During the Art Deco era, the Asscher cut with its linear square shape and super sparkle, was, and still is, one of the most desired diamond cuts. Its crisp straight lines were perfection in the symmetrical, geometric Art Deco jewelry designs that were new and innovative. Today, it is one of the most highly desired of the antique diamond cuts, and one of the most difficult to find, as a very limited number of those gems were cut at the beginning of the 20th century before manufacturing stopped. The story of the Asscher cut can be traced back to the 19th century when the Asscher family set up shop in Amsterdam in the mid 1800s.
In 1854, Joseph Isaac Asscher founded the IJ Asscher Diamond Company. When his sons Joseph and Abraham joined the business several years later, the name was changed to the Asscher Diamond Company. The company rose to prominence and became recognized as one of the most notable diamond cutting firms in the world. Amsterdam was the most important global diamond cutting center in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the Asscher family was in the heart of it all.
Cutting the World’s Largest Diamonds
Due to the success of the firm and its reputation for excellence, the Asscher Diamond Company was called upon to cut some of the era’s most famous diamonds. In 1903, Abraham Asscher was hired to cut the 995-carat Excelsior Diamond, the world’s largest at the time. The diamond had been discovered in 1893, but due to some legal issues, it had been sitting in a vault for ten years. The diamond was cut into 11 stones; three were purchased by Tiffany & Co.
It wasn’t long before another diamond took the starring role as the world’s largest diamond. In 1905 the Cullinan diamond was discovered, weighing in at a whopping 3,106 carats. The diamond was discovered in South Africa and was gifted to King Edward VII in 1907 as a birthday gift from South Africa’s Transvaal Colony government. Of course, King Edward turned to Joseph Asscher for advice on the best way to cut the diamond. It took about a year of studying the diamond and the development of some new tools before Joseph Asscher cut the gem in 1908. Once the stone was cut, nine of the diamonds were given to King Edward. The diamonds, including the Great Star of Africa and the Smaller Star of Africa which were the two largest, remain part of the British Crown Jewels today. There were 96 smaller stones that came from the diamond and they were left with the Asscher’s as payment for their services.
First Patented Diamond Cut
It was Joseph Isaac’s grandson, also named Joseph, who, in 1902, cut the first diamonds that are named for the family. The Asscher cut with its straight lines was a big departure from the more round and curvy cuts of the era. It was square, with cut corners that created an octagonal shape, which looked very different from other diamonds. The cut was so distinctive that Joseph Asscher had it patented, making it the first patented diamond cut.
Being square was not the only point of distinction that set the Asscher cut apart from other diamonds. Asscher cut diamonds have an extraordinary sparkle because the cut corners allow more light return in the stone. The Asscher is a step cut, similar to an emerald cut, but it is square shaped, rather than rectangular like the emerald cut. It has a high, two-step crown and a deep pavilion. When you look straight down into an Asscher cut diamond from the top, you will see an “X” that is formed by equidistant converging facets, earning the cut the nickname “hall of mirrors” for the amazing light reflection in the stone.
As the Art Deco design movement strengthened, jewelry designers were enamored with the Asscher cut and it soon became one of the most popular and important diamond cuts of the era. The square shape was new and modern and its linear form perfectly complemented the straight geometric lines of the jewelry being made in the 1920s and 1930s.
Rebuilding The Business
When World War II erupted in Europe, the Nazis invaded Holland, storming Amsterdam and arresting the Asscher family and most of the few hundred employees who worked at the company. All were sent to concentration camps. After the war, the city’s diamond industry was pretty much wiped out, but ten members of the Asscher family who had survived returned to Amsterdam as did about 15 of their cutters.
The family rebuilt the business, but they stopped cutting the original Asscher. The restructured company thrived and in 1980, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands bestowed the Asscher Diamond Company with a Dutch Royal Predicate leading the firm to change its name to the Royal Asscher Diamond Company. Several years later, the Royal Asscher cut was introduced. It was designed by Joseph Asscher’s great grand nephews, Edward and Joop, who based the specs on the original cut, adding 16 more facets to the design for a total of 74 facets, giving the diamond extra shimmer.
The firm continues to cut diamonds today with the fifth and sixth generations of the family at the helm, operating at Tolstraat 127, Amsterdam, the same building where the company started in 1854.
Top of Page: Asscher cut 12.43-carat diamond, onyx and platinum ring.
Art Deco 6.20-carat Asscher cut diamond and platinum ring, signed Raymond Yard; Asscher cut, round diamond and platinum bracelet, signed Oscar Heyman; Asscher cut 1.87-carat diamond, Ruby and platinum ring, signed Raymond Yard, circa 1935, accompanied by an HRD Antwerp report; Headquarters of The Royal Asscher Diamond Company on the Tolstraat 127, Amsterdam, courtesy Ceinturion at Dutch Wikipedia.
Authored by Amber Michelle