Asscher cut, questions on stone and setting options

[ndtyler333]

Hello this is my frist post on Pricescope, this site has been fantastic to browse through and a great source of information.

I decided on an asscher cut for "The Ring" to make something a bit more unique. I tried my best to take some pictures of the stone but discovered that diamonds are very hard to photograph. Please excuse the dust I had a hard time keeping it and the camera lense clean.

GIA report:

5.83x5.81x3.82 mm
1.07 Carat
J Color
VVs1
Depth:65.7%
Table:64%
Polish: VG
Symmetry: VG
Floresence: Medium Blue

Light from behind the stone



Another shot



Light from above



Side View



Bottom's Up




This stone was a good compromise to stay on budget, The clarity is better than it need be, I was concerend a cut like this should be eye clean and this one definatly is. Though a J in color this diamond does not show it. I was very surpised when I discoverd its graded color. It compares well to stones that are a G, even in low light it really hides its hue. Only face down can you really see any hue. I like the proportions of the cut. To be honest I know nothing of asschers (or emeralds either). So let me know your honest opinions if you think something is obviously not ritght. The stone was $3600 including tax.

She likes thinner rings and simple looks. I have been looking at bands with channel and pave set stones. I had a crazy thought and this is were I would really appreciate help. What if I had the stone kite set? Would it be wierd, or get old? The stone is so nearly square I though it would neat. I have some time before I need the ring ready so I want to explore my setting options a bit.

Thanks for reading and having a look.

 

[lovemybling]

I am not an asscher expert by I think it is a very pretty stone.

Where have you looked for settings? What is your budget?

AS for setting it kite, In my opinion, I would not. Kite settings people either LOVE or HATE, If you are unsure then I say Don't.

 

[Christina...]

You have the stone in hand, so your in the best position to decide if the stone is beautiful. Does it sing to you? make you smile when you peer at it? Do you love the big bold flashes of color? Could you look into the stone for hours?

Your right, diamonds are extremely difficult to photograph. What I noticed first about your stone is that it seems to lack a strong windmill pattern, and in some of the pictures there are dark areas. This could be the photography though. When you rock the stone back and forth do the dark areas light up or stay dark? Are the square facets distinct, do your eyes naturally fall to the center of the stone? Are you getting big flashes from the center of the stone?

I'm not a step cut expert either. I do have an asscher though, and when we shopped for it, I did alot of research and asked a lot of questions from all the knowledgable people here. I had my list of priorities and took them to the jewelers with me, but in the end I went by what my eyes and heart were telling me. I love my diamond, even though on paper the table is a teeny bit on the wide side and the depth a hair short, but it lights up like a firework and that was what I wanted most. So, in the end only you can be the judge of what it beautiful and perfect to you.

As for the color. Mine is an I, and I was impressed by the grading as well. Outside it is so icy white looking that I think that if I had gone with a higher grade it would have been icy for me. The only time I really see any color is when I look through the side of the stone, and even then it's slight. I'm not super color sensitive though either. I was warned away from going below an H, but I'm glad I didn't listen.

You have a ton of setting options. Have you checked out the Show me the Bling forum? There are lots of threads there showing PSers rings, and there are thousands of beauties to look at for inspiration.

Karl K is the asscher expert around here, you could do a search and read through some of his threads about what to look for in an asscher if you are having second thoughts about your stone. Or maybe he will see your thread and share his thoughts with you. Though in the end, chosing a diamond is a very personal decision and different stones speak differently to different people. You'll know if its the right one for you!

 

[Karl_K]

High crown is a good sign.

 

[Karl_K]

This one worries me a little...
Do you have a return policy if needed?
From the face up view you can see they left some pavilion facets off the bottom row corners.
In this shot you can see that the pavilion is fat then all the sudden comes sharply to a point.
It is very easy to cut the p3 facets too shallow when doing this and that is not good.
It is done to keep as much weight on as possible.
So basically the pavilion was cut to preserve the max amount of weight from the rough.
Did the cutter go too far and compromise the p3 angle?


Can you take a picture of it sitting in the V between 2 fingers from a few different angles including parallel to the table?
Then we can tell if it is an issue.

 

[ndtyler333]

I took a few more pictures, I can try different angles if you need a better prespective.











The stone has a very pronounced geometric pattern to it, like a box, within a box, within a box. I can see it from several feet away. It has the appearence of depth. Thats what caught my eye. This stone is missing 4 facets, correct? Thats why the "windmills' don't go all the way to the bottom. Is this stone in line with the price I paid?

I can return the stone without any problems I made sure to ask. It was described as a Very Good cut, is that a fair assesment?

 

[Gypsy]

Storm is best at dealing with cut so I'm going to deal with the rest of the worrisome issues.

You said you decided on an asscher because you wanted to make the ring more unique. That's kind of a terrible reason to choose an asscher. I have one and I love it and am thrilled with it but then again an asscher was one of the shapes I picked when my husband asked me what I like.

But asschers have some significant draw backs chief among them being that they face up small for their carat weight and are really cruddy looking when dirty and they are really unique cuts that have 'personalities' you need to love. And believe me... not everyone would chose to own an asscher as their engagement ring.

Does SHE want a square stone? Does she want a step cut? An asscher is not a cut we recommend as a 'surprise' and DEFINITELY not one to choose only because you want to be 'different'... there are MUCH safer choices if you want something unique but want to surprise her.

YOU REALLY REALLY should not star-set the asscher. It's a love it or hate and most hate it.

PLEASE check with her that she likes asschers. You can do it the smart way and just ask her or you can be sneaky and have a sister, mother, aunt, cousin, best friend show her a picture of one and ask her what she thinks. Then report back to you.

If you don't want to check with her please keep the following in mind: this is the ring SHE will wear for a long time. SHE needs to love it. And not just because you bought it.

Would you be happy if you were expecting a BMW SUV and were given lovely brand new Mini instead? It's a BMW and it has four wheels-- aren't you thrilled! Especially if the reason she chose a Mini was because she THOUGHT surprising you would be FUN and because ALL THE OTHER GIRLS were getting THIER men BMW SUV's and she HAD TO BE DIFFERENT. And then imagine you had to drive the Mini for the rest of your life because your partner bought it for you and it is a 'symbol of your love." And if you didn't you would be ungrateful and a brat.

Not so much, eh? Yeah... that's how we feel when are partner's decide to go off on their own and surprise us with things that we would NEVER ever have chosen for us. And yes, we love it cause you gave it to us... but don't you want us to love it just because it's perfect and so beautiful it takes our breath away?

If you can read her mind... truly and actually read her mind. If not, please check with her or choose something much safer.

 

[packrat]

I had an asscher kite set (now granted it was a pink tourmaline, not a diamond). I love the look of it when I see pictures, and it does look pretty on the hand. However..not 10 minutes after I had it on I realized I was turning my had to see it set the regular way. My eyes were rebelling against seeing the windmills set on point. If it had been a princess cut I don't think it would have bothered me in the slightest, b/c like I say, it is very pretty on the finger, the shape set that way, but..just not with a step cut.

Also, I have a friend on here who has an asscher diamond. She had it kite set for a while and changed back b/c it drove her nuts. It's a pretty look, just not for everyone, and not something to try for a surprise unless you know for certain she's had something exactly like that before and loved it.

 

[Karl_K]

square within a square is good.
Can you take a pic like I requested above please?
If the p3s are ok and you like the look combined with the 3600 price it isn't bad.
There aren't many comps I could find for price but it seemed on the low end which is right for that stone.
If it had been finished and the pavilion trimmed a bit it would be more per ct.

 

[ndtyler333]

She liked emerald cuts, and really graviteted to rings with cushion and princess shapes but she really prefered the step cut stones. She did not like emeralds that were on the long side. Thats my reasoning for the asscher. I know this for sure, she said "I don't really want a round stone".

The idea to kite set is just that, and Idea. And from the feedback it dosen't sound like a good one. The safe bet would be to mount the stone traditionally. One jeweler I taked to said to go for it, while another said "HELL NO".

I really appreciate the honest concern and comments keep them comming. Every little bit helps.


Karl_K can you describe the views you need? Howe shold the stone be held? Where should the camera be?

 

[Karl_K]

Karl_K can you describe the views you need? Howe shold the stone be held? Where should the camera be?

put the diamond in the V between 2 fingers, snap some pics from around 8 inches away with the camera parallel to the table then some from off to the side a bit.

 

[slg47]

She liked emerald cuts, and really graviteted to rings with cushion and princess shapes but she really prefered the step cut stones. She did not like emeralds that were on the long side. Thats my reasoning for the asscher. I know this for sure, she said "I don't really want a round stone".

The idea to kite set is just that, and Idea. And from the feedback it dosen't sound like a good one. The safe bet would be to mount the stone traditionally. One jeweler I taked to said to go for it, while another said "HELL NO".

I really appreciate the honest concern and comments keep them comming. Every little bit helps.


Karl_K can you describe the views you need? Howe shold the stone be held? Where should the camera be?

ok good then it seems like you're on the right track with the asscher cut

 

[Gypsy]

She liked emerald cuts, and really graviteted to rings with cushion and princess shapes but she really prefered the step cut stones. She did not like emeralds that were on the long side. Thats my reasoning for the asscher. I know this for sure, she said "I don't really want a round stone".

The idea to kite set is just that, and Idea. And from the feedback it dosen't sound like a good one. The safe bet would be to mount the stone traditionally. One jeweler I taked to said to go for it, while another said "HELL NO".

I really appreciate the honest concern and comments keep them comming. Every little bit helps.


Karl_K can you describe the views you need? Howe shold the stone be held? Where should the camera be?

ok good then it seems like you're on the right track with the asscher cut

Whew! Sounds just right. Good work.

 

[ndtyler333]

I tried my best to take some pictures but my camera decided to give me some problems. I had to use my phone and this was the best I could do. I can get my camera working and try again if these don't help.








This one was with the flash on



So I looked around a bit online and found a couple close to this. Any thought on how these compare?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1354593.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VVS2-Premium-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1322074.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1417904.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VVS2-Good-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1378052.asp

I noticed the last two have the windmills taper off before they reach a point at the bottom. Must be a similar situation.

 

[MissStepcut]

I would seriously consider changing course and going with a fat emerald, simply because they face up bigger. Compare the dimensions of your asscher to this:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1384653.asp

 

[Karl_K]

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1354593.asp

This is the only one I would consider of the bunch ask for an ASET image.

The pictures are from the wrong side but the right idea.
If you can take them from the top of the diamond with it sitting like that.

 

[ndtyler333]

here we go again...













Sorry I missed to piont in the last set of pictures. Is there evidence of a probelm here?


I did ask for an ASET image of this stone:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1354593.asp

They said it would take a few days. This one looks to be clean through the stone so its worth looking into.

I also found a few others close in price online at several vendors and requested some pictures and ASET images. I have the luxury of not being in a hurry.

 

[Haven]

Is it normal to see a dark area that is sort of in the shape of a Maltese cross? It's very pronounced in the last picture posted. Just curious. I used to be obsessed with Asschers and I don't remember seeing that before. It kind of makes the stone look dark.

 

[Gypsy]

Is it normal to see a dark area that is sort of in the shape of a Maltese cross? It's very pronounced in the last picture posted. Just curious. I used to be obsessed with Asschers and I don't remember seeing that before. It kind of makes the stone look dark.

Mine does one stripe or another in the right light. I think it's because of the setting it doesn't do the full Maltese.

 

[Gypsy]

In the first pic (flash) you can see the full cross in the second (no flash) you can't see it.

 

[Karl_K]

here we go again...


Sorry I missed to point in the last set of pictures. Is there evidence of a problem here?

I was looking for leakage ie if I can see your finger through the center of the stone.
It doesn't look that bad. There are some leakage areas but they seem to return light quickly when it is tilted.
Is it the best in the world no, if you love it its ok, not a dog either but rather unconventional.
The sad thing is it could have been cut into a 1.05 that is a lot better but on the other hand it would have sold for more.

 

[ndtyler333]

Thank you Karl_K, sounds like a honest assesment if I ever heard one. I do kind like the little guy, but will see if there are options online that measure up. I live in a smaller town and don't have alot to compare to in person. I will post the inofrmation form the other stones as I get them. I'll give it a week and see if this is "the rock" or not.

I was told by the jewler that Asschers should have proportions of less than 65% on the table and less than 65% depth and better than 15% crown hieght. I am sure thats a generalization, and as far as I have ever known most fancy shapes don't have a master standard like RB's. Karl what should I be looking for in your opinon? If I am grazing through the lists of stone's online what's the sign of a good one?

As far as the dark apperance in the photos, thats a contrast issue witht camera. When light hits side of the crown the corners light up brilliantly and the camera adjusts. I am in my office and the lighting is poor.

MissStepCut: I agree with you about the emeralds. I personally like emerlad cuts quite a bit. She much pereferd the look of square stones and we looked at some nice emerald solitares (really nice).

 

[Gypsy]

I'm not Karl, but have generally seen him post 'preferred' specs enough to know what they are. You need to keep in mind that the facets all work together.

Depth over 60 and less than 70 or over 70 with a discount in pricing. Kaleigh, one of our posters has a gorgeous asscher that breaks this rule as her depth is under sixty. Hers is very much an exception. Usually to get the box within a box 64 or deeper is where you are at. Except for yours, I haven't seen many decent asschers recently with any depth below 67%. They exist and there used to be more of them... but recently I haven't been able to find any. Yours is a GOOD FIND when it comes to depth because you are getting good spread from it. Most 1 carat asscher's I've seen recently have been closer to 5.5 x 5.5 instead of 5.8 like this one you posted: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1354593.asp?gid=GAN&pid=k244266&pname=VigLink Generally, the deeper the diamond is the less spread you get (although this also depends on the girdle and other factors as well).

Girdle-- not extremely or very thin. Very thick or extremely thick are okay, but you will lose spread. And no wild fluctuations in the girdle.

Table... smaller the better combined with a crown height of over 11% .

Crown Height: Over 11 but the higher the better.

Polish : VG or EX
Symmetry: VG or EX


I posted a pic of mine earlier and mine has a table is 60, crown is 15-16% and Depth is at 65 and it is EX/EX. And as you noted, there are no standardized stats for asschers, it all depends on how the facets work together, and they can't be bought with stats they have to be bought with the eye.

It might be out of your price range, it's l/w is 1.04 and the picture REALLY sucks but this one might have potential. http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1423376.asp

 

[ndtyler333]

If I decided to push my budget into that range I would rather buy this guy...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4169/

In the other video he has its the stone on the right, looks very nice to me.

 

[Karl_K]

If I decided to push my budget into that range I would rather buy this guy...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4169/

In the other video he has its the stone on the right, looks very nice to me.

Just so you know I have a business relationship with gog. He sells my line of custom cut step cuts.
That said,
I recommended that stone the first time it came up and still do.
Someone must have traded it back in.
Put it on hold it will not last long.

 

[Laila619]

If I decided to push my budget into that range I would rather buy this guy...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4169/

In the other video he has its the stone on the right, looks very nice to me.

Just so you know I have a business relationship with gog. He sells my line of custom cut step cuts.
That said,
I recommended that stone the first time it came up and still do.
Someone must have traded it back in.
Put it on hold it will not last long.

I know nothing about asschers, but that looks pretty.

 

[ndtyler333]

I agree, I keep this one as the high end option. I can budget that stone of I keep the ring cost down. I will be over my budget but its not out of line if it blows me away. I am sure it would light her up as well.


Here is an intersting option, they confirmed this one to be eye clean and I am awaiting some pictures.

http://www.abazias.com/database/NewDiamondInfo.asp?stock=93078469&src=builder

Blue nile won't even send pictures...

 

[Haven]

Gypsy--Thank you for the photos and the explanation!

 

[jstarfireb]

I didn't know Abazias will send pics. I thought they were a drop-shipper like BN. That's good to know!

 

[Christina...]

I agree, I keep this one as the high end option. I can budget that stone of I keep the ring cost down. I will be over my budget but its not out of line if it blows me away. I am sure it would light her up as well.


Here is an intersting option, they confirmed this one to be eye clean and I am awaiting some pictures.

http://www.abazias.com/database/NewDiamondInfo.asp?stock=93078469&src=builder

Blue nile won't even send pictures...

The depth of the abazias stone is very shallow, I think that I would pass. The GOG stone..... I noticed that it got snatched up, I hope it was you!