--- title: "Trilliant Cut Zircon: Pros, Cons and Scores" description: "Trilliant Cut in zircon: brilliance 86, fire 86, leakage 10%, 1 pro and 4 cons against the T73, from our ray-traced light census." url: https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/stone-cuts/trilliant-zircon-og.jpg?v=244f246c --- > Markdown copy of https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/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 Zircon: more fire than the T73 in zircon **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 86 · Fire 86 · Scintillation 79 · in our census, where the T73 scores 98 · 69 · 80 in zircon How the Trilliant Cut handles light in zircon, measured: brilliance 86, fire 86 and 10% leakage, set against the T73 in the same stone and against the same cut in diamond. [Get the files](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#buy) [Open it in the Simulator](https://digitalgemology.com/tools/3d_gemstone_simulator?cut=trilliant&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 Trilliant 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. ## Trilliant 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 Trilliant 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 Trilliant Cut has 70 facets and a total depth of 58.9% of its width; its pavilion mains sit at 39.0°. In zircon, the census returns 86 of 100 for brilliance and 86 for fire, against 98 and 69 for the T73, our benchmark, in the same stone; the same Trilliant Cut in diamond reads 78 and 83. ## Is zircon good in a Trilliant? Pros and cons, measured ### Pros - [More fire than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#pro-fire) 86 vs 69 ### Cons - [A less regular pavilion than the T73](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#con-symm) 62 vs 100 - [Heavier than the same cut in diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#con-weight) 1.27 vs 0.96 ct - [Returns less light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#con-brilliance) 86 vs 98 - [Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon/trilliant#con-leak) 10 vs 2 Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon 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 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, level on 1, behind on 5. - Global 83, the comparison 88, difference −5 - Brilliance 86, the comparison 98, difference −12 - Fire 86, the comparison 69, difference +17 - Scintillation 79, the comparison 80, difference −1 - Spread 101, the comparison 100, difference +1 - Symmetry 62, the comparison 100, difference −38 - Shape-norm 100, the comparison 105, difference −5 - Tilt 82, the comparison 82, difference 0 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=zircon); these are the same census figures as our [Cut Performance Index](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/cut-performance-index). ## What the Trilliant Cut gains in zircon ### More fire than the T73 in zircon **Fire 86** against 69 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 17 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 Trilliant Cut reads 86 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=trilliant&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0): the Trilliant 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=trilliant&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&lighting=sun&turn=0) ## What the Trilliant Cut gives up in zircon ### A less regular pavilion than the T73 **Symmetry 62** against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 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=zircon) ### Heavier than the same cut in diamond **1.27 ct** at 6.5 mm, against 0.96 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 1.27 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: 1.27 ct in zircon, 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) ### Returns less light than the T73 in zircon **Brilliance 86** against 98 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 12 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 Trilliant Cut returns 86 of 100 and the T73 98. 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 zircon · Brilliance 86 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=trilliant&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ### Leaks more light than the T73 in zircon **Leakage 10** against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in zircon: 8 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 Trilliant Cut leaks 10% 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. Trilliant Cut in zircon · Leakage 10 0° · 11% leak 10° · 14% leak 20° · 24% leak 30° · 26% 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=trilliant&stone=zircon&ct=1.00&view=up&map=1&turn=0) ## Our verdict on the Trilliant Cut in zircon Pick the Trilliant Cut in zircon for this: it shows more fire than the T73. The catch: it has a less regular pavilion than the T73, weighs more than in diamond, returns less light than the T73 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 Trilliant Cut model we traced. ## Trilliant Cut Zircon: questions ### Is the Trilliant a good cut for zircon? In our census the Trilliant Cut returns 86 of 100 for brilliance and 86 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 1 pro 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 Trilliant Cut's pavilion mains sit at 39.0°. ### How much does a Trilliant weigh in zircon? At 6.5 mm across, 1.27 ct in zircon, against 0.96 ct for the same cut in diamond (+33%): zircon's specific gravity is 4.665, diamond's 3.52. ### Can I see the Trilliant 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 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 [Zircon: optical properties and the top ten cuts](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/zircon) · [The Trilliant Cut: specifications, model and files](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/trilliant) ### 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) - [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) - [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 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) - [Tourmaline](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tourmaline/trilliant) - [Peridot](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/peridot/trilliant) - [Tanzanite](https://digitalgemology.com/gemstones/tanzanite/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)