Help me evaluate an Asscher cut, please!

[firemaple]

Hi! I'd like some help evaluating an asscher cut diamond. My boyfriend and I recently started looking into engagement rings. I absolutely adore step cuts, and had decided a square emerald cut was the direction I wanted to go, but was still researching how to evaluate the cut, the trade off between mined vs man made, negotiating the budget, etc. Then I came across this stone and it made my heart skip a beat:






Specs
1.21 Carat
5.97x5.97x3.98
VS1
I Color
No Fluoresence
Certified/Laser Inscribed Royal Asscher

GIA link: https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=6137717321&s=1595447916774


My questions:
Any immediate concerns about this stone that jump out?

Do you find I an acceptable color for square emerald cuts mounted in platinum/white gold? It's the lowest color grade I've seen recommended, with several resources recommending staying at G or better.

What is the market price for something with similar size and performance - with or without the Royal Asscher branding? I did some cursory looking at JA/Blue Nile/Whiteflash to get some sense based on specs, but know judging fancy cuts on specs alone is a fools errand. Since I am still in research mode instead of buying mode, I haven't developed a sense of what rates are like or how to evaluate a "fair" price.

The GIA evaluation is 10 years old. If I were to want to purchase should I ask to have reevaluated by the GIA? Or arrange to have it locally appraised during the short return window to make sure the stone hasn't been altered/damaged in the last decade? Or just not worry about the age of the grading report?

I've already learned so much lurking on Pricescope and appreciate any input on this stone!

 

[Karl_K]

Pictures are baldly taken and do not show a lot.
Yes, it needs a new report. Who knows where it has been or what has happened to it since the last report.
RA's of that period are a mixed bag some rock some are just ok in my opinion.
Better pics, an ASET image and a video would really help.
Color tolerance is personal preference, I would be ok with an I in this size in a well cut RA others would not.
Cloud based clarity grade could be ok in vs1 but it needs to be checked.

 

[firemaple]

Thank you Karl! The seller does have a short video on their Instagram, though I am not sure how informative it is as it still only shows the front with a few tilt angles.

From what I have seen in person so far, I think I am probably less color sensitive than most, so I suspect I will be okay with an I, but appreciate hearing other opinions!

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

I have a GIA color F Asscher and it definitely shows color easily.

 

[caolsen]

I have a 1 carat EGL H, no FL thats very flashy, the traps are G color for comparison. Photo below. I bought this stone with no ASET, no video - just good photos & a good vendor, with a good return policy (that I did not need since the specific photo request I made were honored).

Asscher are as much about your reaction, your sense of the right portions as anything else. There are cut guidelines for the angles and proportions - yes - but your reaction is what matters. That said, I would not accept anything but excellent symmetry. If the windmills don’t meet in the DEAD middle, I suspect it will bug you to no end. Beyond that, the crown angle, the ratio, the depth - to me, those don’t matter if I like how the stone looks & performs in real world light.

Summed up, I am saying that asschers really vary massively and are best viewed in person. Data only tells you so much with this cut. So if it’s JBG, BN, WF - whoever you buy from - make sure they have a good return policy.

On this particular stone, for a Royal this looks really flat, no flashing. But that could be the photo.

Lastly, if you haven’t done some research into the number of mains between a generic Asscher and a patented royal, I’d do that. Some folks have a distinct preference for 3 vs 4 pavilions.

Asscher cut, 3 step, 4 step, 5 step pavilions

Help me make some sense out of the 3, 4, and rarely 5 step pavilion asscher cuts. I see mostly 4 steps in the marketplace. What are the benefits and drawbacks to the 3 step? I notice the octavia has a 3 step pavilion and I tend to be drawn to a 3 step asscher appearance but not sure if there are...

www.pricescope.com

And good luck!

 

[tyty333]

I would ask the vendor for another video in different lighting.

As @Karl_K said, the pictures don't really do the stone justice...and we cant tell much from them since they are not taken straight
down into the stone and the video is showing darkness across the stone from about 10 o'clock to 5 o'clock. Could just be the
lighting/way the video was taken but I would want another video to see if that darkness is persistent or just the lighting.

 

[firemaple]

I have a 1 carat EGL H, no FL thats very flashy, the traps are G color for comparison. Photo below. I bought this stone with no ASET, no video - just good photos & a good vendor, with a good return policy (that I did not need since the specific photo request I made were honored).

Asscher are as much about your reaction, your sense of the right portions as anything else. There are cut guidelines for the angles and proportions - yes - but your reaction is what matters. That said, I would not accept anything but excellent symmetry. If the windmills don’t meet in the DEAD middle, I suspect it will bug you to no end. Beyond that, the crown angle, the ratio, the depth - to me, those don’t matter if I like how the stone looks & performs in real world light.

Summed up, I am saying that asschers really vary massively and are best viewed in person. Data only tells you so much with this cut. So if it’s JBG, BN, WF - whoever you buy from - make sure they have a good return policy.

On this particular stone, for a Royal this looks really flat, no flashing. But that could be the photo.

Lastly, if you haven’t done some research into the number of mains between a generic Asscher and a patented royal, I’d do that. Some folks have a distinct preference for 3 vs 4 pavilions.

Asscher cut, 3 step, 4 step, 5 step pavilions

Help me make some sense out of the 3, 4, and rarely 5 step pavilion asscher cuts. I see mostly 4 steps in the marketplace. What are the benefits and drawbacks to the 3 step? I notice the octavia has a 3 step pavilion and I tend to be drawn to a 3 step asscher appearance but not sure if there are...

www.pricescope.com

And good luck!

Oh caolsen, I recognize your gorgeous ring from other threads! I love how you used the corners of the target setting to emphasize the windmills in your stone.

I know I will need to see any stone in person to know for sure . . . but I am also nervous that my untrained eye is going to miss something that I will notice much later. The evaluation/return for this vendor is very short, which adds to the pressure.

Thank you for the information on the pavilion differences! I wasn't planning on looking for a 'branded' stone, but I am definitely drawn more to pics/vids of Royal Asschers than Octavias. I'll have to see if I can compare some other 3 vs 4 pavilion to see if that is part of it.

 

[firemaple]

I would ask the vendor for another video in different lighting.

As @Karl_K said, the pictures don't really do the stone justice...and we cant tell much from them since they are not taken straight
down into the stone and the video is showing darkness across the stone from about 10 o'clock to 5 o'clock. Could just be the
lighting/way the video was taken but I would want another video to see if that darkness is persistent or just the lighting.

Thanks! When I watch back the video after reading this, it looks like most the flashed are coming from between 5 o'clock and 10 o'clock. Is the lack of flashes what you refer to as darkness? I'm still trying to get the lingo down and better understand what I am looking at as I examine stones.

 

[kenny]

I wasn't planning on looking for a 'branded' stone, but I am definitely drawn more to pics/vids of Royal Asschers than Octavias. I'll have to see if I can compare some other 3 vs 4 pavilion to see if that is part of it.

While I love the Royal asscher, I wear an Octavia.
Here on PS you can search for lots of threads and macro pics of it.

One difference between these two branded cuts is the number of rows of facets.
The traditional asscher, and the Octavia, have 3 rows on the top crown, and 3 rows on the bottom pavilion.
The Royal asscher has 5 rows of facets on top and bottom.
3 rows present larger facets for bigger flashes of color, or white light depending on the type of lighting.
5 rows presents more, but smaller, facets.
The crown is higher and the table smaller on the Octavia, which IMO, lets you see the light show when viewing further off axis.
IOW you don't have to flip your wrist up and look straight on axis for the best light show, as you do with other cuts.

The RA and Oct both look and preform very beautifully but very differently.
The best way to decide which you prefer is seeing both side by side in the same video, even better holding them both in person.
This might be possible if you can buy one of each from vendors with full no-questions asked, return policies.
Enjoy both for a few days and return one.
You'll pay for return shipping and insurance for one, but IMO this is the optimum way to make the best-informed choice.

The dimensions of the Octavia require they start with a rough diamond that has unusual, if not rare, dimensions.
Also the Octavia's proportions result in more of the rough being polished away than if they had cut a conventional asscher from that same piece of rough.
The Octavia's precision proportion recipe takes much longer and requires a cutter with extraordinary skill.
That makes the Octavias pricey compared to a generic non branded asscher, but Royal Asschers also sell at a premium.

Here's a snip from the below GIA link discussing the RA ...






Source, with more RA history ...

The Asscher Cut: A Cut of Royalty and Reinvention

Some diamond cut’s never go out of style, especially when they boast a royal heritage and have been reinvented. Such is the case with the Asscher cut.

4cs.gia.edu