Asscher band questions

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

Does anyone have any experience with the little asschers (.10 - .25 ct) in 5 or 7-stone bands from places like Blue Nile, James Allen, or Facets? Is there any chance those stones will be decently cut? Or are they so small it doesn't matter as much?


Sadly, I fear that Yoram is out of my budget and Jonathan’s cutter doesn’t do lab grown or moissanites that small.

Thanks!

 

[Matthews1127]

Have you reached out to Yoram to discuss your desired size/specs & budget?

I found him to be very reasonable, and at 0.25ct (and above) each, the cut will show in step cuts.

It is worth a conversation with Yoram to know for sure if he is out of budget range. His Asschers are amazing. I’d hate to see you miss out!

I do not have experience with BN, JA or Facets.
I do wish you well in your search!!

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

Have you reached out to Yoram to discuss your desired size/specs & budget?

I found him to be very reasonable, and at 0.25ct (and above) each, the cut will show in step cuts.

It is worth a conversation with Yoram to know for sure if he is out of budget range. His Asschers are amazing. I’d hate to see you miss out!

I do not have experience with BN, JA or Facets.
I do wish you well in your search!!

Thanks for the encouragement, message sent! He has a suite that would be perfect, but when I first started looking I didn’t think I wanted a 7-stone. Then I tried one on in my local store which maybe I shouldn’t have done because it was out of range. I told myself it was ok because b&ms have hefty markup and I could find better pricing online. It’s still a significant stretch, though. So far all the round bands I can afford (even fab CBI ones) just don’t grab me like asschers do.

 

[Matthews1127]

Thanks for the encouragement, message sent! He has a suite that would be perfect, but when I first started looking I didn’t think I wanted a 7-stone. Then I tried one on in my local store which maybe I shouldn’t have done because it was out of range. I told myself it was ok because b&ms have hefty markup and I could find better pricing online. It’s still a significant stretch, though. So far all the round bands I can afford (even fab CBI ones) just don’t grab me like asschers do.

Get quotes on 5 and 7 stone suites from Yoram, and wiggle between 0.20-0.25ct to give yourself better options.

What size is your finger? Depending on your ring size, 5 stones should give you decent coverage!!

Please keep us posted!!!

 

[OoohShiny]

I didn't realise BN and JA did asschers that small! I will have to have a nosey round

I haven't heard of Facets, though, so something else to check out, thanks for the heads-up!

Will be ace if you can get the Yoram cuts, though I appreciate they migh well be more costly than generic cuts (unfortunately!).

 

[kgizo]

I’m curious how asscher bands work with other rings. @Matthews1127 I know you plan to do a prong set ring. If you wear with your ER are there any concerns about the edge of the asschers cutting into the prongs of your ER? At some point I would like to get a band and prefer the prong look, but wonder if channel setting is better for the ER prongs and keeping edges of asschers safe. Would love to hear what is recommended and any real life experience.

 

[Matthews1127]

I’m curious how asscher bands work with other rings. @Matthews1127 I know you plan to do a prong set ring. If you wear with your ER are there any concerns about the edge of the asschers cutting into the prongs of your ER? At some point I would like to get a band and prefer the prong look, but wonder if channel setting is better for the ER prongs and keeping edges of asschers safe. Would love to hear what is recommended and any real life experience.

I discussed this with my jeweler who is creating my setting. There should not be any contact between this ring & my ER due to the design. However, I plan to switch my ring to my RH, so it gets its own spotlight....lol!

 

[molecule]

To give you an idea of size, here is a picture of my 7 stone:

The asschers were supposed to be 3mm but I measured them as 3.3mm but the size ended up being perfect to fit my 4.75 finger.

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

To give you an idea of size, here is a picture of my 7 stone:

The asschers were supposed to be 3mm but I measured them as 3.3mm but the size ended up being perfect to fit my 4.75 finger.

That's beautiful!

 

[knoxgirl]

I have the Blue Nile 8 asscher platinum band and love it. I can see the steps in the stones and the setting can’t be damaged by other rings. Are the stones as good as Yoram’s or those in Molecule’s band? Probably not but I’m happy with it. I also have a .63 asscher solitaire engagement ring in a trellis setting and can see the steps in that stone as well. When I got that ring in 2005, I didn’t even need reading glasses to see them

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

Ok, here's another question. When working with IDJ, if you specify "pricescope quality" stones does that increase the price?

Yoram very graciously responded, and his prices are appropriate for the quality but quite a stretch for me. In one scenario, I could buy two now and set them either into a thick band or as an open ring and add to the collection later. The trick there is getting well-matched stones; seems that's easiest if they're cut at the same time and you get the whole suite.

The real hang up is that I have champagne taste on a beer budget. We're of modest means anyway, and we've adopted two kids and traveled extensively. Maybe it sounds weird, and don't judge me too harshly, but I want something that looks worthy of 20 years of marriage (which this band will mark), that fits with our lifestyle, and that I could conceivably have if we had made different financial choices. I'm not going to live beyond my means, and I'm only going to spend what I can afford to spend, but I'm finding that I want something more impressive than my initial $2k budget was going to allow. And I'm trying not to be embarrassed by my budget, because I do think we have made good choices, they just didn't include establishing a big bling nest egg.

Back to the issue at hand, this all comes into play because I really love Asschers (which I only discovered back in 2016 when I lost my engagement diamond and began shopping to replace it. Then 19 months later I found it! Yay: sentimentality , boo: upgrade hopes dashed ) but the nice bands I can afford are all rounds.

e.g. HPD Taylor Band
or even their 1ctw 5-stone
or the 7-stone bar-set

to be continued...

 

[Matthews1127]

Ok, here's another question. When working with IDJ, if you specify "pricescope quality" stones does that increase the price?

Yoram very graciously responded, and his prices are appropriate for the quality but quite a stretch for me. In one scenario, I could buy two now and set them either into a thick band or as an open ring and add to the collection later. The trick there is getting well-matched stones; seems that's easiest if they're cut at the same time and you get the whole suite.

The real hang up is that I have champagne taste on a beer budget. We're of modest means anyway, and we've adopted two kids and traveled extensively. Maybe it sounds weird, and don't judge me too harshly, but I want something that looks worthy of 20 years of marriage (which this band will mark), that fits with our lifestyle, and that I could conceivably have if we had made different financial choices. I'm not going to live beyond my means, and I'm only going to spend what I can afford to spend, but I'm finding that I want something more impressive than my initial $2k budget was going to allow. And I'm trying not to be embarrassed by my budget, because I do think we have made good choices, they just didn't include establishing a big bling nest egg.

Back to the issue at hand, this all comes into play because I really love Asschers (which I only discovered back in 2016 when I lost my engagement diamond and began shopping to replace it. Then 19 months later I found it! Yay: sentimentality , boo: upgrade hopes dashed ) but the nice bands I can afford are all rounds.

e.g. HPD Taylor Band
or even their 1ctw 5-stone
or the 7-stone bar-set

to be continued...

So, just to throw this out there:
Why not wait for your 25 year Anniversary, and save the money you’ll need for a suite of the style of diamonds your heart wants?

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

So I went to some local jewelers with my mom and tried on different things. That's also where I really felt the difference between the statement I want to say for a 20th anniversary and what $2k will buy. It doesn't help that my hands are fairly large, so dainty bands look pitiful on me. I like the look of stacking, but am very late to that game and am not sure I have the patience to wait who knows how many more years to be able to collect a decent looking ring stack.

That's also when I discovered that I loved the look of a 7-stone. The one in the store had 23 pointers and was great. I did also try a 9-stone with 13 pointers that I think would content me, but they were ~$6700 and ~$5200. So not unreasonable by any stretch, but more than double my original budget.

Which now has me contemplating an option I might have to move this thread to discuss: small, round, real diamonds vs. larger, excellently cut Asschers of a different material?

I did reach out to Jonathan at August Vintage because I love the look of his AVEC and was wondering if he could do an Asscher by just changing the l:w ration (yes, he can!). However, his source isn't cutting alternatives to real diamonds right now smaller than 5mm.

Jonathan was super gracious, though, and has been working with me to come up with something attainable: a 4-stone with 5mm Asschers (is it appropriate to post the mockup image he sent me?)

I'm really kind of excited about it, because the stones would be gorgeous and big enough to appreciate the cut! He's got it in a nice hefty band that has exactly the sort of substantial look I want. On the other hand, I wonder if the stones will be so large they'll seem fake given my context, and I wonder if I should stick to real just cuz. I have other types of big, bold jewelry that I wear, so that doesn't bother me. And I'm not really worried about people judging me because I'm not otherwise a conspicuous consumer. And as I said, I think my hands are big enough to pull it off (size 6.25-6.5). I just always thought I would stick with diamonds, but the shape issue is making me see things in a different light. I'm really thinking I might be happier with a beautiful stone shaped like an asscher than with a rare MRB.

 

[OoohShiny]

Ok, here's another question. When working with IDJ, if you specify "pricescope quality" stones does that increase the price?

Yoram very graciously responded, and his prices are appropriate for the quality but quite a stretch for me. In one scenario, I could buy two now and set them either into a thick band or as an open ring and add to the collection later. The trick there is getting well-matched stones; seems that's easiest if they're cut at the same time and you get the whole suite.

The real hang up is that I have champagne taste on a beer budget. We're of modest means anyway, and we've adopted two kids and traveled extensively. Maybe it sounds weird, and don't judge me too harshly, but I want something that looks worthy of 20 years of marriage (which this band will mark), that fits with our lifestyle, and that I could conceivably have if we had made different financial choices. I'm not going to live beyond my means, and I'm only going to spend what I can afford to spend, but I'm finding that I want something more impressive than my initial $2k budget was going to allow. And I'm trying not to be embarrassed by my budget, because I do think we have made good choices, they just didn't include establishing a big bling nest egg.

Back to the issue at hand, this all comes into play because I really love Asschers (which I only discovered back in 2016 when I lost my engagement diamond and began shopping to replace it. Then 19 months later I found it! Yay: sentimentality , boo: upgrade hopes dashed ) but the nice bands I can afford are all rounds.

e.g. HPD Taylor Band
or even their 1ctw 5-stone
or the 7-stone bar-set

to be continued...

Don't be embarrassed or ashamed by your modest budget - we should never be ashamed of our financial position, our lives should be measured by so much more than the amount of money we earn / have, and there will always be people who have more and people who have less than us

PS is somewhat of a distorted reality IMHO - a large percentage of people on here have substantial bling, whereas in 'the real world' it's likely that perhaps only 1% of people (or even less!) spend any real money on jewellery - the percentage is much higher on here simply because of what the site is for!

If you would rather buy something now rather than wait for an upgrade for your quarter-century anniversary then you could consider MMDs / Lab Grown Diamonds - the costs should be considerably lower, although you may need to employ the services of Rhino to source some that are cut to a good standard and similar style. (If you want to look at that route then you'd have to start a thread in that section of the forum )


EDIT: Cross-posted with your post!

To confirm, when you say 'real diamonds', do you actually mean Mined Diamonds? Man Made Diamonds are 'real diamond' because they are the same material as Mined stones, but for some people they are seen as 'cheating' and 'not real'

If Rhino can cut AVECs from MMD rough, that could solve your issues at a reasonable cost

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

So, just to throw this out there:
Why not wait for your 25 year Anniversary, and save the money you’ll need for a suite of the style of diamonds your heart wants?

ACK!! Very fair question! I do feel like I've already been waiting forever. My ER has always been smaller than I would have preferred, and when I lost my stone a few years ago I started saving and planning to replace it. So it seems like it's been a long time coming and I really want something concrete for the 20th. Also, in 5 more years we'll be looking at college tuition.

But you've definitely given me something to think about.

 

[Matthews1127]

ACK!! Very fair question! I do feel like I've already been waiting forever. My ER has always been smaller than I would have preferred, and when I lost my stone a few years ago I started saving and planning to replace it. So it seems like it's been a long time coming and I really want something concrete for the 20th. Also, in 5 more years we'll be looking at college tuition.

But you've definitely given me something to think about.

I know how you feel about tuition; my oldest is a Freshman in college, pursuing his goal of being a Pharmacist. That’s 6-8 years of school for a Pharm D.
DH purchased my suite of 7 Vintage Asschers from Yoram last November/early December. My goal is to set the production of the setting I designed with my jeweler in motion, this summer. I’m anxiously awaiting his reward letter & Financial Aid qualifications before I pull the trigger.
I totally understand. Just wanted to throw out another option. I’d hate to see you “settle”, and miss out on your Asschers.

 

[molecule]

@EarlyBirdAsscher
FYI: My seven stone asscher ring (posted over in Fabulous Fashion Jewelry) ended up a little over 1k, so your budget is do-able.

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

I found this little guy in a store today. .91 ctw 1/2 eternity. He definitely has charm, but I louped the stones and not only are they poorly cut, they're poorly matched! Of course, they're so small no one would notice. I think most people would just see a subtle, uncommon band.

But that mind-clean issue is real :roll

 

[EarlyBirdAsscher]

So far this is as close as I've found IRL that is roughly the size of the asschers I'm discussing with Jonathan. Those would be 5mm and these are .40 rounds (2ctw) ~ 4.8mm. My mom thinks it's too big; my sisters don't! I would normally wear it alone on my right hand.

Perspective shot (contrasting with a dainty band that I just think is too small)


And a bit more distance:

 

[Matthews1127]

So far this is as close as I've found IRL that is roughly the size of the asschers I'm discussing with Jonathan. Those would be 5mm and these are .40 rounds (2ctw) ~ 4.8mm. My mom thinks it's too big; my sisters don't! I would normally wear it alone on my right hand.

Perspective shot (contrasting with a dainty band that I just think is too small)


And a bit more distance:

I love the size!! Perfect presence!!

 

[motownmama]

I like that band you found I the store!!! Yes!