Asscher Cut Moissanite Vintage Milgrain Bezel Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An asscher cut moissanite held in a full bezel whose rim is worked with rows of fine milgrain beading, set on a slim plain band that tapers as it meets the setting. There are no accent stones. All the decoration is in the beaded rim.

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

What milgrain is

Milgrain is a row of tiny beads raised along the edge of the metal with a knurled wheel. The name comes from the French for a thousand grains. It was standard practice in Edwardian and early Art Deco jewellery, partly for decoration and partly because a beaded edge disguises the join between a setting and its stone.

On this ring the beading runs right around the octagonal outline, following every straight side and every cropped corner. Turning a beaded line cleanly around eight corners is considerably harder than running it round a circle, and it is the part of this ring that takes the longest to get right.

The effect is soft rather than sharp. A plain bezel gives you a hard bright line around the stone. A milgrain bezel gives you a textured frame that catches light in a fine sparkle of its own, without using a single accent stone to do it.

How this compares with our other bezel asscher rings

We make three bezel set asscher rings and they are genuinely different from one another.

The Double Rail Eternity ring has a plain polished rim and a wide band with a full circle of channel pave between two raised rails. It is the most substantial and by far the most sparkling.

The Smooth Bezel ring has a plain polished rim and a flat plain band, with no decoration anywhere. It is the most minimal ring we make in this shape.

This one sits between them in spirit but is not a compromise. It is the only one with a worked rim, and the only one that reads as antique rather than modern. If you want a bezel because you like the security and the clean outline, but a plain polished rim looks too austere to you, this is the answer.

The bezel

A continuous rim of metal follows the whole outline of the stone, corners included. It protects the corners, which are the most vulnerable part of any square cut, and it makes the ring genuinely snag free.

The honest tradeoff is that a bezel covers the outer edge of the stone, so a bezel set asscher looks slightly smaller than the same stone held in claws. What you get in return is the most secure setting there is, and on a step cut a bezel also suits the shape better than claws do, because claws interrupt the straight lines the design depends on.

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.

The cut was patented by the Asscher brothers of Amsterdam in 1902, which is exactly the period this beaded rim belongs to. Stone and setting are from the same moment, and that is why they sit together so naturally.

Every centre stone is Colorless in body colour and VVS in clarity. 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. With no accents anywhere, the centre carries the ring completely.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Shown in yellow gold, where the beading reads most clearly, because each tiny bead casts its own small shadow and gold has the colour to show it. This is the warmest and most antique version. White gold is the more historically accurate choice, since period pieces were made in platinum, and it gives a crisper, cooler result. Rose gold is unusual and rather lovely. Silver is the most affordable route and takes milgrain well. 10K is the hardest and keeps the beading sharp longest, which matters here more than on most designs. 14K is the everyday balance. 18K is the richest but the softest, and fine beading will soften soonest in 18K. White gold is rhodium plated and needs replating every one to two years.

Made to order

Nothing is taken off a shelf. We cast the setting, raise the milgrain by hand around all eight sides, close the bezel to your stone, then file and polish for your metal, centre size and finger size after your order arrives. Milgrain has to be applied after the bezel is closed, not before, or the beads distort. 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 along the beaded rim rather than scrubbing at it, since the beads are fine and the shadow between them is what makes the pattern read. Clean the underside of the bezel too, because a step cut shows anything trapped below. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Do not use abrasive polish on the milgrain, as it will flatten the beads. 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, well. The band is slim and the bezel does not spread sideways. A plain band or a milgrain edged band both look right beside it.

Can it be resized? Yes, comfortably. There are no stones in the shank at all, which makes this one of the easier rings we make to resize.

Does milgrain wear away? Slowly, over many years, on the parts that rub. It can be recut by any competent jeweller and we would be glad to do it. Choosing 10K or 14K rather than 18K 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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