For the most light, the round brilliant is the best cut for cubic zirconia in our ray traces. It returns the most light of the ten classic shapes: brilliance 98 out of 100. The cushion (88) and the trilliant (84) come next. Of the ten shapes in cubic zirconia, the oval scores highest for fire: 96, the round brilliant 87.
| Shape | Brilliance | Fire | Scintillation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round brilliant | 98 | 87 | 80 |
| Cushion | 88 | 87 | 85 |
| Trilliant | 84 | 94 | 79 |
| Asscher | 74 | 88 | 72 |
| Marquise | 66 | 93 | 86 |
| Oval | 63 | 96 | 87 |
| Princess | 63 | 92 | 78 |
| Emerald cut | 59 | 92 | 72 |
| Pear | 59 | 90 | 76 |
| Radiant | 33 | 91 | 74 |
Why
Cubic zirconia bends light less than diamond but more than any colored stone we measure. So classic diamond shapes still return much light in it. Its dispersion is higher than diamond's, so it shows strong fire.
Of all 37 cuts we measure in cubic zirconia, our own DG-Rafaello returns the most light: brilliance 100.
Compare any two cuts in the Cut Performance Wheel, or turn them in light in the 3D Gemstone Simulator.