Celebrities everywhere such as Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson can be seen sporting distinctive and fashionable diamond cuts in rings, necklaces, and earrings. Here are a few tips for what to look for in Asscher cut engagement rings.

Before you purchase Asscher cut engagement rings, there are a few qualities you want to look for. First, research a premium jewellery store or appraiser to make sure that the Asscher cut diamond you purchase is of high quality. When looking at Asscher cut engagement rings, you want a diamond with a cut rated at least ‘good’, a colour rating of at least ‘G’, clarity of at least SI2, depth percentage of at least 64-72% and a table of at least 54-63%. What does all this mean, though?

Asscher cut engagement rings should have a cut rating of at least good, meaning that there are minimal flaws in the cutting and the facets are all of uniform shape and size. Asscher cut engagement rings should be colourless or near colourless. A good appraiser will be able to tell you if the Asscher cut engagement rings are a good deal, but a colour rating of G, F, E, or D is the best, with G being the least and D being exceptionally clear. However, it is popular in fashion these days to have coloured diamonds, but just know that if you get a yellow or brown coloured Asscher diamond you should not be paying as much for a clear one. Other colours are rare, so they will be more expensive. A clarity of SI2 is one of the lowest clarity de-markings before a diamond is considered ‘imperfect’.

When looking for your Asscher cut engagement rings, you want a rating higher than SI2, so look for something with the label VS (Very Slightly Included), WS (Very Very Slightly Included), IF (Internally Flawless) or the highest grade possible, FL for Flawless. All of these codes mean that a skilled jewellery appraiser can see blemishes on the diamond under 10x magnification. The Depth percentage and table tell you the size and shape of your Asscher cut engagement rings. To decipher the table of your Asscher cut engagement rings, look down at the diamond from above. The ‘flat’ top part of the diamond should take up more than half of the area of the top of the diamond. This is the table. The depth means that when you look at the diamond from the side, the bottom, pointed half of your diamond should take up almost a third of the shape.

Another thing to note about Asscher cut engagement rings is that it is one of the few diamond cuts to be patented. True Asscher cut engagement rings will have 54 facets if it was made before 1942 and 72 facets if it was made after 2003. Asscher cut diamonds made after 2003 are called ‘Royal Asscher Cut Diamonds’ and have the insignia of the Royal Asscher company etched into one of the side facets of the diamond’s girdle, or middle section. Diamonds that do not have the royal Asscher logo, or are not vintage, are probably not true Asscher cut engagement rings. These diamonds are called cusion cut diamonds, and you shouldn’t pay as much for one as you would pay for true Asscher cut engagement rings.