Stellated Icosahedron

25 Jan 2026
decoration origami polyhedra gift

Also known as small triambic icosahedron, this shape is built by putting simple 90° cube corners “on” every triangle of the icosahedron.

It is also called the first stellation of the icosahedron, because those added tips make it look a little like a star. There are also more stellations, which look progressively more pointy.

Because the tips are cube corners, the Sonobe unit can be used

Instructions for the basic Sonobe unit

Don’t use the point-pocket pattern of the previous page, instead use this one on the bottom half of the page: for the stellated icosahedron. Pictured is also one of the triangles of the icosahedron, with that cube corner as its tip.

I used gift wrapping paper cut into squares. It has a golden underside and folding 10 of the 30 total units with the opposite side up makes this effect, where every tip has exacly 2/6 golden triangles.

A sturdy shape that holds itself together, without any glue