--- title: "Teardrop Cut Zircon: Pros, Cons and Scores" description: "Teardrop Cut in zircon: brilliance 59, fire 87, leakage 23%, 2 pros and 4 cons against the T73, from our ray-traced light census." url: https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/stone-cuts/teardrop-zircon-og.jpg?v=55847e27 --- > Markdown copy of https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop. 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 # Teardrop Cut Zircon: more fire than the T73 in zircon **Buy (instant download, personal-use license):** [Teardrop Cut 3D files, €9.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/01c7537a-8b6a-442f-867e-ae2a8b7c65d8) · [Teardrop Cut cutting files, €6.99 · Personal use](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/a8b50d8b-0e3a-4a12-a271-9683c321c40c) · [Get the cube free](https://digitalgemology.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/2d1ab55f-2bd6-4897-a4cd-f3320f54e99e) Brilliance 59 · Fire 87 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 98 · 69 · 80 in zircon How the Teardrop Cut handles light in zircon, measured: brilliance 59, fire 87 and 23% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond. [Get the files](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#buy) [Open it in the Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=teardrop&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 Teardrop 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. ## Teardrop 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 Teardrop 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 Teardrop Cut has 74 facets and a total depth of 60.0% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 38.5°. In zircon, the census returns 59 of 100 for brilliance and 87 for fire, against 98 and 69 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Teardrop Cut in diamond reads 46 and 89. ## Is zircon good in a Teardrop? Pros and cons, measured ### Pros - [More fire than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#pro-fire) 87 vs 69 - [Faces up larger for its weight](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#pro-faceup) 116 vs 100 ### Cons - [Returns less light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#con-brilliance) 59 vs 98 - [Heavier than the same cut in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#con-weight) 1.70 vs 1.28 ct - [Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#con-leak) 23 vs 2 - [Loses more of its light when tilted](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/teardrop#con-tiltStab) 69 vs 82 Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon and with the Teardrop 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 Teardrop 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 3, behind on 5. - Global 74, the comparison 88, difference −14 - Brilliance 59, the comparison 98, difference −39 - Fire 87, the comparison 69, difference +18 - Scintillation 81, the comparison 80, difference +1 - Spread 101, the comparison 100, difference +1 - Symmetry 98, the comparison 100, difference −2 - Shape-norm 69, the comparison 105, difference −36 - Tilt 69, the comparison 82, difference −13 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=teardrop&stone=zircon); these are the same census figures as our [Cut Performance Index](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/cut-performance-index). ## What the Teardrop Cut gains in zircon ### More fire than the T73 in zircon **Fire 87** against 69 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 18 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 Teardrop Cut reads 87 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=teardrop&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0): the Teardrop 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=teardrop&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0) ### Faces up larger for its weight **Face-up size 116** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon (T73 = 100): 16% more face-up area for the same weight Face-up size is the outline's area per carat, measured from each model (T73 = 100): 116 for the Teardrop 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 Teardrop Cut at 1.00 ct in zircon: 7.87 x 5.45 mm, drawn to scale* Teardrop Cut · 7.87 x 5.45 mm at 1.00 ct · Face-up size 116 *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=teardrop&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=studio&turn=0) ## What the Teardrop Cut gives up in zircon ### Returns less light than the T73 in zircon **Brilliance 59** against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 39 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 Teardrop Cut returns 59 of 100 and the T73 98. The Teardrop Cut's pavilion mains sit at 38.5°, the T73's at 40.8°. The maps below show where each stone's light returns from and where it leaks. Teardrop Cut in zircon · Brilliance 59 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=teardrop&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ### Heavier than the same cut in diamond **1.70 ct** at 6.5 mm, against 1.28 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 1.70 ct here and 1.28 ct in diamond, 6.5 mm across. Nothing about the light changes with it. *Weight of a 6.5 mm Teardrop Cut: 1.70 ct in zircon, 1.28 ct in diamond* A Teardrop 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 Teardrop Cut page](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/teardrop#stones) ### Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon **Leakage 23** against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 21 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 Teardrop Cut leaks 23% 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. Teardrop Cut in zircon · Leakage 23 0° · 23% leak 10° · 25% leak 20° · 37% leak 30° · 43% 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=teardrop&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ### Loses more of its light when tilted **Tilt 69** against 82 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 13 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 Teardrop Cut keeps 69 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. Teardrop Cut in zircon · Tilt 69 0° · 23% leak 10° · 25% leak 20° · 37% leak 30° · 43% 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=teardrop&stone=zircon) ## Our verdict on the Teardrop Cut in zircon Pick the Teardrop Cut in zircon for this: it shows more fire than the T73 and faces up larger for its weight. The catch: it returns less light than the T73, weighs more than in diamond, leaks more light than the T73 and loses more of its light when tilted. 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 Teardrop Cut model we traced. ## Teardrop Cut Zircon: questions ### Is the Teardrop a good cut for zircon? In our census the Teardrop Cut returns 59 of 100 for brilliance and 87 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 Teardrop Cut's pavilion mains sit at 38.5°. ### How much does a Teardrop weigh in zircon? At 6.5 mm across, 1.70 ct in zircon, against 1.28 ct for the same cut in diamond (+33%): zircon's specific gravity is 4.665, diamond's 3.52. ### Can I see the Teardrop 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 Teardrop Cut files *6 formats* *Millimeters* *Watertight* ### Teardrop Cut 3D files The Teardrop Cut as exact geometry: 74 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/01c7537a-8b6a-442f-867e-ae2a8b7c65d8) *GemCad* *64 index* ### Teardrop Cut cutting files The Teardrop Cut as a faceting design: 56 + 18 girdles = 74 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/a8b50d8b-0e3a-4a12-a271-9683c321c40c) 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 Teardrop Cut: specifications, model and files](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/teardrop) ### 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) - [Pear Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/pear) - [Radiant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/radiant) - [Rectangle Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/rectangle) - [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 Teardrop Cut in other gemstones - [Ruby](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ruby/teardrop) - [Sapphire](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/sapphire/teardrop) - [Emerald](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/emerald/teardrop) - [Amethyst](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/amethyst/teardrop) - [Diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/diamond/teardrop) - [Moissanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/moissanite/teardrop) - [Cubic Zirconia](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/cubic-zirconia/teardrop) - [Topaz](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/topaz/teardrop) - [Spinel](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spinel/teardrop) - [Demantoid](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/demantoid/teardrop) - [Tourmaline](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tourmaline/teardrop) - [Peridot](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/peridot/teardrop) - [Tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/teardrop) - [YAG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/yag/teardrop) - [Pyrope](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/pyrope/teardrop) - [Almandine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/almandine/teardrop) - [Spessartine](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/spessartine/teardrop) - [Grossular](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/grossular/teardrop) - [Chrysoberyl](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/chrysoberyl/teardrop) - [Kunzite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/kunzite/teardrop) - [Iolite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/iolite/teardrop) - [Morganite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/morganite/teardrop) - [GGG](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/ggg/teardrop) - [Strontium titanate](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/strontium-titanate/teardrop) - [Synthetic rutile](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/synthetic-rutile/teardrop)