Find of the Week: Rare Asscher Cut Diamond Ring

A piece of fine antique jewelry set with an Asscher cut diamond is one of the rarest and most desirable pieces of jewelry that we find. This week on Find of the Week, we are showcasing an absolutely exceptional antique piece of jewelry. It is a beautiful Asscher cut diamond sapphire and platinum ornately engraved ring that was made sometime around 1920. It is accented with scattered clean and white diamond melee and unusual deep cornflower blue sapphires. So why is this ring special? Only approximately 2% of all diamonds are made into Asscher cuts. These are technically a modified emerald cut with beveled corners and square symmetry, a cut that was created in 1902 by Joseph Asscher. He had become famous for cutting the largest diamond ever found, the Cullinan, which was cut into the two large stones that the crown jewels of England are crafted around. This cut is a perfect embodiment of the graphic lines and geometric forms that characterize art deco design.

Why Are They Rare?

One of the reasons Asscher cut diamond rings are are less common is because the stones are more labor intensive to cut, as they can have as many as 72 facets rather than the normal 58 of a standard round brilliant cut. However, the original Asscher cut diamond did have 58 facets. Cutting them also wastes more material making them more expensive to produce. Their attraction lies in their pleasing symmetry that causes more scintillation than an emerald cut, understated but elegant. This example has the classic configuration of 58 facets. It appears to be nearly flawless and is a very desirable fine white color, which is needed in Asscher cuts because the large facet windows magnify any color present in the stone. It came nicely with the original box and receipt from the Troy, NY jeweler, Joseph Koenigsbauer, from whom it was purchased just after World War 2.

Well-Known Asscher Cuts

Asscher cut diamond rings in the news include Pippa Middleton’s 3ct diamond engagement ring, Sarah Jessica Parker’s engagement ring from Aidan in Sex and the City, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s engagement ring from husband Chris Martin of Coldplay. All of these rings are dwarfed by the 33+ carat Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, formerly known as the Krupp Diamond, is a 33.19-carat (6.638 g) diamond that was bought by Richard Burton for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor in 1968 at an auction in New York for $307,000. It was sold by the Taylor estate in 2011 for $8,818,500.