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Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase?

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 23, 2003
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As diamond prices go up, I'm already two years ahead planning for my 10 year anniversary gift in 2013. :naughty: For my engagement ring, I was luckily blessed with an Eight Star. But in the back of my head, I knew I would want a Royal Asscher as a right hand ring. I've been talking to a Royal Asscher vendor who has old stock that they've had (what I think to be reasonably priced as they said that these are 2008 prices) for awhile. What do you think of the size and the prices? Are they reasonable?

.87, F, SI1, $3,500 for the loose stone

1.45 and set in Royal Asscher Lucida type platinum setting, H, IF, $13,870 either for the stone sold loose or with the ring altogether...I don't remember as I had asked for both prices...Currently the ring is set in that platinum setting that I just described.

Which would you purchase?

A part of me wants the bigger stone as my Eight Star is about a carat so I was told by a few Royal Asscher vendors that I should purchase about a carat and a half bigger Royal Asscher to match the size of my Eight Star. I've also seen a one carat Royal Asscher and it doesn't show quite the detail a larger stone would show so that's another concern. If I'm paying for the R.A. line already, you're paying for that extra detail that you can see right?

A part of me wants the less expensive stone because this is a luxury item, and we are still living in a recession so to speak. I have two kids under five, house mortgage, and one income (husband's), and we could use the $10,000 difference to support the charities that we like to support. So I guess the less selfish me wants the smaller rock. I guess if times were good, I was still working, and money was no object then the bigger stone would make sense, but for now I'm leaning toward this one. What would you pick and why?

Thanks for reading this post. I look forward to what everyone has to say. :twirl:
 

Gypsy

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Pretty good price on the H but not 2008 or 2009 pricing... but given everything you've said, I think the smaller diamond will be a better purchase at this point in time. I don't think he's giving you as much a deal as he makes it out. A generic asscher with those specs with be about 11K, now. So...I think it's a good price, but he's pushing with the claim that it's a great price.
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Thanks for your advice, Gypsy. ;-) So do you think the $3,500 is goof for the .87, F, SI1? I haven't talked down the price yet, but I don't know if I can. They have an online site, and they do have a brick and mortar store so I'm not sure if I have as much wiggle room. And if you think I do have some wiggle room then what is a fair offer? It seems like the Royal Asscher line isn't sold everywhere so it's hard to compare another Royal Asscher vendor's pricing for the same color, size, and clarity. I checked out the Davidson & Licht stores in Walnut Creek and Santa Clara, and those prices were really high compared to these prices...almost double if not double. :errrr:
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Storm Rider, are you still posting on this forum. I would like to hear what your thoughts are and also what the other Royal Asscher owners out there think. Thank you very much. :wavey:
 

kenny

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

If I was going to give the money to charity I'd give the money to charity.

If I was going to pick one of those RAs I'd get the bigger one.

The nature of the assshcer pattern REALLY benefits from larger size.
It's not just random bling like in some cuts.
The asscher pattern in motion is like a visual story that is constantly unfolding.
The larger the screen the more you can follow and enjoy the story.
 

acebruin

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

+1 to what kenny said... if you can afford it, get the bigger one...
 

Karl_K

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Jaded Gem|1311788465|2978112 said:
Storm Rider, are you still posting on this forum. I would like to hear what your thoughts are and also what the other Royal Asscher owners out there think. Thank you very much. :wavey:
The RA's iv seen have been well cut so it comes down to size vs money and really your the only one that can decide that.
For myself, if I could comfortably afford it I would go with the larger one.
I have been watching this thread but since RA is a competitor of my cut I prefer to let others handle it unless directly asked or tech information is needed only I can provide.
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Thank you Kenny, AceBruin, and Karl K. aka Storm Rider for your advice. I am still contemplating both stones. With the Tiffany Lucida setting, the Royal Asscher, H, 1.45, IF, will be about 15K so I have that cost in my mind as I compare it to the smaller .87, F, SI1 Royal Asscher. This is so hard to decide, but I appreciate everyone's honest opinion. Next will be the semi-mount setting selection which will probably be another shopping adventure for sure. :confused:
 

kenny

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase



Do you know about the Octavia Asscher?
It is the one Strmrdr (aka KarlK) designed.
PS rules prevent him from commenting too much on the Royal Asscher since he designed the Octavia Asscher.

I considered a Royal asscher but bought a generic asscher from Good Old Gold.
Later I bought the Octavia above.
Pics start on the bottom of pg 3:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pop-the-cork-i-just-bought-the-first-ocatvia.132337/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pop-the-cork-i-just-bought-the-first-ocatvia.132337/[/URL]

Good Old Gold sells the Octavia:

AT the moment there is only one for sale.
They need to cut more.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=8448&optSym=128&resultsColumns=268435535

o0o0o0o.png
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

As far as price goes, do you think these are decent prices? Sorry for so many questions. I don't know if I should shop around some more or just go with one of these two at hand. :read:
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Bluenile is handy for doing price research because they have a HUGE database.

Look for similar specs in their "signature ideal" cut, if they even have that for asschers.
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Messages
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Thanks Kenny, yes, I actually clicked on Storm's Place link, and I saw two Octavias on the Good Old Gold site, and then I read your response after I typed asking about the Royal Asscher prices. I clicked on your Octavia purchase and also on Jon's Good Old Gold video of your diamond, and I was blown away. I wish GOG carried more than those two Octavias. I guess they're as scarce as the Royal Asschers as I've not found one Royal Asscher vendor to have more than half a dozen. It's either they sell very fast, not enough is cut for the demand or both. They are absolutely beautiful..both the Royal Asscher and Octavia lines. Very hard to decide indeed after I have seen that video...now why do I have to click all these links...oh yes, it's because I am in love with diamonds. :loopy:
 

kenny

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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

One Octavia just sold according to another Rocky Talk thread, so now only one is left.

Royal Asschers are absolutely exquisite too.
They have 5 rows of facets on the pavilion instead of 3.
This means there will be more flashes of light but each flash will be smaller.
A different look.

The groovy thing about buying a fine branded asscher like RA or Octavia is you are assured that all of those facets are placed at angles that meet the brand's standard for good light return and optical performance.

Is this RA seller that one in florida who is no longer an authorized RA dealer, but has left over inventory from when they were?
I read something about them.
Perhaps you can google this.
If so they may in fact be selling authentic RAs at super prices - but do your own homework and buyer beware.
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Messages
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Hi Kenny, awhile ago, I actually contacted Jan from Diamond Brokers of Florida about the few or couple of Royal Asschers that she had and that's about as far as it went as I'm still in the shopping process. I know that they are no longer a Royal Asscher distributor, but I do not know why. Is there a link that you can post to show me what had happened with them. I am not aware of any controversy with them or any past customers. I just recently just started looking at the Royal Asscher line as I've always been in love with that cut, but I didn't want to get another diamond right after receiving my Eight Star so I've been out of the loop as far as any major diamond news goes. I know Eight Star was sold to Seng in Kentucky, but I don't know why. Richard, the past owner and founder of Eight Star, does real estate in wine country not too far from where I live so maybe that was something he wanted to do more so than sell diamonds. I don't know, and it also could be the economy and people shopping around. I know that my Eight Star cost twice as much as other diamonds in the same size, color, and clarity, but I am still very happy with my Eight Star diamond. I had corresponded with Richard and Dana a long time ago about visiting the cutting facility after receiving my Eight Star, but I just never made the time or date to do so. I wish I had...oh well. Now fast forward, eight years later and with the knowledge that some pricescopers had mentioned with the diamond prices going up that has triggered me or sparked my interest to start looking 2 years ahead for a ten year anniversary token.
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Thanks Mike and Ace Bruin! Everyone has been so helpful that I'm now at a point of looking at the bigger stone differently. There was another Royal Asscher from another vendor who came close to the $14K, H, 1.45, IF. They had a $16K, F, 1.41, VS2. These were the loose stone prices. There is no trade up policy for another Royal Asscher at either store. One store says even though they will foresee their store selling the Royal Asscher line for a long time they say that they can't give trade up credit as they're a smaller outfit versus big chain, and the other one says these are the last of their Royal Asscher stones as they will no longer be carrying the line. Weird thing is that they both say that the stones are already set in the Royal Asscher platinum lucida type setting, but the difference for the H Royal Asscher is $1,000 more making it $15K and the other F Royal Asscher jumps up an extra $2K for the setting so it would sell for $18K with the setting which I thought was weird. So which diamond would you pick: a little bigger, less money, lower color, better clarity or a little smaller, more costly, higher color, and lower clarity? Would you purchase the stone loose or would you just purchase it in the platinum Royal Asscher lucida setting already? Decisions, decisions. Thanks for putting up with me.
 

acebruin

Brilliant_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

did you already have a setting in mind? if you do, i would buy the stone loose... no point of wasting another 1k or 2k for lucida setting which you'll change anyway...

as far as the H/IF vs F/VS2 goes... the way i see it, they're both almost the same size... so what it comes down to is, do you prefer color or do you prefer having an IF royal asscher?!!!! me personally, i'm more of the bang for the buck type of guy... so i would pick the H/IF stone for 2k less... and use that 2k towards a setting i want...

my 2 cents...

but you might have a different preference... :)
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Actually Ace, I absolutely loved your Leon Mege setting you picked for your wife. Did she help you by giving hints or did you do it solo? Gosh, I wish my husband had good taste in jewelry, but he's lost. He just asks me how much damage it will cost and if it will make me happy. He's not gaga about jewelry like I am. He has a chemical engineering degree so he just thinks diamonds are just shiny carbon.
 

acebruin

Brilliant_Rock
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

sorry i've just noticed your post...

i picked the setting all by myself... :D all i gotta say is, she doesn't have to worry about my taste in jewellery... in fact i am THE diamond nut, and she doesn't get as excited as i do about carbons... :lol:

btw, did you buy your RA yet?
 

Jaded Gem

Shiny_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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Re: Can you tell me which Royal Asscher is a better purchase

Yes, I did, and I purchased the smaller one. Although I was totally checking out Storm Rider's octavia diamond on the GOG website. I went to the Leon Mege website to see if they posted your ring setting and how much it would cost, but I think I would need to talk to Leon one on one about pricing right? I'm also guessing that it would be at least a couple of thousand of dollars for something similar to your setting. Right now, the diamond is getting certed by G.I.A. as it only had the HRD cert so I don't have it in my possession yet. When I do get it, I'm thinking a single or double halo will give it more of a pop and size increase as this is a smaller diamond compared to if I had purchased the 1.45 one. Thank you very much for everyone's help. I know whoever purchases the other Royal Asscher will be a very lucky girl, and I might add that I am very lucky and happy in getting this smaller one. :D
 
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