Asscher Cut Diamonds: The Royal Cut for Engagement Rings

 7-Carat GIA-Certified Asscher Cut Diamond Engagement Ring. Photo ©2014 EraGem  by Angela Magnotti Andrews This magnificent diamond engagement ring, fashioned from solid platinum, is paved along shoulders and shank with 35 channel-set baguette diamonds. In profile, the gallery, shoulders, and shank are also channel set with 150 round brilliant diamonds. Mounted atop this sparkling jewel is a celebrity-worthy 7.66-carat, GIA-certified, Asscher Cut Diamond. Worn by some of Hollywood's most revered stars, including Jessica Alba (5-carat), Kate Hudson (5-carat), and Zooey Deschanel (3-carat), the Asscher Cut, and its modernized counterpart the Royal Asscher Cut, is one of the most prestigious diamond cuts available in the engagement ring industry today {1}.  Originally designed in 1902 by Joseph Asscher, one of the founding fathers of Royal Asscher Diamonds, the Asscher Cut was a modification to the Emerald Cut, a design which maintains its royal status even today. Perhaps the most famous Asscher Cut diamond was worn by Hollywood's glamour queen, Elizabeth Taylor. Known as the Burton-Taylor Diamond, this 33.19-carat Asscher-cut, D-color diamond was one of the actor's most cherished, and therefore most iconic jewels in her collection. This diamond made headlines when it sold for more than $8.8 million at auction at Christie's New York in 2011 {2}. The original Asscher Cut featured a nearly octagonal shape with 58 facets which were larger and wider-set than for Emerald Cut diamonds {3}. The patent protected "a square diamond with a three-step crown, a seven-step pavilion, and dramatic corners" {5}. These modifications to the traditional Emerald Cut allowed for increased retention of the rough, while at the same time exhibiting greater scintillation without being too showy {3}. Within the next 15 years, modifications were made to the Asscher Cut. In this second rendition, the upper girdle step facets were limited to between two and three, and the lower girdle step facets were limited to between three and four {5}. With greater brilliance and angularity, this modified Asscher Cut became wildly popular during the Art Deco period {5}. The prestigious company maintained a leading presence in the diamond industry well into the 1940s. World War II nearly destroyed the Asscher legacy when Nazi soldiers routed the Netherlands, seizing all the merchandise held by the I.J. Asscher Diamond Company and sentencing the entire Asscher family and their 700 polishers to the dread concentration camps. In 1946, ten family members and 15 polishers returned to their ravaged homeland. Among them were Joseph and Louis. These two brave men returned to the wreckage and rebuilt, from scratch, their entire company, vowing to restore it to its former glory {6}. By 1980, it was as if the war had never happened. Queen Juliana of Holland recognized their excellence and ingenuity when she awarded them a royal title for leading the diamond industry for nearly 100 years. Under the forward-thinking guidance of Louis's sons, Edward and Joop Asscher, the Royal Asscher Diamond Company continues to be recognized for its prestigious contributions to the diamond industry. Perhaps their most celebrated contribution came in 2001. According to GIA, after attending the association's International Gemological Symposium in 1999, Edward was inspired by the continued popularity of the Asscher Cut in the United States bridal industry. Using the latest technology, he endeavored to modernize his grandfather's nearly 100-year-old design, bringing it firmly into the 20th century. His new cut, the Royal Asscher Cut, was perfected and patented in 2001. Edward's modified design features 74 facets, adding two additional rows of eight facets to the bottom of the stones. This narrowing of the rows increases the flash of light without compromising the classic elegance of his grandfather's original design {3}. Truly, Asscher Cut and Royal Asscher Cut diamonds are among the most spectacular diamonds available today. Please contact us to discover for yourself the allure, the nobility, the magnificence of this gorgeous Asscher Cut engagement ring.

Notes

1. Celebrity Bride Guide. "Asscher Cut Engagement Rings." Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.celebritybrideguide.com/asscher-cut-engagement-rings/?pid=2384.
2. DeMarco, Anthony. "The World's Largest Diamond and Other Record-Breaking Jewelry Moments," Forbes, August 12, 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2012/08/12/record-breaking-jewelry-moments-worthy-of-olympic-gold/.
3. GIA. "The Asscher Cut: A Cut of Royalty and Reinvention," GIA 4Cs Blog, August 21, 2012. http://4csblog.gia.edu/2012/the-asscher-cut-a-cut-of-royalty-and-reinvention.
4. Ritani. "Famous Asscher Cut Engagement Rings," Ritani Blog, June 3, 2013. http://blog.ritani.com/celebrity-engagement-rings/famous-asscher-cut-engagement-rings/.
5. Roskin, Gary. "The Rise of the House of Asscher," JCK Magazine, September 2001. http://www.jckonline.com/article/286437-The_Rise_of_the_House_of_Asscher.php.
6. Royal Asscher. "History: 1946 World War II." Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.royalasscher.com/en/page/38/history.html.