For the most light, the round brilliant is the best cut for emerald in our ray traces. It returns the most light of the ten classic shapes: brilliance 78 out of 100. The cushion (74) and the trilliant (68) come next. Of the ten shapes in emerald, the oval scores highest for fire: 71, the round brilliant 39.
| Shape | Brilliance | Fire | Scintillation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round brilliant | 78 | 39 | 80 |
| Cushion | 74 | 27 | 85 |
| Trilliant | 68 | 41 | 79 |
| Asscher | 62 | 55 | 72 |
| Emerald cut | 58 | 36 | 72 |
| Pear | 56 | 59 | 76 |
| Oval | 55 | 71 | 87 |
| Princess | 51 | 32 | 78 |
| Marquise | 43 | 51 | 86 |
| Radiant | 22 | 56 | 74 |
Why
Beryl, the species of emerald, has a low refractive index. So light leaks out of it more easily than out of diamond. Its fire is faint to the eye, and body color can hide it. The emerald cut is the traditional shape for emerald. In our traces, it returns less light than the round brilliant.
Aquamarine and morganite are beryl too, with almost the same optics. These figures are a good guide for them.
Of all 37 cuts we measure in emerald, our own DG-M5 returns the most light: brilliance 90.
Compare any two cuts in the Cut Performance Wheel, or turn them in light in the 3D Gemstone Simulator.