Asscher Cut Engagement Rings

The Asscher is a step cut, which means its facets run in straight parallel rows rather than the triangular pattern of a brilliant. It reads as a square with the corners cropped, so the outline is actually octagonal. First cut in the Asscher family's Amsterdam workshop in 1902, it became a signature of the Art Deco period and has been in steady demand since. Its deep pavilion and small table produce concentric squares that draw the eye inward, an effect the trade calls the hall of mirrors. Where a brilliant scatters light into sparkle, an Asscher returns it in broad, slow flashes.

Higher than you would accept in a brilliant. A step cut has fewer and larger facets, so there is less scattered light to disguise anything inside the stone, and inclusions that would vanish in a round can be visible in an Asscher. We generally look for VS2 or better on clarity, and we pay closer attention to colour as well, because the open facets carry any warmth straight to the eye. This is the single most important thing to get right on this shape, and it is why we always show you the stone before you commit.

An Asscher should read as square, so a ratio between 1.00 and 1.05 is what we look for. Beyond about 1.08 the eye starts to see a rectangle and the piece reads as an emerald cut instead. We also check that the cropped corners are even, since uneven corners are immediately obvious on a shape this geometric, and that the concentric squares line up cleanly when you look straight down at the table.

Generally yes, per carat. A step cut retains more of the original rough than a round brilliant does, so less is lost in cutting and the saving reaches the finished stone. The offset is that an Asscher needs better clarity and colour to look its best, which claws some of that back. In practice you can usually put more carat weight on the finger for the same outlay, provided you do not compromise on the clarity. Our settings start from £800 and a complete bespoke ring starts from £2,000.

The shape does most of the work, so we tend to set it simply. Four claws at the cropped corners hold it securely and leave the outline clean, and a solitaire on a plain band lets the hall of mirrors effect carry the ring. The cropped corners are also a practical advantage, because they remove the sharp points that make a princess cut vulnerable to chipping. Where a client wants more presence, a thin pavé band or a low halo works without competing with the step facets. We would steer away from anything busy across the shoulders.