Asscher Help

[niles]

Hey all,

I'm looking for an engagement ring. I've been lurking for a few months, trying to learn as much as I can about Asschers (which my GF prefers). Thanks to you guys, I've been working with Good Old Gold, trying to find a well-performing generic Asscher.

So far, this is the best one we've found and from the video it looks solid to me. What do you guys think? I'm still relatively new to this, and I had some concerns about the girdle and table size, the amount of blue in the ASET, and it looked like 4 pavilions in the Sarin?

Anyway, I really appreciate any help, I would be completely lost without PS!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-7ct-h-vs1-asscher-diamond.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYZMbSmWpiw

 

[MarionC]

Have you decided?
It looks like great light performance to me.
I trust GOG to steer a buyer in the right direction [and bought my wonderful asscher from them last year].

 

[niles]

Thanks, I thought so too!

No decision just yet. I wanted to get an impartial opinion for some PSers with some experience before pulling the trigger.

GOG has been great so far, they've ordered 5 diamonds, but this one is by far the best. They said they can hold the diamond until early next week before I'll need to decide.

 

[Gypsy]

I would ask GOG is they think they will have anything that is amazing coming up in the next couple months before you buy.

But its not a bad stone. It's certainly above average. I don't really love the big table though, personally. Can you ask them to run a Sarin on it and tell you the crown height? I'd want to know about that

And... GOG has a line of some amazing asschers. So just to make sure I'd ask them if they have anything coming that you might want to hold out for.

 

[niles]

Gypsy, thanks so much for the reply! Your posts have been really helpful for learning about asschers.

The Sarin was included on that link to GOG's site, along with the ASET and xray images. Here's a direct link to the Sarin:

http://w.mawebcenters.com/static/ecommerce/141/141877/media/catalog/product/s/a/sarin_92_1.jpg

and the GOG listing:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-7ct-h-vs1-asscher-diamond.html

It looks like the crown height is 0.85mm/13%. The depth is just under 70 and the table is 70.

I had sort of the same feelings, it's definitely a solid stone, but not perfect. I did talk to Matt at GOG about potentially waiting for more stones, but he said there was no guarantee that we would do better. I'll ask again though

 

[Kaleigh]

I would ask GOG is they think they will have anything that is amazing coming up in the next couple months before you buy.

But its not a bad stone. It's certainly above average. I don't really love the big table though, personally. Can you ask them to run a Sarin on it and tell you the crown height? I'd want to know about that

And... GOG has a line of some amazing asschers. So just to make sure I'd ask them if they have anything coming that you might want to hold out for.

Ditto!!

 

[niles]

Karl_K, I know you don't comment on GOG threads unless specifically asked, but I would love to get your opinion on this!

 

[niles]

@Gypsy so I talked with Matt at GOG today, and told him I was unsure about the diamond. He said they really had no guarantees about what else we would find if we kept looking.

They offered to bring up to 4 more stones (in addition to the 5, so far) if I put down a non-refundable deposit, but they seemed pretty pessimistic about finding something better. They wouldn't call in more diamonds after that because they've already found one that is above average.

I understand their perspective, but I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I'm very serious about buying, I just want to make sure I find the right diamond. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

 

[eirwen]

I'm not an expert but I LOVE asschers and I've seen stunning asschers from GOG, however I'm not blown away by this... I'd personally work with them to see if there are nicer ones . Alternatively, consider these?

http://www.dbof.com/jewelry/asscher-diamond-1-41-ct-vs2-f-royal-asscher/
http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/halo-diamond-ring-159ct-asscher-cut-diamond-lsi1-gia-beautiful-cut-with-a-four-step-top

 

[Gypsy]

I don't know if having them call in more will result in a better stone. But I don't see the harm in it. I personally would tell them to do so.

 

[Karl_K]

Karl_K, I know you don't comment on GOG threads unless specifically asked, but I would love to get your opinion on this!

I think its a nice classic style asscher which is not everyone's cup of tea.
Its bright has nice patterns but a smaller table and maybe a higher crown would result in a more lively look.
The video gives a pretty good impression, mostly large flashes.
A smaller crown would have more med and small flashes.

The cutting history of the asscher style diamonds is really interesting but a long convoluted story.
Basically the changes came with the diamond saw from using the whole rough aka old style. Octavia is a throwback to this era.
Then came large tables and lower crowns using the diamond saw to get 2 stones from the rough that for decades was the EC/SE norm. aka Classic
Then tables got smaller and crowns higher but not as much as the ones using the whole rough while still cutting 2 stones from the rough. aka modern.
With Octavia in the mix all 3 styles are being cut today.

Then you have the royal asscher which is a modification of the modern asscher with more facets.

 

[niles]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Eirwen, personally, none of those stones are really what I'm looking for, but thank you for the suggestions and for the feedback.

Gypsy, yeah I think there's no harm in having them call in more stones. Although, I worry that it means I am essentially tied to the stone I originally posted, or I'm comfortable with letting go of a few hundred dollars.

Karl_K, thanks so much for posting! I must say that the first time I saw an Octavia my jaw hit the floor. Really, an amazing cut. That said, I think that both my girlfriend and I prefer the look of the classic Asscher, which is more square than the Octavia, with the broad flashes, even though it's less lively overall. I think if I had to pick an ideal stone it would be the second one in this GOG video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNwLVuzbkKU.

So, in that vein, if you think this is a nice stone, then that would be very helpful. In terms of finding classic, generic asschers, am I on the right track? What would be the best way to find a stone like the one in the video I posted?

 

[eirwen]

No worries it was very random - throw in for consideration.. keep us posted on your search Nd best of luck.. Oh what about James Allen website?

 

[Karl_K]

Karl_K, thanks so much for posting! I must say that the first time I saw an Octavia my jaw hit the floor. Really, an amazing cut. That said, I think that both my girlfriend and I prefer the look of the classic Asscher, which is more square than the Octavia, with the broad flashes, even though it's less lively overall. I think if I had to pick an ideal stone it would be the second one in this GOG video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNwLVuzbkKU.

So, in that vein, if you think this is a nice stone, then that would be very helpful. In terms of finding classic, generic asschers, am I on the right track? What would be the best way to find a stone like the one in the video I posted?

looks like a modern style to me.
look for something with a table in the 65 range and under.
The only real way is to have some more pulled in by someone until the right one turns up.
Has gog said anything about adjusting budget, color or clarity to expand options or do they feel its an availability problem overall in your size range?

 

[niles]

Ah, okay. That's helpful, I think I misunderstood your definitions originally. So I'm looking for that modern-style, generic then.

I'm not sure about availability being an issue. I did offer to adjust my ranges to make it easier to find, but it sounds like they're worried about spending too much on shipping and potentially upsetting their suppliers with too many requests.

 

[niles]

eirwen, I have looked on James Allen, especially initially, but I was hoping that working with a good vendor like GOG would make it easier to find a really well cut stone. It seems like more of a crapshoot with James Allen, and being less experienced I wanted to go with someone who really knew Asschers well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think working with GOG will pay off in the long run. I was lucky and found my asscher with the first group of stones they called in. I also prefer the tables to be under 65 because I love to see the crown on an emerald cut. I think the table on mine is only 58, which is really beautiful to me (although my stone is small because I bought it to fit a halo setting). I would pay the deposit and wait as long as it takes for more asschers to become available. It is worth it to get a really great stone.

 

[niles]

diamonseeker, I agree and GOG have been really helpful already and I want to wait for a great stone, too. The only problem is that even with the deposit they said they would only call in 4 more stones and then I would need to buy one or lose my deposit :/

I'm going to chat with Jon from GOG on Tuesday to get some more info.

I think for me it's less about the table size of this particular diamond, and more just that I'm not totally sold on the pattern. The dark band on the left side seems too large to me and the center seems like it could be livelier. Maybe I'm being too picky, I know these are very hard to find.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Table size is just one factor. You want the overall cut to be good absolutely. I was just recommending that you not waste one of your last 4 stones with tables that are too large which for me is an indicator that the stone may not be worth buying. I bought a great asscher from GOG and they do have access to a couple of good sources. But it just may be that they don't have one with the specs you want at this time. I will show you the video they made for me, and there are two very good asschers and two great asschers in the video. If I recall correctly, I bought the one that is second to the left, an H color one. Watching the video will at least help you learn to recognize better asschers. And do talk to Jonathan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7SBfNGxTFE&list=UUEV7slr-i-VduBBnfv9MxhA&index=2

 

[niles]

Table size is just one factor. You want the overall cut to be good absolutely. I was just recommending that you not waste one of your last 4 stones with tables that are too large which for me is an indicator that the stone may not be worth buying.

Absolutely, those were my thoughts, too. I've watched a TON of GOG asscher videos--they've been very helpful for learning to recognize good asschers and I think I have an idea now of the styles that I prefer. Very nice stone, by the way !

 

[MarionC]

Niles,

I'm excited for you. FInding your perfect asscher is a challenging and worthy quest with great rewards!
Can't wait to see what you decide on.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks, Niles! There is a great stone out there for you, too! They are worth waiting for!