{"product_id":"east-west-asscher-moissanite-swirl-bypass-ring","title":"East West Asscher Cut Moissanite Swirl Bypass Solitaire Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn asscher turned so its corners point up and down the finger rather than its sides, held between two arms of polished gold that curve around it and pass each other. There are no accent stones. The square outline of the stone against the two curves of the metal is the entire design.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCentre stone:\u003c\/strong\u003e Asscher cut moissanite, colourless, VVS clarity, step cut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCarat options:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSetting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Swirl bypass, the stone set on point between two curving arms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAccent stones:\u003c\/strong\u003e None, this is a true solitaire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBand width:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 2.0 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMetals:\u003c\/strong\u003e 925 sterling silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRing sizes:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 13, including half sizes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade:\u003c\/strong\u003e To order by hand in Surat, India\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA square stone turned on point\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn asscher is a square step cut with clipped corners, developed by the Asscher brothers in Amsterdam in 1902 and the defining shape of art deco jewellery. Look into one from above and you see concentric squares running down to the culet, an effect jewellers call the hall of mirrors. It is the most architectural of all the cuts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSetting it on point rather than square to the finger is a deliberate break with how an asscher is normally worn. Square to the finger it reads as a small window. Turned, it becomes a diamond shape in the geometric sense, and the concentric squares inside it are suddenly at an angle to their own outline.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA swirl shank, sometimes called a bypass, does not close under the stone. The two arms run past each other and curve around the sides of the setting, so the band appears to be one continuous line that happens to hold a stone at its widest point. It is a harder thing to make than a straight shank because both arms have to be formed to the exact outline of the stone, and neither can be adjusted afterwards without disturbing the other.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo accent stones anywhere. A step cut is a quiet stone and surrounding it with brilliants turns it into a noisy one. The curving arms give the ring its interest instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhy the asscher cut\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe asscher cut is a square step cut with deeply cropped corners, first cut in 1902 and the defining shape of art deco jewellery. Looking into one is like looking down a bright well. It is one of the shapes we are asked for most often, and it is cut here to the same proportions we would use for a diamond of the same outline.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHow this ring differs from our other asscher moissanite rings\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur other asscher is bezel set on a split shank, square to the finger and quite formal. This one turns the stone on point and wraps it in a swirl, which makes it the more sculptural and less traditional of the two.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat moissanite actually is\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoissanite is silicon carbide, a crystal first identified by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893 in fragments of the Canyon Diablo meteorite in Arizona. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906, and the mineral was named after him. Natural moissanite is vanishingly rare, so every moissanite sold as a gemstone today is grown in a laboratory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere is what that means for a ring you will wear every day:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHardness 9.25 on the Mohs scale.\u003c\/strong\u003e Only diamond and a handful of laboratory materials are harder. It will not scratch from ordinary wear, and it is well suited to a ring worn daily for decades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRefractive index of 2.65 to 2.69\u003c\/strong\u003e, higher than diamond at 2.42. More light is bent back to the eye, which is why a moissanite reads noticeably brighter than a diamond of the same size under the same light.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDispersion of 0.104\u003c\/strong\u003e, against 0.044 for diamond. Dispersion is the splitting of white light into spectral colours. This is the origin of the rainbow fire that moissanite is known for, most visible in direct sun or under spotlights.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDoubly refractive.\u003c\/strong\u003e Under strong magnification a gemmologist can see facet edges doubled. To the naked eye it looks like extra brilliance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoissanite is not cubic zirconia and it is not glass. Cubic zirconia is far softer at 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale, it clouds and abrades within a few years of daily wear, and it has little resale value. Moissanite keeps its polish and its brightness indefinitely. It is also not a diamond, laboratory grown or mined, and we never describe it as one. It is its own gemstone with its own optical signature, and it is chosen by people who want maximum presence on the hand for a fraction of the cost of a diamond of the same size.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery stone we set is graded colourless, the top colour band for moissanite, and VVS clarity, which means any inclusions are extremely difficult to find even under ten times magnification. Nothing is visible to the naked eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eChoosing your metal\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis ring is made to order in ten metals, so the version you choose is the version we build. There is no plating over a base metal and no filled or bonded gold anywhere in the range.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e925 sterling silver\u003c\/strong\u003e is the most affordable way to own the design. It is 92.5 per cent pure silver, bright white, and it takes a high polish. Silver is softer than gold and it will pick up fine surface marks with daily wear, which most people come to like. It can also tarnish, and a soft polishing cloth brings it straight back.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e10K gold\u003c\/strong\u003e is 41.7 per cent pure gold. It is the hardest and the most scratch resistant of the three gold alloys, which makes it a sensible choice for hands that work. The colour is a little paler than 14K.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e14K gold\u003c\/strong\u003e is 58.5 per cent pure gold and it is what most engagement rings sold in the United States are made from. It balances a warm, convincing colour against real everyday durability.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e18K gold\u003c\/strong\u003e is 75 per cent pure gold. It has the deepest, richest colour and the most weight in the hand. It is also the softest of the three, so it marks a little more readily.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eYellow gold is gold alloyed with silver and copper. Rose gold takes more copper, which gives the warm pink tone and also makes it the hardest of the three colours. White gold is alloyed with palladium or nickel and then finished with rhodium plating, which is what gives it that bright white face. Rhodium wears thin over time and wants redoing roughly every one to two years, which any jeweller can do quickly and cheaply. Every gold ring is stamped with its karat mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eChoosing your carat size\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis ring is offered in 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat centre stones. Carat is a unit of weight, not of width, so here is roughly what each one measures across the face of a asscher cut:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2 carat\u003c\/strong\u003e is the most chosen size. It is unmistakably a statement stone and still sits comfortably under a glove or a coat sleeve.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e3 carat\u003c\/strong\u003e is a clear step up in presence and photographs beautifully. This is where most people land when they want the ring to be the first thing anyone notices.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e4 carat\u003c\/strong\u003e covers the finger generously and suits longer fingers and larger ring sizes particularly well.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e5 carat\u003c\/strong\u003e is a red carpet stone. It is the size people ask about across a room.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you are between sizes, order the smaller centre stone in a richer metal rather than the larger stone in the cheapest one. A well made ring in 14K or 18K gold ages far better than an oversized stone on a thin shank.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMade to order in our own workshop\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMapple Gems is a family run jewellery workshop in Surat, in Gujarat, India. Surat is where roughly nine out of every ten diamonds in the world are cut and polished, and the bench skills that grew up around that trade are what this ring is built on. We are not a dropshipper and we do not hold finished stock. When your order comes in, a goldsmith casts your metal in your size, a setter places every stone by hand under a microscope, and the piece is polished, checked and photographed before it leaves us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaking takes ten to fourteen working days for most orders. Shipping is free worldwide and fully insured, and it is normally three to seven working days once the ring has left the bench. Buying direct from the bench is the reason a ring like this costs what it does here rather than several times more on a high street.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCaring for your ring\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoissanite attracts skin oil and hand cream the same way diamond does, and a film of it is the single most common reason a ring looks dull. Soak the ring for ten minutes in warm water with a drop of washing up liquid, brush gently behind and underneath the stone with a soft toothbrush, rinse and pat dry with a lint free cloth. Once a fortnight is plenty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTake the ring off before the gym, gardening, swimming pools and hot tubs, and before using bleach or oven cleaner. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold over time and it will do nothing good to sterling silver. Store it on its own rather than loose in a box with other pieces. Have the claws checked by a jeweller once a year, which takes two minutes and is usually free. White gold will want its rhodium refreshed every one to two years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eQuestions people ask about this ring\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy does an asscher look smaller than a round of the same weight?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA step cut carries more of its weight in depth than a brilliant does, so it spreads less across the finger. If face up size is your priority, ask us about going one carat weight higher in this shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs the hall of mirrors effect visible in moissanite?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, and arguably more strongly than in diamond, because moissanite has a higher refractive index. The concentric squares are crisper. What changes is that you also get more coloured fire between them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs the wedding band in the photographs included?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo. Several of our photographs show the engagement ring worn with a matching or contour band so you can see how it stacks, but the price here is for the engagement ring alone. The bands are sold separately and we are happy to advise which of ours nests best against this design.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat colour and clarity is the moissanite in this ring?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery centre stone is graded colourless with VVS clarity. Colourless is the top colour band for moissanite, and VVS means inclusions are extremely difficult to see even under ten times magnification. The grades are the same on every metal and every carat weight, and on every ring we cut and set in our own workshop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWill people be able to tell it is not a diamond?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot by looking. Both stones are colourless and brilliantly cut, and at arm length they read the same. In direct sunlight moissanite throws more rainbow coloured fire than a diamond does, which some people love and which is the only tell most people would ever notice. Telling the two apart with any certainty needs a thermal or electrical conductivity tester, or a loupe and the training to read facet doubling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDoes moissanite get cloudy or lose its sparkle over time?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo. At 9.25 on the Mohs scale it is one of the hardest gem materials there is, and it does not abrade, cloud or dull with wear the way cubic zirconia does. What makes any ring look dull is a film of skin oil, soap and hand cream on the underside of the stone. A few minutes in warm soapy water with a soft brush restores it completely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat ring sizes can I order?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe make sizes 1.5 to 13, including every half size. Choose your size at checkout. If you are unsure, measure a ring that already fits the correct finger, or ask a local jeweller to size you, and remember that fingers run slightly larger in hot weather and late in the day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCan the ring be resized later?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn most cases yes. Any jeweller can work on a plain section of shank. Resizing is harder where the band is set with stones all the way round, and moving more than about two sizes in either direction is better done by remaking the shank. Contact us first and we will tell you exactly what is possible for your ring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow long will it take to arrive?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery ring is made to order in our workshop in Surat. Allow ten to fourteen working days for making, plus three to seven working days for insured worldwide shipping. If you have a proposal date, tell us when you order and we will confirm whether we can meet it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs the metal solid, or is it plated?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is solid throughout. 925 sterling silver is 92.5 per cent pure silver, and the gold options are solid 10K, 14K or 18K alloy stamped with the karat mark. Nothing in this range is gold plated, gold filled or gold bonded. White gold carries a rhodium finish on the surface, which is standard for all white gold everywhere and is refreshed every year or two.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDo you offer engraving?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, and there is no charge for it. Tell us the wording when you order and we will engrave the inside of the shank. Most people choose a date, a set of initials or a short phrase. Allow up to about twenty five characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat is your returns policy?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eReturns are accepted within thirty days of delivery on an unworn ring in its original packaging. Because every piece is cut, cast and set to order, engraved rings and rings made to a non standard specification are handled case by case. Write to us and we will sort it out.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mapple Gems","offers":[{"title":"925 Sterling Silver \/ 2 Carat","offer_id":61136089907340,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-925-2CT","price":131.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"925 Sterling Silver \/ 3 Carat","offer_id":61136089940108,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-925-3CT","price":151.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"925 Sterling Silver \/ 4 Carat","offer_id":61136089972876,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-925-4CT","price":171.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"925 Sterling Silver \/ 5 Carat","offer_id":61136090005644,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-925-5CT","price":191.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10K Yellow Gold \/ 2 Carat","offer_id":61136090038412,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-10KY-2CT","price":643.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10K Yellow Gold \/ 3 Carat","offer_id":61136090071180,"sku":"MG-AEW-622-10KY-3CT","price":663.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10K Yellow Gold \/ 4 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