Asscher Cut Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An Asscher cut laboratory grown diamond on a plain band. The Asscher is a square step cut with deeply cropped corners, and looking down into it you see concentric squares stepping toward the centre, an effect often compared to a window or a hall of mirrors folded into a square. It is one of the most distinctly Art Deco shapes a diamond can take.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Asscher cut laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Four claw solitaire
• Accent stones: None, a true solitaire
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The Asscher cut

First cut in Amsterdam in the early twentieth century, the Asscher was the defining diamond of the Art Deco years. It is essentially a square emerald cut, but with larger cropped corners that give it an almost octagonal outline and a higher crown. That height is what creates the famous look straight down into the stone: a set of squares within squares, drawing the eye to the centre.

Like every step cut, the Asscher shows its interior clearly through a wide table, which is why every centre stone here is E colour and VVS2 clarity. On a shape that hides nothing, the grade has to be right.

Why a plain solitaire

The concentric pattern inside an Asscher is its whole character, and anything around it competes with that. A plain four claw setting on a plain band gives the geometry room. The claws sit on the cropped corners, which is where an Asscher is naturally strongest, and the band stays free to resize and to sit flush with any wedding band.

What laboratory grown means here

A laboratory grown diamond is a diamond. It is crystallised carbon with the same cubic structure, the same 10 on the Mohs scale, the same refractive index of 2.42 and the same dispersion as a mined stone. Ours are grown by chemical vapour deposition and high pressure high temperature methods, then cut and polished by hand. This is not moissanite, not cubic zirconia and not a simulant. A gemmologist testing it will read diamond, because it is diamond.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Yellow gold gives an Asscher its most authentic Art Deco look, white metal makes it crisp and architectural, and rose gold softens the geometry. 10K is the hardest alloy, 14K is the everyday balance, and 18K is the richest colour but the softest metal. White gold is rhodium plated and will want replating every one to two years.

Every centre stone arrives IGI certified

The centre diamond is graded by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, and the certificate comes with the ring at no extra charge. It states the carat weight, the E colour grade, the VVS2 clarity grade, the measurements and the girdle inscription, and confirms in writing that the stone is laboratory grown.

Made to order in our own workshop

Mapple Gems is a family run workshop in Surat, India, where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. The four claws are placed on the cropped corners of your stone and the ring is finished by hand for your carat weight and finger size. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. A step cut shows a film of grease quickly, so a fortnightly clean under the stone keeps the squares crisp. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Custom orders

We can change the prongs, the band or the setting of this design. Each change is quoted individually, so contact us with what you have in mind.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity is the diamond? Every centre stone is E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight. The IGI report in the box states both grades.

Asscher or emerald cut? Both are step cuts. The emerald is rectangular and elongating, the Asscher is square with larger corners and a deeper, more concentric look.

Does an Asscher sparkle? It flashes rather than glitters: broad, bright planes of light rather than fine sparkle.

Will a wedding band sit flush? Yes. The band is plain.

Can it be resized? Yes, freely.

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