15 replies to this topic

[yeoniv]

Hello.

Me and my fiance is looking for approx 2 carrat asscher cut stone for my engagement ring.
It is actually his job to find me a perfect stone and the ring but as I specifically wanted 2 carat asscher cut ring, he asked me to just find one myself within his budget!

Anways, I've been browsing around and found couple stones I like but it is very hard to decide online.

Also I am very new with all these diamond stuffs. I just wanted 2 carat asscher cut because I saw one in real and it was just stunning but I am very ignorant about clarity, colors, cuts and etc..

Please help me choose. I found one from bluenile and another one from diamondideal. Both are around the same price.

For asscher cut, what dimentions, clarity, colors etc are recommended?
Also I was reading some posts and it said even it's same weight, some can look big and some can look small.
Does depth has to be short for the stone to look big?
For asscher cut, does it have to have perfect square dimentions?

Sorry for all these questions. I didn't think choosing a stone would be this hard and complicated.

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[barry]

Asscher shape diamonds are step cut configurations and can display same/similar measurements but take on different face up l@@ks. A good way for you to start and become familiar with Asscher cut diamonds is to visit your local jewelery stores and look at these shape diamonds.

You will notice different patterns and styles in the way the diamonds face up which are the result of the way the diamond cutter has combined facet alignment, facet size, and facet angles. Decide which look you prefer.

Next step, ask your on-line Vendor to supply photos of the diamond(s) you're interested in and provide descriptions of the way the stone(s) face up. Keep in mind that inclusions in this diamond shape do tend to appear more visible to the eye compared to a round brilliant shape and therefore you may have to stay at VS-2 clarity and higher.

SI-1 and SI-2 clarities may be fine if the inclusion(s) are off to the side, are whitish/gray, do not reflect, and can be hidden/obscured by the metal work of the setting.

As far as color is concerned, it really depends on the setting you're purchasing. Enclosed settings such as Halo, bezel, and semi-tensions enclose the circumference of the diamond thus preventing light from entering and exiting through the top of the stone to your eye, hence making the diamond appear darker than it's color (when viewed loose) would suggest. In such a case, I would stay away from H color, as our experience has been that such settings make the diamond look off-white and closer to a J color. Therefore,
stay with F-G color. You will not notice a difference between a D color to G color- face up.

If you are going to purchase a prong setting, H color is fine.

Your homework/research session starts now.

[barry]

Asscher shape diamonds are step cut configurations and can display same/similar measurements but take on different face up l@@ks. A good way for you to start and become familiar with Asscher cut diamonds is to visit your local jewelery stores and look at these shape diamonds.

You will notice different patterns and styles in the way the diamonds face up which are the result of the way the diamond cutter has combined facet alignment, facet size, and facet angles. Decide which look you prefer.

Next step, ask your on-line Vendor to supply photos of the diamond(s) you're interested in and provide descriptions of the way the stone(s) face up. Keep in mind that inclusions in this diamond shape do tend to appear more visible to the eye compared to a round brilliant shape and therefore you may have to stay at VS-2 clarity and higher.

SI-1 and SI-2 clarities may be fine if the inclusion(s) are off to the side, are whitish/gray, do not reflect, and can be hidden/obscured by the metal work of the setting.

As far as color is concerned, it really depends on the setting you're purchasing. Enclosed settings such as Halo, bezel, and semi-tensions enclose the circumference of the diamond thus preventing light from entering and exiting through the top of the stone to your eye, hence making the diamond appear darker than it's color (when viewed loose) would suggest. In such a case, I would stay away from H color, as our experience has been that such settings make the diamond look off-white and closer to a J color. Therefore,
stay with F-G color. You will not notice a difference between a D color to G color- face up.

If you are going to purchase a prong setting, H color is fine.

Your homework/research session starts now.

[Megan@UnionDiamond]

Barry makes some excellent points. Diamonds are very tricky to judge based solely on the reports. We have no way of telling the color or visibility of the plotted inclusions, and therefore cannot advise you as to how they will look in real life. However, it is usually best to stay in the higher clarity grades with step cut stones. Think of it like this. Have you ever tried to see the rocks in the bottom of a clear pond? If the water is smooth and still, you can see them clearly. But if the water has been disturbed, it is much more difficult, especially when the light catches on the ripples. Step cut stones are like still water, you can see clearly into them while round brilliants tend to fool you with their faceting. Now this isn't to say that an SI diamond can't be beautiful. It all depends on you, the observer, and the location of the inclusions. Some people aren't bothered at all by inclusions, and some are... it all depends on you! The same goes for dimensions and color. It all depends on how you want your diamond to look, and the only way you'll find out is by looking at some. Go to your local jeweler and ask to see some stones in various sizes, clarity, and color, and see what you like. I mean, how often do you have two people telling you to go out and look at beautiful diamonds? So go have fun, and when you've figured out what you like, we'll be here to help!

[LaurieH]

The others have mostly covered it, but I would just like to suggest that with such a "windowed" stone as an Emerald/Asscher cut, that you aught to consider prioritizing Clarity over Color. You can go a bit lower on Color and higher on Clarity and stay within roughly the same range, esp if you're trading one category jump (from Colorless to Near Colorless) for another (VS for SI). It's not exactly how it works, but more often than not, you're staying fairly close. Also smart to be staying just below the 2 carat mark, because there is a big price jump at that point, and something in the high 1.80s/1.90s won't look much different (if at all) than something at 2ct to the eye, especially if there is any variation in depth or girdle thickness, that could make a difference in the spread. Ultimately, you want something that is facing up white and eye clean. Eye clean is ESPECIALLY important with the Emerald (Asscher is a modified Emerald cut) cut, because it does not have a busy facet arrangement that can potentially hide inclusions, and unlike a round, even if the inclusions are around the outside edge, you don't have a choice of where on the diamond you set it to hide the "worst offenders".

It is so hard to get any concept except of location and type of inclusions are in a diamond from the cert, so I'd advise sticking to VS diamonds since, by definition, they'll be eye-clean, and moving down to G or H Color to stay in budget, b/c they'll completely face up white.

Good luck!

[davidelevi]

Couple of points that others haven't picked up:

Squareness: accepted "standard" is that up to 1.05 (lenght/width) is perceived as square, but people's sensitivities in that respect vary, and the human eye can be deceived by the surrounding/setting design as well.

The two stones that you are looking at will probably look rather different, if anything because one has a 4-step pavilion and the other has 3 steps. A 10% difference in table is also likely to result in a significantly different appearance. Which one you (or your GF) are going to like best is a question that can only be answered by seeing them; no extent of speculation is going to tell you that.

From that point of view, I would suggest that you stop looking for stones, and start looking for dealers first. With fancy cuts - and SI stones - having access to photographs, videos, reflector images, Sarin scans and a whole host of other information is much more necessary than with rounds. Talk to people to find what information they can get to help you make up your mind (or at least come up with a shortlist) from a remote location, and choose someone who is genuinely going to be helpful, as opposed to "cheap". The greater quality of the diamond you are likely to find this way - not to mention the lower level of frustration - will pay for itself a hundred times.

[yeoniv]

Thanks all for replies!

I was reading some articles and found out cushion or radiant cut stones tend to be bigger and sparkles more compare to same size Asscher. Is that true?

Maybe I'll stick with other shape. Anything square but princess cut will do..!

[yeoniv]

Does the same rule apply for radiant or cushion cut stone?
Focus more on Clarity than color?

[yeoniv]

Also what is recommended cut grade, polish and symmetry for asscher cut? and what is more important than others?

Here in Asia, most of stones are round cut and I was told symmetry and color was what makes stones beautiful but I guess fancy cuts are different.

So confusing! :S

[barry]

It is confusing; we shall try to provide clarity to your search.

[davidelevi]

Thanks all for replies!

I was reading some articles and found out cushion or radiant cut stones tend to be bigger and sparkles more compare to same size Asscher. Is that true?

Maybe I'll stick with other shape. Anything square but princess cut will do..!

They look very different. Cushions and radiants are classified as "brilliant cuts" meaning pavilion facets converge to a point rather than being cut in parallel steps like in an Asscher or emerald cut. Brilliant cuts have more sparkle and fire, but less contrast, and they look "busier" than step cuts like the Asscher.

Size-wise, there's so much variability in cutting styles and quality that it's difficult to come up with a definite answer. I don't think there is a significant difference on average, but individual stones will be significantly different from each others.

Does the same rule apply for radiant or cushion cut stone?
Focus more on Clarity than color?

Focus on cut. Clarity is less important in brilliant cuts, because the "busy" play of light hides imperfections better than the transparency of step cuts, but to me clarity is something which is NOT worth paying for once you achieve "eye-clean" status. Colour is to me purely a matter of taste; some colours cost more than others, but there is no "better" colour, only one that you like more.

Also what is recommended cut grade, polish and symmetry for asscher cut? and what is more important than others?

Here in Asia, most of stones are round cut and I was told symmetry and color was what makes stones beautiful but I guess fancy cuts are different.

So confusing! :S

Polish and symmetry at good+; you will have significant difficulty in seeing the differences to the other grades with the naked eye.

Symmetry is marginally more important than polish, but the real problem is that there is no widespread and well researched cut grading system for Asscher cut stones (or for that matter for cushions or radiants). Not only that, but grading reports do not provide some critical pieces of data that would help you assess how well the stone is cut. Visual inspection - either in person or via good quality photo and video, possibly including reflector images (ASET/IdealScope) - is the best method.

Edited by davidelevi, 11 August 2011 - 04:48 AM.

[Tanya]

I know this is a old post but i had a question about the 2 GIA certificates shown. Are they accurate in the number of steps in the pavilion.

Ie in this case one is 3 steps and the other is 4 steps.

Am i right to assume 4 steps is more desirable?

[davidelevi]

Normally the report is accurate in depicting the number of steps in crown and pavilion. Whether 4-step is more desirable than 3 is a whole different kettle of fish. It depends on what they look like; 4 is of course more work to cut, and this may indicate some greater care taken while cutting, but it's not a universal law, and in any case you may find that you find a 3-step pattern and looks more desirable to you, never mind what "the market" thinks.

Edited by davidelevi, 11 September 2012 - 07:39 AM.

[jan]

Here is my take on the 2 stones above:
Stone #1 is out of square, has a large cloud that may show up to the naked eye and a very large table for a well cut asshcer.

Stone #2 would be out of the question for me, as it is a SI2 clarity grade. Generally we stay VS2 and above on asscher cut diamonds because the faceting doesn't hide inclusions well.

I would keep looking.

[davidelevi]

Jan - I think the OP has long since decided one way or another with the first two stones (it's over a year ago). The thread got resurrected by a different poster with a question on 3 vs 4 step cuts.

[jan]

Oops.