% leak

30° · 23% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in zircon · Tilt 82

0° · 1% leak

10° · 6% leak

20° · 15% leak

30° · 26% 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-M5](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-m5) reads 98 for tilt in zircon, 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=pear&stone=zircon)

### Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon

**Leakage 22** against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 20 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 zircon against 2% for the T73 in zircon. Grey in the maps below is leaking light; the share under each picture is that picture's own.

Pear Cut in zircon · Leakage 22

0° · 20% leak

10° · 15% leak

20° · 18% leak

30° · 23% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in zircon · Leakage 2

0° · 1% leak

10° · 6% leak

20° · 15% leak

30° · 26% 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-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 2% for leakage in zircon, the best of the cuts we score there.

[Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=pear&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0)

## Our verdict on the Pear Cut in zircon

Pick the Pear Cut in zircon for this: it faces up larger for its weight and shows more fire than the T73. The catch: it returns less light than the T73, weighs more than in diamond, loses more of its light when tilted and leaks more light than the T73.

If that catch matters more to you, [the DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows) reads 98 for brilliance in zircon, 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 Zircon: questions

### Is the Pear a good cut for zircon?

In our census the Pear Cut returns 61 of 100 for brilliance and 83 for fire in zircon, against 98 and 69 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 zircon need?

At least 37.2° for a round design: zircon's critical angle is 31.3°, 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 zircon?

At 6.5 mm across, 1.81 ct in zircon, against 1.37 ct for the same cut in diamond (+33%): zircon's specific gravity is 4.665, diamond's 3.52.

### Can I see the Pear in zircon in 3D?

Yes: the 3D Gemstone Simulator renders it live, with zircon's own refractive index and dispersion. Zircon 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 formats* *Millimeters* *Watertight*

### Pear Cut 3D files

The Pear Cut as exact geometry: 64 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/19f3d75d-2a04-447b-b0f8-19c1445e9a2e)

*GemCad* *64 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.

- **.asc** GemCad design file, 64 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/d889ac63-e435-420a-a780-1ffe91601386)

Save with a bundle: the Pear Cut 3D files are also in [Jewelry Essentials 3D](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/#bundles), 10 cuts for €29.99 until 1 December, then €39.99 (€99.90 as single files). [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/e5c79ed5-97ce-4c62-8dbe-3a172c6245ba?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25).

Save with a bundle: the Pear Cut cutting files are also in [Faceter's Classics](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/#bundles), 10 cuts for €22.49 until 1 December, then €29.99 (€69.90 as single files). [Buy the bundle](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/9170b0c0-5357-490e-b6ef-3ce4f7fcd282?checkout%5Bdiscount_code%5D=BUNDLE25).

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

[Zircon: optical properties and the top ten cuts](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon) · [The Pear Cut: specifications, model and files](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/pear)

### Other cuts in zircon

- [T73 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/t73-round-brilliant)
- [T105 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/t105-round-brilliant)
- [DG-Vitruvio](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-vitruvio)
- [DG-Anteros](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-anteros)
- [DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows)
- [Baguette Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/baguette)
- [Emerald Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/emerald-cut)
- [Marquise Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/marquise)
- [Oval Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/oval)
- [Radiant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/radiant)
- [Rectangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/rectangle)
- [Teardrop Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop)
- [Asscher Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/asscher)
- [Cushion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/cushion)
- [Emerald Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/emerald-square)
- [Princess Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/princess)
- [Radiant Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/radiant-square)
- [Square Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/square)
- [Triangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/triangle)
- [Trilliant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant)
- [Trillion Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trillion)
- [Hexagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/hexagon)
- [Octagon Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/octagon)
- [Portuguese Bird's Nest Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/portuguese-birds-nest)
- [Old Single Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/old-single)
- [Mazarin Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/mazarin)
- [Peruzzi Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/peruzzi)
- [Old Mine Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/old-mine)
- [Old European Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/old-european)
- [T57 Round Brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/t57-round-brilliant)
- [DG-M5](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-m5)
- [DG-Miliano](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-miliano)
- [DG-Rafaello](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-rafaello)
- [DG-Bowtie](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-bowtie)
- [DG-Elongated Hexagon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-elongated-hexagon)
- [DG-Octagonal Kite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/dg-octagonal-kite)

### The Pear Cut in other gemstones

- [Ruby](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ruby/pear)
- [Sapphire](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/sapphire/pear)
- [Emerald](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/emerald/pear)
- [Amethyst](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/amethyst/pear)
- [Diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/diamond/pear)
- [Moissanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/moissanite/pear)
- [Cubic Zirconia](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/cubic-zirconia/pear)
- [Topaz](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/topaz/pear)
- [Spinel](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spinel/pear)
- [Demantoid](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/demantoid/pear)
- [Tourmaline](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tourmaline/pear)
- [Peridot](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/peridot/pear)
- [Tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/pear)
- [YAG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/yag/pear)
- [Pyrope](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/pyrope/pear)
- [Almandine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/almandine/pear)
- [Spessartine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spessartine/pear)
- [Grossular](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/grossular/pear)
- [Chrysoberyl](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/chrysoberyl/pear)
- [Kunzite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/kunzite/pear)
- [Iolite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/iolite/pear)
- [Morganite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/morganite/pear)
- [GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/pear)
- [Strontium titanate](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/strontium-titanate/pear)
- [Synthetic rutile](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/synthetic-rutile/pear)