Honest Thoughts by Asscher Owners

[sanfranciscoellen]

Gypsy''s post got me thinking....I think it would be helpful for people searching for asschers online if you would post your thoughts on wearing an asscher every day....the pro''s and the cons....what you thought it would be like vs how it is to have one....

We all love our rings, and we all love asschers, but they are peculiar creatures. I think it would be helpful to give people who may never have actually touched a "live" asscher some of the qualities they may not know from looking at pics.

Be honest! You are on PS, which means that you are torn between blind devotion to your rock/ring and the wandering PS eye...

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

On the "Con" side for me....

There are the much-talked-about asscher issues....The mm spread of a carat is smaller than of RB or most other fancy cuts, due to its increased depth/girth. They show color and clarity more readily, perhaps making "bargains" more difficult to find. They are oh so hard to judge by numbers and sometimes photographs too so we all know the internet search can be challenging. Thank god for Storm for helping people slog through this process.

But for the three months I have been wearing one I''d say this has become my personal "con" list.

1. If they aren''t perfectly clean, they lose their charm and sparkle pretty darn quick. I clean mine every day and sometimes a few hours later it is already looking dull. Oils, dust etc seem to be hard to hide.

2. While I loooove the deep down look of the asscher, I think mine at least (1.05ct) loses its "asscherness" from afar. I think it shines best when looked at straight on, not while it is waving around on the end of my hand and you are several feet away from me.

3. Settings often take away that lovely stop sign look we fought so hard to find.

Now for the Pro List...

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/10/2006 11:30:28 AM
Author: wallermama
On the ''Con'' side for me....

There are the much-talked-about asscher issues....The mm spread of a carat is smaller than of RB or most other fancy cuts, due to its increased depth/girth. They show color and clarity more readily, perhaps making ''bargains'' more difficult to find. They are oh so hard to judge by numbers and sometimes photographs too so we all know the internet search can be challenging. Thank god for Storm for helping people slog through this process.

But for the three months I have been wearing one I''d say this has become my personal ''con'' list.

1. If they aren''t perfectly clean, they lose their charm and sparkle pretty darn quick. I clean mine every day and sometimes a few hours later it is already looking dull. Oils, dust etc seem to be hard to hide.

2. While I loooove the deep down look of the asscher, I think mine at least (1.05ct) loses its ''asscherness'' from afar. I think it shines best when looked at straight on, not while it is waving around on the end of my hand and you are several feet away from me.

3. Settings often take away that lovely stop sign look we fought so hard to find.

Now for the Pro List...

Ditto on the clean, the size "asccher-ness" and the freaking settings. Mine completely obscures my corners... that''s why I''m excited about the baguette halo... I''m hoping it will look like a really big asscher when done cause I''m following the lines of the windmill.

Those really sum up my feelings on the asscher pretty well.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

My Pro List...

You can''t stop staring at that depth, that "mile deep" look, it is entrancing. It causes me to drive poorly. It causes me to ignore people that are talking to me. "mmm hmmmm..." I''ll answer as I surreptitiously stare at my asscher, before I realize that "mmmm hmmmm" is a totally inappropriate response for whatever that person just said.

I love how clear it is. I love how from the side it looks so icy and clear.

I love its uniqueness. I love how hard I had to work to learn about it. And then find it.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

Date: 5/10/2006 11:42:04 AM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 5/10/2006 11:30:28 AM
that''s why I''m excited about the baguette halo... I''m hoping it will look like a really big asscher when done cause I''m following the lines of the windmill.

Remind me of your asscher''s size, gypsy?

 

[indecisive]

I think the mm spread is a big con, although if you compare my 1.06ct asscher to the 1ct rounds at Maul stores it looks bigger and more sparkly

. It sounds like ours behave differently, Wallermama, because I think mine looks better being moved around at the end of my hand. I think it dives of more colored light than white light, but I love that so I don''t think it is a con! I see every color imaginable everyday (has anyone else noticed this?). A big con for me is that people don''t really know about asschers so everyone tells me I have the most gorgeous princess cut they have ever seen. The asscher search is a BIG con, because I almost swore off diamonds after how long and frustrating the search was. I don''t think everyone, especially most guys, has the patients to find a great one. Cleaning is a big issue but I haven''t been able to clean mine for a week because of exams and it is still really sparkly (enough to distract me from the finals while I was taking them

) but I don''t wear my ring 24/7. It can look a little darker in some lightings but even then it still gives of colored light. It looks great in direct, bright sunlight where some ideal rounds would look darker. Honestly, I though before I saw it I might be disappointed but it amazes me every day with the color, the depth, and the wet look. That said, I saw another 1ct asscher in a high end store and was really not impressed with how it preformed so I think it is very diamond specific. There are probably more crappy asschers than crappy rounds. I would never trade my asscher for anything though

 

[jcrow]

i want to respond, but i will say i am not an asscher owner. i did however consider one and saw some in person.

cons for me:

1- they are hard to sift through to find a good one. to me it seemed frustrating to figure out the numbers with the lack of quanity/quality. for example, it's easier and usually quicker to find an ideal cut RB. (i think this was my BIGGEST drawback and BIG reason for not purchasing one)

2- i know it's a preference thing, but to me you can't go as far down in color and clarity in asschers. they're wide open to see all.

3- (i think you mentioned this already) i don't find they look good from all angles. dead on- YES. but tilt them a bit and they lose their greatness.

4- visual size difference between asschers and say RBs.

pros for me:

1- unique, connversation starter. (i assume)

2- cheaper (i think) than RBs.

3- the SunGlisteningOnTheLake look

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

Date: 5/10/2006 11:50:14 AM
Author: indecisive
It sounds like ours behave differently, Wallermama, because I think mine looks better being moved around at the end of my hand. I think it dives of more colored light than white light, but I love that so I don''t think it is a con! I see every color imaginable everyday (has anyone else noticed this?).

I wonder sometimes if this is a setting issue, not a diamond issue, for me. I got this as a wedding set like my avatar, and have never worn it as just an ering. But for two weeks I did, when my wedding band needed some altering, and I noticed it was more sparkly and "asschery". The two plain plat bands next to each other can overwhelm the stone at times. This is in spite of the fact that they are quite thin...just a hair over 2mm each. Maybe it is because they are flat bands rather than curved. I think that my setting needs a 1.5-2ct asscher, or my stone needs thinner bands. I''ve been stewing about that one, lately. I have to get the prongs worked on and I''ve thought about slimming the bands down even more.

But, all of this said, I am so glad I chose an asscher. It is just....me.

 

[togal]

Date: 5/10/2006 11:50:29 AM
Author: jcrow
i want to respond, but i will say i am not an asscher owner. i did however consider one and saw some in person.

cons for me:

1- they are hard to sift through to find a good one. to me it seemed frustrating to figure out the numbers with the lack of quanity/quality. for example, it''s easier and usually quicker to find an ideal cut RB. (i think this was my BIGGEST drawback and BIG reason for not purchasing one)

2- i know it''s a preference thing, but to me you can''t go as far down in color and clarity in asschers. they''re wide open to see all.

3- (i think you mentioned this already) i don''t find they look good from all angles. dead on- YES. but tilt them a bit and they lose their greatness.

4- visual size difference between asschers and say RBs.

pros for me:

1- unique, connversation starter. (i assume)

2- cheaper (i think) than RBs.

3- the SunGlisteningOnTheLake look

Are asscher''s less expensive than RBs? I would have thought they''d be more, given the fact that there are presumabley less of them, and the fact that they would need to be a higher color, clarity than RBs in order to look as good.

I remember reading an article on personality type as it relates to diamond cut preference. The article stated that asscher lovers tend to me a more conservative type of person who appreciate quiet beauty (Jackie Kennedy comes to mind).

I really like the idea of setting the asscher in a halo setting....pave RBs look great against the clean lines of the asscher and make it really stand out.

 

[togal]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:08:12 PM
Author: wallermama

Date: 5/10/2006 11:50:14 AM
Author: indecisive
It sounds like ours behave differently, Wallermama, because I think mine looks better being moved around at the end of my hand. I think it dives of more colored light than white light, but I love that so I don't think it is a con! I see every color imaginable everyday (has anyone else noticed this?).

I wonder sometimes if this is a setting issue, not a diamond issue, for me. I got this as a wedding set like my avatar, and have never worn it as just an ering. But for two weeks I did, when my wedding band needed some altering, and I noticed it was more sparkly and 'asschery'. The two plain plat bands next to each other can overwhelm the stone at times. This is in spite of the fact that they are quite thin...just a hair over 2mm each. Maybe it is because they are flat bands rather than curved. I think that my setting needs a 1.5-2ct asscher, or my stone needs thinner bands. I've been stewing about that one, lately. I have to get the prongs worked on and I've thought about slimming the bands down even more.

But, all of this said, I am so glad I chose an asscher. It is just....me.

If I might offer a suggestion.....perhaps the bands are too plain. What about pave bands? The juxtaposition between the pave and the sleek asscher would look gorgeous. It would also add that extra measure of sparkle. I agree that the prongs at the four corners sort of take away from the unique shape of the asscher and don't serve to accentuate to it's best advantage. What about a halo?

 

[decodelighted]

My overriding take on Asschers:

The VERY people who are most drawn to them are the people who will MOST be driven CRAZY by them in "practice".

Here''s why ... it''s about geometric symmetry. And people first see them in pictures, where they''re STILL. When they fall in LOVE with ''em --AND-- when they''re shopping for their own. They can agonize for hours/days/weeks/months finding one that "lines up perfectly" in a still picture. Those very people who are so precise about it -- will be CRUSHED when the get their little treasure in hand and realize that it''s a living, "breathing", changing little prism that stubbornly will NEVER, EVER seem to "line up" like the perfect picture.

Facets will wink at ya, torment ya, dissapear from view maddeningly and hardly ever make the same pattern twice. And the unique cut of the Asscher is EVEN TRICKIER than the Emerald, cause all four sides & windmills & edges are playing off each other making more of a winky, blinky, hypnotic light show. It''s enough to send a true symmetry-freak to the LOONEY BIN!!!

Asschers do not play fair. They are small and elusive and demanding and require constant care, and will heartlessly rule out almost any setting you might like. They''ll make you gasp and break your will and infuriate you like no other cut.

BUT ... once they capture you, nothing else will ever do.

 

[togal]

Oh my.....I feel the frustration, LOL. Yikes....with my personality type, I''d best stay far away from the asscher.

 

[BeaudryBabe]

Let''s start with my very small list of CONS....

Yes, I agree, they need to be clean, ALWAYS, to look smashing. I clean mine every morning before putting it on. I hold it with cloth in order to put it on, a real pain in the rump.

Yes, I also agree, the fact that it faces up smaller than other cuts is indeed a drawback.

PROS....

The mile deep look, throws absolutely amazing colors.

Not everyone has one.

Very, very deco, which I love.

Mine is a Daniel K 1.9 G VS2, Ex, Ex, and I love it. I wear it as a RHR.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:08:12 PM
Author: wallermama
I wonder sometimes if this is a setting issue, not a diamond issue, for me. The two plain plat bands next to each other can overwhelm the stone at times.

Ya know, Wallermama ...I steered away from solid, shiny settings for my Asscher ''cause I thought the stone (being so angular yet subtle) needed a mild backdrop to really POP. That''s why I went "antiquey" with milgrain & textured prongs etc etc.

BEFORE you do anything else to that gorgeous set of yours -- I''d try this: Get it satin finished or "brushed"-finished. I''d GUESS that it would change the entire look of your set for almost no $$ -- and make the stunning Asscher POP more for ya.

 

[Kaleigh]

Cons:
Hard to find a great one!! Mine is .92 and looked tiny when I got it but putting it in a halo setting made it look huge, to me anyway. You have to keep them clean

Pros:
That mile deep look is what I love most. My asscher takes me inside of it, very intriguing. I love staring at it.

 

[indecisive]

Togal - Asschers are less expensive than RB of equal color, clarity, and weight so in the end things even out. Also, I don't think the plain band has anything to do with it. I have a plain platinum band and it looks amazing. You don't need pave or halo for an asscher to look good. Have you ever seen a good asscher in person?

ETA: Also, I am very liberal and I have always been drawn to asschers.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:18:31 PM
Author: togal
If I might offer a suggestion.....perhaps the bands are too plain. What about pave bands? The juxtaposition between the pave and the sleek asscher would look gorgeous. It would also add that extra measure of sparkle. I agree that the prongs at the four corners sort of take away from the unique shape of the asscher and don''t serve to accentuate to it''s best advantage. What about a halo?

That''s a good point, Togal. I never even considered or tried on bands with sidestones, since I''m a pretty plain band sleek lines kind of gal (which is what drew me to the asscher in the first place.) I do love some of the more simple pave bands, like mrssalvo''s dream Daniel K split shank cushion ring, but then again, I am horribly hard on my rings and I keep hearing about pave and micropave delicateness.

If I was to guess, if I had plain bands that were less "there" and allowed the stone it pop more (aka a sexy little leon split claw setting yum yum) I''d be happiest. But who knows! I''m going to a jeweler to talk about filing my killer-slasher-makes-my-baby bleed prongs and maybe I''ll just have to try a few things on that I''ve never considered!

Deco, I agree with everything you said. And then some.

 

[widget]

Wow, Deco....you''re a poet!!!

I think that asschers are so different, so unique, that in general RB lovers will never love asschers, and vice versa. I also think that asschers are for the wearer to enjoy more than the rest of the world who usually only see it from a distance.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my "asscher"...but I was lucky enough to inherit it, and it''s pretty big. I can really understand those who would prefer going with another cut because of the spread loss in an asscher, which I think is substantial.

Last thought. I really prefer asschers mounted solo, without halos. (Unless, perhaps the halo is done with baguettes.) To me, RB halo''s tend to obscure the ''asscherness'' of this unique stone.

widget

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:27:19 PM
Author: BeaudryBabe



Mine is a Daniel K 1.9 G VS2, Ex, Ex, and I love it. I wear it as a RHR.

beaudrybabe, did you ever start a thread on your ring? picture''s anywhere????

 

[BeaudryBabe]

Wow mrssalvo, what a memory you have!

Believe it or not, I have just figured out how to upload the photos from the camera into to the computer...now, how to get them from the Kodak program into Pricescope (Rome wasn''t built in a day, right?). Anyway, I am working on it and didn''t forget. I will get the photos on soon!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:44:12 PM
Author: BeaudryBabe
Wow mrssalvo, what a memory you have!

Believe it or not, I have just figured out how to upload the photos from the camera into to the computer...now, how to get them from the Kodak program into Pricescope (Rome wasn''t built in a day, right?). Anyway, I am working on it and didn''t forget. I will get the photos on soon!

Yay!! Can''t wait to see it!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Hehehe BeaudryBabe - you can''t say Daniel K to us without us realizing we haven''t seen it...LOL.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

What I think is interesting is how I can''t remember someone on PS or elsewhere that loves both princess cuts AND asschers. And yet many guys on here looking for e-ring stones say, they are looking for "something square like a princess or asscher".

Do you who love asschers, also like princess cuts? Ironically, it is one of my least favorite cuts (not that I DON''T like them), and it is the one everyone mistakes my asscher for

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/10/2006 11:46:14 AM
Author: wallermama

Date: 5/10/2006 11:42:04 AM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 5/10/2006 11:30:28 AM
that''s why I''m excited about the baguette halo... I''m hoping it will look like a really big asscher when done cause I''m following the lines of the windmill.

Remind me of your asscher''s size, gypsy?

1.09

 

[BeaudryBabe]

Hi Kaleigh and FireGoddess...

Now don''t get too excited, my choice of sidestones received mixed reviews way back when.

FireGoddess, the stone is actually Daniel K but the setting is a Leon.

 

[Kaleigh]

I don''t like princess cuts. But the pics Mara posted from the one''s at WF looked pretty darn nice but typically I don''t care for them.

 

[Sundial]

This thread is very interesting to me. I don''t own an asscher, but one of the rings I was considering when I did my upgrade last year was a stunning JB Starr five stone asscher ring that was about 3 carats total weight. I loved the uniqueness of it and how you can just get lost in those stones. However I was surprised at how small the diamonds were compared to round brilliants of the same carat weight. The decision was taken out of my hands though. Our jeweler knew I liked it and showed it to my husband when he bought my three stone ring. He told me that he didn''t care for the look at all. Men have strange opinions on things sometimes.

 

[togal]

Date: 5/10/2006 12:35:22 PM
Author: indecisive
Togal - Asschers are less expensive than RB of equal color, clarity, and weight so in the end things even out. Also, I don''t think the plain band has anything to do with it. I have a plain platinum band and it looks amazing. You don''t need pave or halo for an asscher to look good. Have you ever seen a good asscher in person?

ETA: Also, I am very liberal and I have always been drawn to asschers.

Oh, I didn''t state that it was necessary in order for it to look good....I was just offering a suggestion based on my own personal perference. I have seen real life asscher''s and while I wouldn''t necessarilty choose one for myself (well maybe if I had unlimited funds and could afford many different shaped diamonds), they are very beautiful. While I understand you don''t care for halos, I really love the look of the ones posted in this thread.

Also, I didn''t write the article about the personality types....I was commenting on something, albeit silly, that I read.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I should also add about the whole cleanliness thing, this is an uber-issue for me because I am a slob. I have little kids. Deco and I once joked about dorito dust and mac-and-cheese crusted rings, and I can say I''ve been there. I read posts by women on PS who wash their hands without getting their diamond wet and I am totally baffled. So I may be "grime challenged". Still, it is my reality, and people considering asschers should know that it is like staring at a bathroom mirror....when it is clean it is lovely, but when it gets smudgy and dirty it will drive you bonkers. That said, I love the ritual of keeping it clean, and I am home with the kids and can do it as many darned times a day as I want!

My appraiser extolls the values of "huffing" (no, not glue sniffing!). You know...breathe on it till it is steamy and polish it clean. It can make such a difference. I am a chronic huffer in public. I try to be sly but I know I''ve been caught!

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I love those halo asschers. It just isn''t what is practical for my life, and I am new enough to my diamond mania to be bling-sensitive, still. I like a diamond that doesn''t draw the scorn of my PeaceCorps friends, and allows me to circulate through various types of friends without drawing much attention. But that''s just shy little me.