Asscher Cut Moissanite Ring with Hand Engraved Leaf Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An asscher cut moissanite held in four double claws on a slim knife edge band, with a leaf and stem motif hand engraved into each shoulder. There are no accent stones anywhere on this ring. The decoration is cut into the metal itself.

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

Engraving rather than stones

Almost every ring that wants to look decorated reaches for pave. It is quicker, it sparkles, and it photographs well. Engraving is the older answer and a slower one. A graver is pushed through the surface of the metal to cut a line, and the shadow inside that line is what you see.

The practical consequences are worth knowing. There is nothing to loosen and nothing to lose, so this is one of the most durable rings we make. It never needs a stone checked or replaced. It is quieter than pave, and in low light it reads as texture rather than sparkle.

The one honest caveat is that engraving is not permanent in the way a stone is. Over many years of daily wear the highest points of the pattern soften, particularly in 18K. It can be recut, and many people rather like the way it wears in. If you want decoration that will look identical in twenty years, our channel set designs are the better answer.

The leaf motif

The pattern is a simple leaf and stem running along each shoulder, cut with a central spine and short veins angled away from it. It is a wheat or laurel motif, common in engraved jewellery from the Edwardian period through the early Deco years, when engraved shoulders were as usual as pave shoulders are now.

It sits interestingly against the asscher. The stone is rigorously geometric and the engraving is not, so the ring has both a hard centre and a soft frame. If you like the asscher shape but find fully geometric settings cold, this is the design that solves that.

The double claws

Four double claws hold the centre, one pair at each cropped corner. Doubling the claws is a period detail rather than only a practical one, though it does spread the load across a wider area of the corner, which is the part of a square cut most at risk. Visually a split claw reads finer than a single heavy one, which suits a slim band.

The asscher cut

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, the effect jewellers call the hall of mirrors. It flashes in broad clean blocks rather than sparkling.

It was patented by the Asscher brothers of Amsterdam in 1902. Because you see straight through a step cut, clarity matters more than it does in a brilliant. Every centre stone is Colorless in body colour and VVS in clarity.

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

Choose the centre from 2 carat up to 5 carat. With no accents anywhere, the centre carries the ring, and a larger stone balances the engraved shoulders well.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Shown in white gold, which is the most period accurate and gives the crispest engraving, because the pattern reads as bright metal against dark shadow. Yellow gold is warmer and the engraving is more legible still, since gold takes a graver beautifully and the cut lines catch the light. Rose gold suits a botanical motif particularly well. Silver is the most affordable route and engraves cleanly. 10K is the hardest, so the pattern stays crisp longest, and we would recommend it if you wear a ring hard. 14K is the everyday balance. 18K is the richest and softest, and will soften soonest. White gold is rhodium plated and needs replating every one to two years, which also slightly refreshes the engraving.

Made to order

Nothing is taken off a shelf. We cast the band, cut the engraving by hand, set the stone, then file and polish for your metal, centre size and finger size after your order arrives. Engraving is done by eye and by hand, so no two rings are identical at close range. 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 across the engraved lines, not along them, since an engraved groove filled with soap or hand cream loses its shadow and the pattern stops reading. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Do not use an abrasive polish on the engraved areas, because it will round the cut edges. 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? Yes, very well. The band is slim and the engraving is cut into the surface rather than standing proud, so nothing gets in the way.

Can it be resized? Yes, comfortably. There are no stones in the shank and the engraving stops before the base, so we have plain metal to work with. This is one of the easiest of our rings to resize.

Can the engraving be redone later? Yes. Any competent engraver can recut a worn pattern, and we would be glad to do it for you.

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

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