Everyone has their personal favorite when it comes to diamond shapes. Each shape has its own charm and history too. For instance, the round brilliant cut has marched through centuries of evolution before landing at its glorious present perfection. Every change in facet angle, every modification of the facet shapes had a visible effect on the stone’s light performance.
Some cuts, like the oval for example, help elongate the lady’s hand, making her every gesture an expression of grace. And just a quick glance at the emerald shape and you know you’re looking at a high quality stone. Those step cut facets are a window into the interior of the stone – making imperfections quite apparent. Therefore, higher clarity stones usually get an emerald cut treatment.
There’s also a romantic history behind the marquise shape making this diamond more romantic than ever. Said to be created at the behest of King Louis XIV to honor his mistress Madame du Pompadour’s perfectly shaped lips, this elegant diamond cut is timeless.
Describing an Asscher Cut
But for those with a yen for near perfection in appeal and elegance, the Asscher is the one. Amazingly, it looks as modern as next year, but it was invented over a century ago. The Asscher cut diamond is octagonally cut – like a square with clipped corners. It is distinguished by a deep pavilion and usually a high crown.
The celebrated diamond cutter family, the Asschers, were renowned for cutting the enormous 3,105 carat Cullinan rough that ended up creating many large stones for the British Crown Jewels.
The Origin of the Asscher
The original configuration of the Asscher cut had 58 facets, the same as a round brilliant cut. Yet, the round brilliant seems to have so many more. The Asscher by contrast seems to possess that cool simplicity of the step cuts seen on emerald cut diamonds.
This aspect – the geometric straight lines that create the Asscher cut – made it the darling of the Art Deco era. Joseph Asscher first developed this sleek shape around 1902. Its genius configuration of larger and wider facets were arranged on a nearly octagonal shape diamond.
Joseph Asscher saw the opportunity of weight retention and better use of rough with this shape. But it also had a positive effect on balance and scintillation. All things diamond lovers want to see.
A Star’s Treasure
One of the most recognizable Asscher cut diamonds was owned by Elizabeth Taylor. The engagement ring she received from Richard Burton in 1968 was a 33.19 carat type IIa stone thought to have originated in the Golconda region – an area in India known for its type IIa diamonds. Type IIa diamonds are among the rarest diamonds ever produced. They make up only 1-2% of all natural diamonds, and are usually colorless and devoid of impurities.
Some say the diamond’s fairly large culet facet indicates it was cut prior to 1920. The stone Burton gifted Taylor with cost him $307,000 at the time. Today it’s valued at over $9 million.
Improving on a Classic
In recent years, it seems Asscher cuts are experiencing a reinvigoration and are on the short list for bridal jewelry diamond shapes. Now Edward Asscher, the grandson of the original shape’s inventor, had a brilliant idea to improve on a good thing. He came up with the Royal Asscher which boasts another 16 facets to its original 58.
He added another 2 rows of 8 facets, narrower than the original, which allow the stone to catch light more effectively. By making those rows narrower, Edward kept the classic vibe of the original stone, but produced a more scintillating result.
Nowadays, both the original Asscher and the modern Royal Asscher are gathering loyal fans.
As antique as the stone’s origin is, this fresh, modern looking diamond shape is ideal for today’s imaginative jewelry.
