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Asscher Square Emerald Cut - need advice

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cupcakeheaven

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
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Hi everyone,

I''ve been reading all of the advice about this topic which has been a great help with my diamond hunt so far and i''m hoping that you''ll be able to help me in my search to find what i''m looking for.

I recently got engaged and i''m searching for my ring now. Originally I thought I wanted a Princess Cut stone, but that was before I tried on an ''Asscher'' cut solitaire (or more precisely a square cut emerald) at a jewellers and fell in love with it. Unfortunatley for me it was already sold and would have been about £2000 over our budget anyway!

All I know about this stone is that it was:
- 1 ct
- Square emerald cut
- F colour
- VS1 clarity

I live in the UK and there seem to be very few jewellers who have an ''Asscher'' style cut or know what one is, let alone two that we can compare! So that has led me to the internet, where it seems we can buy a similar stone but for a more realistic price but I understand from what i''ve read that with ''Asscher'' cut diamonds it''s hard to always predict what the stone will be like lookswise.

From what I know so far the type of stone i''m looking for is ideally:

Size - 0.9-1.2 carats
Cut - Ideal/Excellent
Colour - D-F
Clarity - IF-VS1
Polish - Ex/VG
Symmetry - Ex/VG
Fluorescence - none
Culet -none
L/W ratio - 1.00-1.05

Our budget is around $6000-7000 for the stone and we plan to have it set as a solitaire in platinum.

My main queries are:

1)I''m aware the ''Asscher'' style stones have less fire than a Princess etc but the one I tried on had a flash like fire to it and did sparkle but in a different way which is what i''m also hoping to capture but i''m not sure what to look for to achieve this. I definately don''t want a Princess cut as I know so many who have them and I want something more unique. I also personally love how the cut flashes rather than the glitteriness of the other cuts and I thought the stone was more elegant.

2) What difference does the number of pavillion steps make to the overall look of the stone? I have come across Square Emerald cuts that have 3 or 4 steps in the pavillion.

3) What is the advantage of a Cut Cornered Square Step cut diamond over a Square Emerald? I''ve found one of those with 5 pavillion steps. I''m guessing I like square emerald cut as that''s the one I saw.

4) What figures should I be looking for depth/table percentage wise?

Finally after looking at BN/DOW etc I like the look of Whiteflash or maybe James Allen (they have pics). I''ve emailed WF and these are the stones they have suggested so far so opinions on these would also be welcomed!

1)
Cut: Square cut emerald (4 pavillion steps)
Size: 1.14
Colour: F
Clarity: VVS2
Girdle: STK
Fluoresence: N
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Culet: N
Depth: 69.1
Table: 65
Dimensions: 5.83x5.76x3.98
Ratio 1.01:1

2)
Cut: Square Cut Emerald (4 pavillion steps)
Size:1.10
Colour: D
Clarity: VS1
Girdle: STK-TK
Fluoresence: N
Polish: VG
Symmetry: VG
Culet: N
Depth: 68.0
Table: 56
Dimensions: 5.73x5.65x3.84
Ratio 1.01:1

3)
Cut: Square Emerald Cut (4 pavillion steps)
Size: 1.07
Colour: F
Clarity: VS1
Girdle: TK
Fluorescence: N
Polish:EX
Symmetry: VG
Culet: N
Depth:68.3
Table: 57
Dimesions: 5.69x5.61x3.83
Ratio 1.01:1

4)
Cut: Square Emerald Cut (3 steps in pavillion)
Size: 1.02
Colour: D
Clarity: VS1
Girdle:TN-TK
Fluorecence: N
Polish: EX
Symmetry: VG
Culet: N
Depth: 67.4
Table: 61
Dimensions: 5.76x5.73x3.86
Ratio 1.01:1

5)
Cut: Cut Cornered Square Step Cut (5 pavillion steps)
Size: 1.04
Colour: F
Clarity: VVS1
Girdle: TK-VTK
Fluoresence: N
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Culet: N
Depth: 68.5
Table: 65
Dimension:5.52x5.43x3.72
Ratio 1.02:1

I look forward to your advice.






 
1: Asschers have more overall fire than a princess cut if they are well cut.
princess cuts produce many small flashes where an Asscher returns fewer but much larger flashes.

2: A 3 step pavilion can look exactly like a 4 or 5 step and the reverse is also true.

3: none really. both can be awesome and both can be very poor depending on how they are cut.

4: unless it has a very high crown and small table then depth under 70% is a good rule. Table under 65.

numbers drool and pictures rule.
All the numbers are good for is a very rough sort to find the ones to look at further.

Out of that group I would consider calling in #2 and #3 for pictures first.
 
also, fo a search for posts here -- there is a wealth of knowledge on asschers on ps -- especially strms posts.

Good Luck!
 
Date: 8/3/2008 5:35:41 PM
Author: strmrdr
1: Asschers have more overall fire than a princess cut if they are well cut.
princess cuts produce many small flashes where an Asscher returns fewer but much larger flashes.
Thanks for the advice strmrdr - the look of the larger firey flashes is what I loved about the original stone I saw so that''s what i''m hoping to recreate with a diamond that''s really well cut.

I will get WF to bring those 2 you suggested in for photos.

Please could you advise me as to whether any of the following stones from James Allen show any promise:


http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1135589.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1154673.asp


Thank you for your help.
 
Date: 8/3/2008 7:21:06 PM
Author: cupcakeheaven
Date: 8/3/2008 5:35:41 PM

Author: strmrdr

1: Asschers have more overall fire than a princess cut if they are well cut.

princess cuts produce many small flashes where an Asscher returns fewer but much larger flashes.

Thanks for the advice strmrdr - the look of the larger firey flashes is what I loved about the original stone I saw so that''s what i''m hoping to recreate with a diamond that''s really well cut.


I will get WF to bring those 2 you suggested in for photos.


Please could you advise me as to whether any of the following stones from James Allen show any promise:



http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1135589.asp


http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Asscher-Diamond-1154673.asp



Thank you for your help.

First one is worth getting an IS image of.
The second is not one I like it is a bit dark.
 
Here is the photo of the above 1.05 Asscher.
Opinions would be welcomed.

Shape: Asscher
Carat Weight: 1.05ct
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: 5.36%
Lab Report: GIA
In House: Yes
Width: 5.68mm
Length: 5.71mm
Depth: 3.79mm
Table Percentage: 63.32%
Depth Percentage: 66.79%
Crown Depth: 15.77%
Pavilion Depth: 44.98%

1.05.jpg
 
Magnified Pic

Magnified.jpg
 
DiaXray

Xray.jpg
 
Do you have the link for the diamond please?
 
Bigger view

SQ1.05.jpg
 
Clarity

Magview1.05.jpg
 
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