To Asscher or not to Asscher?

monipod · Jul 25, 2019

So I am in the process of buying my first big diamond purchase (by big, I am only talking 1 - 1.2ct). I am inclined towards a pear, oval or marquis as you can't deny the spread that those shapes have (especially with a halo) and the brilliance.

But... I think my heart is with the Asscher cut.

My question is, would an Asscher still have the sort of brilliance that makes you go 'wow'? Sadly they are not common in Australia so I have only seen a badly cut .22 so far in person. I am looking at getting a colour I/J with VS1/2 (maaaaaybe SI1) clarity.

I have a .5 Emerald cut (G/VS1) but I have to admit that even my champagne round diamond with P1 clarity has more sparkle and fire.

I'm leaning towards a pear in a halo (yellow gold) but every time I see an Asscher...

Any advise regarding picking a good Asscher and if they do offer the wow factor?

Thanks in advance!

whitewave · Jul 25, 2019

I am also an asscher woman and mine is 1.52 G vs1. It faces up soooo small.

I love it though. 1.2 might be a bit disappointing in face up size. My big regret is that I didn’t go down to H and like vs2 and maximize size, having said that, I love my particular asscher and have been obsessed with my stone since 2012 when I bought it. it’s so interesting — very visually cool, it dazzles,

I bought mine from blue Nile before they had pics and videos lol, so it was bought “blind” and I lucked out and it was the first one I ever saw in person.

Good luck, you have to go with your heart.

I’ve decided now to get a super ideal solitaire for the days I’m feeling small lol. I’ll alternate the two engagement rings. If you stick around here long enough, this will start sounding like a brilliant idea lol.

OoohShiny · Jul 25, 2019

monipod said:
So I am in the process of buying my first big diamond purchase (by big, I am only talking 1 - 1.2ct). I am inclined towards a pear, oval or marquis as you can't deny the spread that those shapes have (especially with a halo) and the brilliance.

But... I think my heart is with the Asscher cut.

My question is, would an Asscher still have the sort of brilliance that makes you go 'wow'? Sadly they are not common in Australia so I have only seen a badly cut .22 so far in person. I am looking at getting a colour I/J with VS1/2 (maaaaaybe SI1) clarity.

I have a .5 Emerald cut (G/VS1) but I have to admit that even my champagne round diamond with P1 clarity has more sparkle and fire.

I'm leaning towards a pear in a halo (yellow gold) but every time I see an Asscher...

Any advise regarding picking a good Asscher and if they do offer the wow factor?

Thanks in advance!

Technically speaking, Brilliance and Fire are two different things

lol

As far as my noob knowledge goes, Brilliance is about white light return and dark contrast patterns (as well as the way your brain works in terms of binocular vision and what happens when one eye sees a flash that the other does not) combining to create visually strong/bright flashes of white light. I think I'm right in saying that 'Sparkle' = Brilliance at work.

Fire (dispersion) is when the light being returned is split into its constituent colours, usually by exiting the stone through upper facets rather than the table, and the resultant 'rainbow fans of light' get large enough that your pupil(s) only see(s) one part of the 'fan' (and therefore only one of the colours across the fan).

Stepcuts tend not to favour Fire, AIUI, as most have large tables and low crown heights (therefore reduced opportunity for white light to exit via a crown facet and disperse into rainbow fans).

'Vintage' asschers and the Octavia cut (as designed by Karl on here under his previous username) may be more your style if you like both white light and coloured fire - the higher crowns and smaller tables mean a lot more opportunity for Fire while still retaining excellent Brilliance/'sparkle', even taking into account that stepcuts usually have larger facets that therefore give more longer and slower flashes of light than the higher in number but smaller facets within MRBs, for example.

The Octavia could actually be said to have the performance of a MRB but the style of a stepcut - @Dancing Fire has had both and IIRC has previously confirmed his view that that is the case!

Check out www.gemconcepts.net to see both the Octavia and the vintage asscher styles that Yoram (diagem on here) and his team cuts, and see what you think

If it helps, this video from Yoram has both of the different cuts in it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0LkiHpFyKg/

and this has the vintage asscher with more motion:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0D0oKvFi8H/

Also check out jimmianne's thread on her 'Mildred' (do a search for Mildred and it will pop up) - that has some great videos of the real life performance of the vintage asscher style from Yoram

Other vintage-style cutters are available, of course

and one does pay somewhat of a premium for Yoram's stones, but I don't think I've seen anyone say that they didn't like them once they had them in their possession! lol

If you're happy to let us know your budget, there are a few of us on here who like looking for stepcuts for others so you may well get some suggested options

Starfacet · Jul 25, 2019

I'm with you, I keep thinking about an Asscher. Whitewave's is STUNNING and set in a beautiful split shank setting that really compliments the stone.
I tried on an asscher in Erika Winters rose gold at JBG that I'm still dreaming about. It definitely had the WOW factor! Sorry for the blurry photo but hopefully you get the idea. Stone is G color, I think.

Starfacet · Jul 25, 2019

I love this one from ParksFineGroup on Etsy. You can also find him on IG.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/594074311/gia-100-g-vs2-asscher-cut

monipod · Jul 25, 2019

Thank you everyone!

@whitewave - I'm glad to hear that your Asscher still captivates

There's something about the cut and shape. It's a bold statement. I may well go with a pear or oval in a halo for maximum bling and save up for a baby Asscher later on. As you said, my thought is to have a few favourite pieces that I wear on different occasions. I am a yellow gold person but I do like white and rose too

@OoohShiny - Thanks so much for the explanation. I am completely new to the technical side of diamond cuts but I have spent many many late nights studying My husband wishes I was as dedicated about finding furniture. Thank you for the links too. The Octavia is stunning... I did read up about her when I was doing some initial searches about Asscher here. I think she may be out of my budget but I can put her on the wishlist... Sigh... I've also been stalking antique sites and listings for vintage Asschers. I'm enjoying the hunt anyway

My budget? I think 4000 USD would be my maximum with a ring included to be honest. If an Asscher is happening, I think I will be looking at an I or even J but open to searching amongst the SI1s for the cleanest one.

@Starfacet - Wow! That Asscher is amazing... I think it has a presence over other cuts for sure. Sadly I think it needs to be at least 2ct. I might go there if I win the lottery one day! Thank you for lead. I have just started scouring Etsy (my brain hurts), but that Asscher seems pretty reasonable and looks beautiful. I'll go and look

OoohShiny · Jul 27, 2019

monipod said:
@OoohShiny - Thanks so much for the explanation. I am completely new to the technical side of diamond cuts but I have spent many many late nights studying My husband wishes I was as dedicated about finding furniture. Thank you for the links too. The Octavia is stunning... I did read up about her when I was doing some initial searches about Asscher here. I think she may be out of my budget but I can put her on the wishlist... Sigh... I've also been stalking antique sites and listings for vintage Asschers. I'm enjoying the hunt anyway
My budget? I think 4000 USD would be my maximum with a ring included to be honest. If an Asscher is happening, I think I will be looking at an I or even J but open to searching amongst the SI1s for the cleanest one.

It would be awesome if you could get an Octavia or Yoram vintage-y asscher but his work does not come cheap - you have to pay for craftsmanship! lol

I took the liberty of having a quick look for some potential options on JA - see if any appeal!

monipod · Jul 27, 2019

OoohShiny said:
It would be awesome if you could get an Octavia or Yoram vintage-y asscher but his work does not come cheap - you have to pay for craftsmanship! lol

I took the liberty of having a quick look for some potential options on JA - see if any appeal!
...

Oooh! Thank you! No surprises that I am on the JA site again tonight so I'll take a look

I think this purchase will be my biggish one to enter the arena, with view to maybe getting a more significant addition later on.
I'm not sure how I feel about Lab diamonds! I love natural diamonds for being the ancient beasties that they are

Currently also looking at Marquise which I never thought I would be interested in!

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