Asscher Cut Moissanite Marquise Leaf Cluster Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An asscher cut moissanite in four ball claws with clusters of marquise and round accents gathered at each shoulder like sprigs of leaves, set at varying angles on short branching stems rather than in a straight line, on a slim polished band.

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

Clusters, not a row

Most accent settings put stones in a line, evenly spaced, at the same angle. This one does not. The marquise and rounds are grouped into small clusters, tilted at different angles, sitting on short stems that branch off the band.

The point is that nothing lines up. A row of accents reads as jewellery. A scatter of tilted leaves reads as something that grew, and because the angles vary, the stones catch light at different moments as your hand moves rather than all flashing together.

It is a harder thing to make well than a straight row, because there is no rule to follow. Each cluster has to be judged by eye, and the two shoulders have to balance without being mirror images, or the whole effect collapses into symmetry and the illusion goes.

How this compares with our other nature inspired asscher rings

We make several rings in this family and they are quite distinct.

The Spaced Leaf Link ring sets a few individual rounds widely apart with small twisted metal leaves between them. It is sparse, orderly and quiet.

The Engraved Leaf ring has no accent stones at all, just a botanical pattern cut into the metal.

The Twisted Vine rings use a crossing shank as the organic element, with the stones following the twist.

This one is the only one where the stones themselves form the foliage, clustered and tilted. If you want the botanical idea carried by the gems rather than by the metal, this is the ring that does it.

Marquise as leaves

A marquise is a pointed oval, which is very close to the outline of a leaf, and that is why it does the work here that a round could not. Set at an angle on a short stem, a marquise reads immediately as foliage.

The small rounds between them behave as buds or berries, filling the gaps so the cluster looks dense rather than sparse, without adding more leaf shapes and making it busy.

Each marquise has both its points covered by metal, which is the correct way to set one. Points left exposed chip.

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 blocks rather than sparkling.

Putting the most rigidly geometric stone in jewellery into a setting with no straight lines at all is the whole idea. The contrast is what makes both halves read: the centre looks more precise because of what surrounds it, and the clusters look more organic because of what they surround.

Every centre stone is Colorless in body colour and VVS in clarity, and every accent, marquise and round alike, is Colorless and VVS too.

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 clusters scale with the centre so the balance holds, though at 2 carat the shoulders are a more equal partner to the stone than at 5.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Shown in yellow gold, and this design genuinely needs a warm metal. The stems, the ball claws and the small branching elements are metal, and metal only reads as a stem when it is a different colour from the stones it carries. In white gold the clusters lose their structure and become a slightly irregular scatter of light. Rose gold works as well as yellow and suits the botanical idea. Silver reads between the two. 10K is the hardest, 14K is the everyday balance, 18K is the richest but softest. 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 stems, set each accent individually at its own angle, balance the two shoulders by eye, then set the centre and polish for your metal, centre size and finger size after your order arrives. Because no two stones sit at the same angle, none of this can be done to a template, which is why an asymmetric cluster takes longer than a row of the same number of stones. 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 worked into the clusters from several directions, since stones set at angles trap more than flat ones do. Clean under the centre too, because a step cut shows anything sitting below it. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. 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? Not perfectly. The clusters give the shoulders an irregular lower edge, so a straight band meets it unevenly. A contoured band fits better, and many people wear this ring alone.

Can it be resized? Within a moderate range. The clusters sit at the shoulders and the lower shank is plain, which gives us somewhere to work.

Do stones set at angles catch on clothing? Slightly more than a flush setting, yes. The marquise points are covered and the stones sit low, so it is not a problem ring, but it is not snag free in the way a bezel is.

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

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