• Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Jewellery
  • Famous Jewels
  • Latest
  • Artworks
    • Facet Arrangement Diagrams Vol. 1
    • Facet Arrangement Diagrams Vol.2
    • Diamond Basics
    • Diamond Size Charts
    • Ideal Cut Proportions
    • Gold Purity Charts
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Diamond Buzz Logo
Asscher Cut Diamond Guide
Diamonds

Asscher Cut Diamond Guide

October 29, 2018

Last updated on February 5, 2021

A hundred years later after the first wave of popularity, Asscher is one of the most desirable diamond cuts for minimalist jewellery pieces. If you are interested in buying a diamond with a clean and sleek design, our Asscher cut diamond guide is a must-read.

History of Asscher Cut Diamonds

Asscher Cut Diamond Facet Pattern | Diamond Buzz
Asscher cut diamond facet pattern © Diamond Buzz

The name of the Asscher cut originates from I.J. Asscher Diamond Company established by Joseph Isaac Asscher in Holland 1854.

The Asscher cut was created in 1902 by Joseph Isaac Asscher, the grandson of the founder. This was the world’s first patented diamond cut protected from replication. The Asscher Diamond Company held its exclusive patent until World War II and saw extremely strong sales internationally, especially during the Art Deco period. The peak in popularity in the 1920s  is one of the reasons people see Asscher cut diamonds as “antique” and “vintage”.

Although the Asscher cut looks similar to the square emerald cut, Joseph Asscher modified certain criteria so Asscher cut diamonds produce more brilliance. These criteria include larger step facets, a smaller table and a higher crown, which result in signature look and more weight than other cuts.

The original Asscher cut diamond features 58 step-cut facets and an octagonal square shape with an ideal length to width ratio from 1 to 1.04.

After declining in popularity in the latter part of the 20th century, in 1999, Asscher cut was perfected by Edward and Joop Asscher and presented to the world as the Royal Asscher cut.

Preserving signature look and brilliance, The Royal Asscher cut was created using modern cutting techniques and features 74 ideally symmetrical step-cut facets. Not to mention, the Royal Asscher cut is patented by Royal Asscher Company.

Asscher Cut Diamond Cut Quality Guide

While the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) provides cut grading for some cuts, such as the round brilliant, it doesn’t provide cut grading for Asscher cut diamonds. However, it grades polish and symmetry. These are some of the key features to be considered to have a brilliant and sparkly stone.

Since there is no industry-wide consent on what cut parameters make an ideal Asscher cut diamond, we recommend using the table below as a general guideline for evaluating the cut quality of Asscher cut diamonds.

 EXCELLENTVERY GOODGOODFAIRPOOR
TABLE %61 - 6957 - 60 or 70 - 7254 - 56 or 73 - 7451 - 53 or 75 - 79< 51 or > 79
DEPTH %61 - 6759 - 60.9 or 67.1 - 7057 - 58.9 or 70.1 - 7454 - 56.9 or 74.1 - 79< 54 or > 79
GIRDLEVery Thin to Slightly ThickVery Thin to Slightly ThickVery Thin to ThickVery Thin to Very ThickExtremely Thin to Extremely Thick
CULETNoneVery SmallSmallMedium> Medium

Asscher Cut Diamond Colour Guide

Asscher Cut Diamond Colour Guide | Diamond Buzz
Asscher cut diamond colour scale © Diamond Buzz

Colour of Asscher cut diamonds is graded on a scale from D to Z, where D signifies a completely colourless stone and Z means an easily noticeable yellow or brown tint.

Due to open step facets and a large table, Asscher cut diamonds retain more colour than other diamond shapes, meaning it’s easy to see the natural colour of the stone. This is especially true for diamonds weighing 1.50 carats and over.

To have a fairly white stone, it is recommended to opt for a diamond in at least the near-colourless range; however, in many cases, it might be worth to choose a diamond in D-E-F range.

The colour chart below provides a general guideline for evaluating colour in Asscher cut diamonds.

SIZEEXCELLENTVERY GOODGOODFAIRPOOR
< .50 ct.D - GH - IJ - KL - M> M
.51-1.0 ct.D - FGH - IJ - K> K
1.0-2.0 ct.D - FD - FGH - I> I
> 2.0 ct.D - FD - FGH - I> I

Asscher Cut Diamond Clarity Guide

Asscher Cut Diamond Clarity Guide | Diamond Buzz
Asscher cut diamond clarity scale © Diamond Buzz

The GIA grades clarity of Asscher cut diamonds on a scale from FL to I3, where FL means a flawless stone and I3 indicates a heavily included diamond.

Since Asscher cut diamonds feature step-cut facets, they are not as fiery as brilliant-cut stones. Asscher cut diamonds are designed to accentuate a diamond’s clarity, meaning inclusions are easier to see in them, especially if the flaws are found in the middle of the stone.

For example, while SI1 clarity might be a great balance of price and appearance for other diamond shapes, in Asscher diamonds the perfect choice will be VS2 and above.

The chart below provides general information for evaluating clarity in Asscher cut diamonds.

SIZEEXCELLENTVERY GOODGOODFAIRPOOR
< .50 ct.FL - VS2SI1SI2I1> I1
.51-1.0 ct.FL - VS1VS2SI1SI2> SI2
1.0-2.0 ct.FL - VVS2VS1 - VS2SI1SI2> SI2
> 2.0 ct.FL - VVS2VS1VS2SI1> SI1

Ideal Cut Proportions

Get professional illustration designs for your jewellery business

  • Diamond Fire, Brilliance And Scintillation | Diamond BuzzDiamond Fire, Brilliance and Scintillation
    Diamonds

Diamond Size Charts

Get professional illustration designs for your business

  • What Reduces The Value Of A Diamond? | Diamond BuzzWhat Reduces the Value of a Diamond?
    Diamonds

NEWSLETTER

By entering your email address, you consent to receive our latest articles and exclusive offers. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.

Thanks for signing up!

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Copyright © 2021 Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website and to analyze traffic. Accept Learn more
Privacy Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by
error: Content is protected!