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is an asscher cut the same as a square emerald?

neuman101

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Sep 9, 2011
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I has asked to see some asschers and noticed that the GIA certificates said square emerald, are these the same thing?
 

slg47

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yes.
 

rubybeth

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Yup, Royal Asscher is a trademarked/copyrighted (whatever) name, plus reports generally call a spade a spade (my radiant is listed as a "square brilliant," I believe).
 

Rockdiamond

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There's actually a few different GIA classifications that people call "Asscher" cut- GIA does not use that name.
Square emerald cut is one- but the branded stones are generally classified by GIA as "Cut Cornered Square Step Cut"
 

kenny

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Think of Jello, Xerox and Kleenex; excuse me, I mean jello, xerox and kleenex. :D
Regardless of what is legal, some brand names have made their way into language as generic terms for the products.

When a kid asks mom what's for dessert she's not going to answer, "Honey, we're having Royal Brand Gelatin Dessert".
She's gonna just say, jello.
When your boss tells you to give her a xerox of that, you are not going to correct her.

So even though these companies may have a legal claim to their names, people just don't care.
They will use the terms as they used them.

Professional industry entities like GIA do observe protocol about who may own names of cuts.
What surprises me is that vendors use the terms Asscher and Radiant for diamonds that are not from companies who claim to own those brand names.
 

Rockdiamond

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Kenny, GIA uses clinical nomenclature- it's not about assisting in protecting patented names.
What everyone knows as a "Radiant Cut", GIA calls "Cut Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant"
They won't call it a Radiant cut no matter who cut it.


IMO names like "Radiant' and "Asscher" have become generic- unlike Xerox- which still takes efforts to protect the name.
In the case of the Radiant Cut, after an initial legal battle, the inventor had no problem at all seeing the term become part of jewelry lingo.

In the case of Asscher Cut- I do believe that the Royal Asscher Company would like it if no one used that name- at least that was the case a few years back.
But that cat is out of the bag.
Just like many other aspects of diamond shopping, selecting a great vendor is key.
For example, someone specializing in "Square Emerald Cuts' or Asschers, is likely to have a better chance of providing a great stone.
Considering "norms" and standards used today, vendors using names like "Radiant" or "Asscher" is no cause for concern in and of itself.
 

Lew Lew

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Thank you!
 

denverappraiser

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Rockdiamond|1316632722|3022339 said:
Kenny, GIA uses clinical nomenclature- it's not about assisting in protecting patented names.
What everyone knows as a "Radiant Cut", GIA calls "Cut Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant"
They won't call it a Radiant cut no matter who cut it.


IMO names like "Radiant' and "Asscher" have become generic- unlike Xerox- which still takes efforts to protect the name.
In the case of the Radiant Cut, after an initial legal battle, the inventor had no problem at all seeing the term become part of jewelry lingo.

In the case of Asscher Cut- I do believe that the Royal Asscher Company would like it if no one used that name- at least that was the case a few years back.
But that cat is out of the bag.
Just like many other aspects of diamond shopping, selecting a great vendor is key.
For example, someone specializing in "Square Emerald Cuts' or Asschers, is likely to have a better chance of providing a great stone.
Considering "norms" and standards used today, vendors using names like "Radiant" or "Asscher" is no cause for concern in and of itself.
David,

Fresh out of high school, I worked for IBM in a plant that made copy machines among other things. When someone wanted you to copy something you were told to 'photoduplicate' it. It doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as 'xerox' but we were basically forbidden to use that word. To this day I have a hard time using the word xerox as a verb. That battle is long lost but 'Frisbee', 'Stetson', 'Tylenol' and others fight it to this day. GIA is right to stay out of it. Interestingly, it goes both ways. Kodak went through great effort to get their name to become synonymous with camera and for a while it was. It's fabulous free advertising if you can pull it off.

As a consumer, feel free to use whatever term you like but don't be too surpised if the pros are careful when they print it in an advertisement or in an official sort of situation. Just photoduplicate the lab report, enjoy a delicous gelatin desert and roll with it. It's even ok if you call it a 'certificate'. :naughty:
 

denverappraiser

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In GIA lingo, the difference between a ‘step cut’, a ‘emerald cut’ has to do with the number of steps on the crown and pavilion. ‘Square’ is about the length to width ratio. I’ve never figured out what the rules are for ‘modified’ but I think it has to do with the corners. In practice, nearly all of them are.
 

oldminer

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A true Asscher Cut has a rather distinctive facet pattern and proportion set design. So many other square emerald cuts exist which are called "Asscher Cut" that retailers and dealers often just use the word Asscher Cut to describe any square ewmerald cut. However, just because the word "Asscher" has become somewhat less well understood to mean a particular style of cutting far more distinctive than just a generic square emerald cut, does not mean that there is no real difference among those who remember the differences.

You'll find few true Asscher cut stones and many more called by that name that are generic square emerald cuts without the distinctive features of a true Asscher cut. STill, you buy the diamond you like and prefer. The name of a diamond cut does not add value in itself. The stone has to stand on its own to be given a market value or a premium market value.
 
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