Asscher Cut Moissanite Engraved Knife Edge Milgrain Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An asscher cut moissanite in four ball claws on a knife edge band whose shoulders carry a row of bead set rounds running inside a milgrain channel, with heavy milgrain along both outer edges and a scrolling pattern engraved into the side faces of the band, where only a profile view will show it.

We make it to order in our workshop in Surat, India. Family run, every ring finished and checked by hand.

The detail you cannot see from above

Look at this ring from the top and you see a neat row of accents between beaded borders. Turn it side on and there is a second layer of work: the outer faces of the band, the parts that face away from your eye when you glance at your own hand, are engraved with a running scroll.

That is a deliberately old fashioned decision. Antique rings were routinely finished on surfaces the wearer would rarely look at, on the reasoning that the ring should be complete rather than merely presentable from one angle. It costs real labour and returns nothing in a photograph.

We mention it because it is most of the difference between this ring and a plainer channel set band, and it is the part you would otherwise only discover after it arrived.

Three kinds of metalwork on one band

There is a lot happening here and it is worth separating out. The accents are bead set, meaning each stone is held by tiny beads of metal raised from the surface rather than by claws or a channel wall. Those beads sit inside a shallow milgrain bordered channel. Then a heavier milgrain runs along both outer edges of the band, framing the whole shoulder. Then the engraving on the side faces.

Layered like that, the shoulder reads as dense and antique rather than as a simple row of stones. It is the opposite approach to a modern pave band, which tries to hide the metal so only the stones show.

How this compares with our other heavily worked asscher band

Our Milgrain Marquise Panel ring sets marquise accents inside milgrain bordered lozenge panels, alternating with bezel set rounds, and the pattern runs the full circumference of the band.

This one uses round accents only, set in a straight line rather than in panels, and the decoration is concentrated on the shoulders rather than running all the way round. The engraving is on the side faces, which the panel ring does not have.

In short: the panel ring is busier from above and continuous around the finger. This one is more restrained from above, but rewards a closer look from the side. If you want the antique look without the whole band being worked, this is the more wearable of the two.

The knife edge

The band is a knife edge, meaning it rises to a defined ridge along its centre rather than being flat or rounded. That ridge is what the two lines of edge milgrain sit either side of, and it is what gives the side faces enough angle to be worth engraving. On a flat band none of this detailing would work.

The stone

An asscher is a square step cut with cropped corners, so its outline is an octagon that reads as a square. The facets are cut in concentric squares that draw the eye down into the stone, an effect jewellers call the hall of mirrors. It flashes in broad clean blocks rather than sparkling.

Ball claws rather than pointed ones, which suits a band this decorated. A sharp claw would add a fifth kind of detail to a ring that already has plenty.

Every centre stone is Colorless in body colour and VVS in clarity, and every accent is Colorless and VVS too. A step cut has large open facets you look straight through, so the grade is not optional.

Moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamond, which in a step cut shows as depth rather than fire, and at 9.25 on the Mohs scale it stands up to daily wear.

Choose the centre from 2 carat up to 5 carat. The shoulders are decorated but the band stays slim, so the centre holds its place at every size.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Shown in yellow gold, which is the right choice here by some distance: three of the four decorative techniques on this ring depend on shadow, and gold gives the deepest shadow. In white gold the engraving on the side faces becomes very subtle indeed, and if that detail is why you want the ring we would steer you to yellow or rose. Silver shows it well and is the most affordable route. 10K is the hardest and keeps beading and engraving crisp longest, which matters more on this design than on most. 14K is the everyday balance. 18K is the richest but softest and will soften soonest. White gold is rhodium plated and needs replating every one to two years.

Made to order

Nothing is taken off a shelf. We form the knife edge, cut the channel, bead set each accent, raise two weights of milgrain, engrave both side faces, then set the centre and polish for your metal, centre size and finger size after your order arrives. This is among the slowest rings we make. That is how we offer twenty one ring sizes and forty combinations.

Care

Warm water, a drop of mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush the side faces as well as the top, since engraved lines filled with hand cream stop reading as engraving. Clean under the centre too, because a step cut shows anything trapped below. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Do not use abrasive polish, which flattens both milgrain and engraving. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming pools, and keep it away from bleach.

Questions we are asked

Will a wedding band sit flush? A knife edge meets a flat band along its ridge rather than across a face, so there is a small gap either side. A contoured or V band fits properly, and a second milgrain edged band looks very right beside it.

Can it be resized? Within a moderate range. The base of the shank is plainer than the shoulders, which gives us somewhere to work, though the edge milgrain must stay continuous across any join.

Will the engraving wear off? The side faces are among the less exposed parts of a ring, so it wears slowly. It can be recut. Choosing 10K or 14K slows it considerably.

Will inclusions show in a step cut? Not at VVS. That grade is what makes a step cut worth doing.

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