This legendary diamond cut, synonymous with Art Deco elegance and Elizabeth Taylor, is the forerunner of the square emerald.
The Asscher family business has been synonymous with the world’s finest diamonds since 1854. History was made in 1902, when Joseph Asscher perfected the geometrical lines and faceting pattern of a steep, square-cut diamond. He patented it as the Original Asscher Cut and the diamond became wildly popular during the 1920s and 30s, when it came to represent the art deco aesthetic.
Today the Royal Asscher diamond company in Amsterdam is run by the sixth generation, Mike Asscher and his sister Lita. Mike is responsible for diamond design, production and finance as well as new business development in Southeast Asia, while Lita is in charge of the North American and European markets, the e-commerce platform and marketing. We asked Mike to tell us more about the cut that helped his family name enter diamond history.
What is the Asscher cut?
The Asscher cut was developed in 1902. The original design had 58 step-cut facets, a small table, high crown and steep pavilion with dramatically cut corners. An accurate description would be a cut-cornered square emerald cut diamond. Also known as square emerald cuts, Asscher cut diamonds are roughly square when viewed from above but have cut corners so that more light can enter the diamond.
The original patent expired at the height of the Second World War, making it impossible for us to renew. Thereafter, any diamantaire who manufactures a square step-cut diamond can describe it as a square emerald or Asscher cut diamond.
There is no original Asscher cut in the market anymore, except for the vintage pieces from the early 1900s. However most diamond dealers and manufacturers still call a square emerald cut an Asscher cut, because it sells better.
How is it different from other fancy shapes?
Asscher cut was the first unique patented diamond cut ever created and is the forerunner of the emerald cut we know today. The diamond is step cut and only the Asscher and the emerald are step-cut diamonds.
When looking into the Asscher cut diamond, it is like looking into an endless pool of mirrors. When we look at other fancy shapes, most of them have a facet pattern that runs from the girdle to the culet.
For the square emeralds or the Asscher cuts, a diamond manufacturer needs perfectly square rough diamonds, similar to those used to create the cushion shape or a princess cut.
What are the most famous jewels featuring the Asscher cut?
The most famous Asscher cut in the world is the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond of 33 carats. It was gifted to Taylor in 1968 by her then husband Richard Burton, but is thought to have been cut before the 1920s. Taylor wore it as a ring throughout her life. After her death, it fetched $8.8 million at auction. In 2011, the Gemological Institute of America graded it as an exceptionally pure Type IIa diamond with VS1 clarity.
How has the cut evolved?
A true Asscher cut has dramatically cut corners, a high crown and a steep pavilion. The diamond manufacturer today would cut for yields and therefore cut very small corners, very large table facets, a steep pavilion and a shallow crown.
At Royal Asscher, on the other hand, we don’t cut to maximize the yield but for the beauty. Almost 100 years after the Original Asscher Cut was first conceived, the design was revised, adding 16 additional facets to make it reminiscent of the Cullinan II diamond in the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain.
The result is a 74 facet step-cut square diamond, which absorbs the light from each angle, creating an endless mirrored pool effect and a kaleidoscope of all of the colors that make up a spectrum of light. It is designed to catch the eye with the brilliance of a round cut and has the intricacies of the artfully constructed angles of an emerald cut.
What is next for Royal Asscher?
We are the leading inventors of standardized fancy cuts and Royal Asscher’s aim is to make the global standard in fancy cuts a Royal Asscher fancy shape. At present, we have four different patented diamond cuts in the market: the Royal Asscher Round, the Royal Asscher Square, the Royal Asscher Cushion and the Royal Asscher Oval. Today if you want to buy a cushion diamond you will find square cushions in totally different ratios; they all have a different look. Whereas because ours are patented, each cut diamond from us is exactly the same.
All our patented diamond cuts have a strong link to the world’s largest rough diamond ever found, the Cullinan Diamond, which we cut for King Edward VII of Great Britain in 1908. We combine the Asscher family’s 166-year heritage with modern technology to create the most beautiful diamond product in the world. It’s an authentic story, and an easy selling tool for salespeople to win over consumers in stores.
Main image: Astrid ring in 18-karat white gold set with five Royal Asscher Cut diamonds, and diamonds.
Comments are closed.