asscher cuts

[Barrett]

As I am just getting familiar with different cuts for gems and looking for new ones to do i have been seeing and hearing the name asscher cut over and over..seems lots of folks like this cut and quite a few on here. Is there any particular reason for this? Any info you can give me on the asscher cut? I might try and cut one here next week. I will go search the net to find the design and the instructions on the cut unless anybbody knows where i can find the schematic for the cut. Thanks
jason

 

[Gailey]

Because it''s classy, elegant, and perfectly balanced - like us!

About the design/schematic, I think you''re asking on the wrong forum, but maybe Peter, Gene, Roger etc., will see your post Jason and point you in the right direction.

I''d like to see one in in Rose de France as asscher cuts are generally more suitable to lighter stones in order to observe the steps.

 

[Barrett]

cool thanks gailey..so they seem to be geared more towards lighter materials? okay any other info anyone can suply? Like the adjectives you used to describe it..classy, elegant, and perfectly balanced ...sweet!!!!

 

[loriken214]

I love the art deco look of the asscher cut gemstones.....the deep mirror facets look mesmerizing to me...I could stare into them for hours. My asscher collection is growing fast and each one is just as special as the one before it.

Here is the latest "asscher" version from Dan Stair. I should have it any day now. He calls it Asscher Style Octagon pink tourmaline.

Lori

 

[D&T]

Yes, Love the step cuts in lighter color stones, and the geometric shape is just sooo lovely! Can''t wait to see what you come up with. Maybe you can drop a line to Barry Bridgestock at http://www.acstones.com/ when I asked him that I was interested in asschers and that I would love to purchase something from him. He "experimented" with the standard asscher facets, but found that he need extra facets to achieve more brillant look. Anyhow he started telling angles and things that went way beyond my head...lol but he''s such a great guy to chat with so go pick his brain.

 

[SB621]

I agree- the asscher cut to me is just very classic to me!

Goodluck with your cutting. I hope it comes out fabulous!

 

[Barrett]

Thanks guys...there are more dang cuts out there than you can imagine..was wondering some of the reasons folks liked the asscher so much

 

[Girl from Mars]

Here''s another Jeff White asscher - this is a 3.23ct celon sapphire.

 

[Barrett]

it is a sweet cut..thanks for the clean pic..don''t turn me into an asscher fan..LOL..can''t wait to see how easy or hard it is to cut...not really easy/hard but how time consuming..doesn''t seem to have to many facets so shouldn''t take to long

 

[zeolite]

how easy or hard it is to cut...not really easy/hard

It is very simple in concept; just a bunch of step facets. However there are problems that are not so obvious, especially to a new cutter.

Jason,
Here are two asscher plans (page 1 and 2).

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/citrine-where-to-find-a-nicely-cut-stone.92042/

Both are designed for low R.I. materials.
But I don’t recommend that you cut it now. Try some easier designs first. The asscher cut is a very unforgiving cut for mistakes.

The asscher cut is works best in lighter toned materials. Why? One: it is a very deep cut, which darkens the gem. Two: it had more different pavilion angles than any cut I could name. Since only one angle gives optimum reflections, most of the other angles do not give best reflection, and soon you get to extinction. So the gem gets darker.

There are 5 side pavilion facets, and at least two corner (windmill facets) that are shallower still. You can’t go too shallow or it windows. You can’t go too steep or you get extinction. So you are trying to cram 7 different angles into a narrow range. Then you can’t see the different angles as you cut them; they are too close. When you polish, you find the facets don’t line up.

The asscher cut was designed for diamond, with its very high reflective index. You can cut a diamond 15 degrees shallower, before it windows, compared to quartz. So asscher cuts are easy to do in a diamond. There is much more spacing between the rows of step facets.

An ideal gem for an asscher cut is a pale gem, of high refractive index, square shaped, and very deep. Also if asscher cut gems are too small, the many facets are too tiny to see and appreciate. So a good candidate is a large gem, which means the gem can’t be an expensive material, if it is to be affordable. All these restrictions are the reasons (PS excepted) that you don’t see many asscher cuts in the gem market.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 8/29/2009 11:46:15 PM
Author: amethystguy
it is a sweet cut..thanks for the clean pic..don''t turn me into an asscher fan..LOL..can''t wait to see how easy or hard it is to cut...not really easy/hard but how time consuming..doesn''t seem to have to many facets so shouldn''t take to long

Cutting these is fairly easy as long as you have enough material and the right strategy. If you have enough material, it''s best to cut all of the tiers making up the sides first. This gives you a square and makes it easy to get all of your corners to meet correctly. Once you have this done, come back and cut the corner tiers and all of your meet points just fall into place. Same holds true for any emerald cut by the way. Always make sure your cutting strategy works out well before you start cutting and you''ll shorten your cut time and reduce your frustration dramatically.

 

[marcy]

I don''t have any asschers but I sure want one - in aqua. Lovely examples everyone.

 

[Barrett]

Thanks for the info mike and zeo..exactly what I was looking for..i am starting to get ahead of myself and looking at all different cuts when i need to stick with the simple stuff now..i still have to do a rectangle/emerald type cut..thanks again

 

[Fly Girl]

Hi Amguy - I think the swirl of windmills attacts some fans to the asscher. For me, it is the feeling of gazing into a deep well that is most fascinating. You lose a lot of that 3-d effect with a two dimensional photograph, which is probably part of the reason I don''t own an asscher (yet).

I look forward to seeing you cut some emerald shapes. I have a soft spot for a good EC.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I have just always been attracted to step cuts, and the history of the Asscher cut was intriguing to me. It''s my e-ring, and I have slowly built a small collection of coloured asschers.

That 10 mile deep look is really cool in person, and of course, the bigger the better to see the steps well.

 

[Barrett]

I do enjoy the depths of the stone..i must agree on that..very cool..thanks for all the info and opinions

 

[loriken214]

This is my very first asscher gemstone. It is from Jeff White and is a spinel. One look at it and I was hooked! Just look at those facets!

Lori

 

[loriken214]

This is my second asscher from Jeff White. My precious peridot. I''m thinking of making this stone my new engagement ring.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

Date: 8/30/2009 12:38:21 AM
Author: amethystguy
Thanks for the info mike and zeo..exactly what I was looking for..i am starting to get ahead of myself and looking at all different cuts when i need to stick with the simple stuff now..i still have to do a rectangle/emerald type cut..thanks again

Here is my amazing EC pink tourmaline cut by Gary Braun.

Lori

 

[chrono]

Am Guy,
I have the schemetics for it but I think I’d better not share it because it was given to me by a cutter and I don’t have explicit permission to share it. An asscher cut is more geared towards lighter stones because it seems to showcase the steps better than a dark coloured stone. I suppose the reason for this cutting style is more about the design rather than the colour. There also seems to be many variations from a true Royal Asscher to something with extra steps all the way to a mix between a Carre + RA cut.

 

[PrecisionGem]

The Asscher cut is a stone that I have never sold to anyone except Pricescope members. It seems other than on this forum it is not too popular.

Here''s a tip Amethystguy, as Zeolite pointed out, the steps are pretty close and when cutting them they are very hard to see. What I do is take a black permanent marker, and draw a line on the pavilion, over all the facets. Then as I cut the next tier I can see where my cutting is ending. After each tier, you need to redraw the line. This really helps a lot.

Typically Asschers take longer than most other cuts since you end up going up and down the pavilion at least 2 times to get the steps all even. Plus, you need to cut all eight sides in in order to work out the the girdle, so what happens sometimes is that you think you have enough stone, but only after cutting 20 tiers, you find out that the girdle doesn''t fully clean up. Then start the process all over again. Since there are no meet points from tier to tier, you need to balance them out by eye, so this again takes extra time. I could easily cut 2 round stones faster than 1 Asscher stone.

Since the cut is deep, on most rough stones you end up wasting some material, and the finished stone is generally smaller than if you had picked a different cut. No big deal if you are working in inexpensive rough like quartz.

 

[zeolite]

Precisiongem: …Plus, you need to cut all eight sides in in order to work out the girdle, so what happens sometimes is that you think you have enough stone, but only after cutting 20 tiers, you find out that the girdle doesn''t fully clean up. Then start the process all over again.

Jason, this what I meant by “the asscher cut is a very unforgiving cut for mistakes”

Gene, thanks for the black marker tip. Jason, you should cut an emerald cut before you try an asscher.

 

[londonblue]

I''m curious.. most of the new colored gemstone material that is cut, is it based on the RA cut or the old regular asscher cut?

and what kind of hybrid asscher cuts are there out there currently as I''ve read some stones have been cut differently to give them more sparkle and flash.

Also the Tiffany Legacy cut is their own patented version of a mixed asscher/cushion cut which is quite nice.

 

[packrat]

Gorgeous pictures everyone! And Lori, I looove that peridot! Do you have a thread on it?

 

[chrono]

Date: 8/31/2009 7:56:59 PM
Author: londonblue
I''m curious.. most of the new colored gemstone material that is cut, is it based on the RA cut or the old regular asscher cut?

and what kind of hybrid asscher cuts are there out there currently as I''ve read some stones have been cut differently to give them more sparkle and flash.

Also the Tiffany Legacy cut is their own patented version of a mixed asscher/cushion cut which is quite nice.

I’m not sure how helpful this might be but I thought I’d give it a try:
Mine looks to be based on the RA cut. Per my design plot, it looks pretty simple and straightforward.
Table: 3 steps
Pavilion: 6 steps
Unfortunately, I don''t have any details on the hybrids.

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/31/2009 7:56:59 PM
Author: londonblue
I''m curious.. most of the new colored gemstone material that is cut, is it based on the RA cut or the old regular asscher cut?

and what kind of hybrid asscher cuts are there out there currently as I''ve read some stones have been cut differently to give them more sparkle and flash.

Also the Tiffany Legacy cut is their own patented version of a mixed asscher/cushion cut which is quite nice.

Try chatting with Barry at ACStones.com he didn''t want to call his cut an "asscher" as there were variances to his steps, so it is modified octagonal cut. But he can explain that better as well.

 

[londonblue]

thanks!

I forget the exact specs of the RA cut.. but that''s the one that is only patented for diamonds right?

Barry''s website seems to be undergoing maintenance, but from what I recall seeing, his cuts often seem more octagonal with larger corners cuts than what I think of a more traditional squarish asscher.

 

[PrecisionGem]

A Royal Asscher has 5 steps on the pavilion and 3 on the crown. The angles would be different for colored stones than for diamonds. For each different gem material, you need to modify the angles a bit, with the lower refractive index materials requiring the deeper stones.

I have no idea what a "Tiffany Legacy cut" is. Is this something they sell in diamonds? From what I have seen of their colored stones, the cutting seems pretty poor, the typical commercial quality. The box is quite nice however.

 

[D&T]

Date: 9/1/2009 2:23:37 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
A Royal Asscher has 5 steps on the pavilion and 3 on the crown. The angles would be different for colored stones than for diamonds. For each different gem material, you need to modify the angles a bit, with the lower refractive index materials requiring the deeper stones.

I have no idea what a ''Tiffany Legacy cut'' is. Is this something they sell in diamonds? From what I have seen of their colored stones, the cutting seems pretty poor, the typical commercial quality. The box is quite nice however.

lol

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 9/1/2009 2:34:19 PM
Author: D&T

Date: 9/1/2009 2:23:37 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
A Royal Asscher has 5 steps on the pavilion and 3 on the crown. The angles would be different for colored stones than for diamonds. For each different gem material, you need to modify the angles a bit, with the lower refractive index materials requiring the deeper stones.

I have no idea what a ''Tiffany Legacy cut'' is. Is this something they sell in diamonds? From what I have seen of their colored stones, the cutting seems pretty poor, the typical commercial quality. The box is quite nice however.

lol

Zing!!!