Asscher Cut Diamonds in South Africa (2026 Buyer Guide)

What makes the asscher distinctive

The asscher is essentially a square emerald cut: a step cut whose facets run in concentric, parallel rows rather than the radiating triangles of a brilliant. Its four corners are deeply cropped, giving an octagonal outline, and the stepped pavilion draws the eye down into the stone in a windmill or hall-of-mirrors pattern with a distinct X at the centre. First cut by the Asscher Brothers of Holland in 1902, it became an Art Deco icon in the 1920s and has cycled through revivals ever since.

The asscher does not sparkle the way a round brilliant does. Instead of fire and scintillation it offers geometric clarity and understated depth, broad flashes of light moving in clean lines as the hand turns. Buyers choose it for exactly that quality: a vintage, architectural, quietly confident look rather than maximum glitter. It reads as square on the finger because its length-to-width ratio sits around 1.00 to 1.05, essentially a perfect square.

That same openness is the catch. The large, flat step facets behave like clear windows into the stone, so any body colour or inclusion is on full display where a brilliant cut would scatter light and hide it. As the Prodiam bench in Bedfordview frames it, the asscher is the most honest cut you can buy: it shows the truth of the rough, which is wonderful in a clean stone and unforgiving in a flawed one.

Why colour and clarity matter most

This is the single most important point on the page. Because the step facets reveal so much, an asscher demands higher grades than a brilliant of the same budget. Diamond Guide SA recommends VS1 or better clarity and G or better colour as the floor. At VS1 the stone is eye-clean with no inclusion visible down the open table; at G the stone faces up white in white gold or platinum with no warmth creeping into the corners. Drop below those and the very feature you are paying for, the clean windowpane look, starts working against you.

It pays to understand exactly what each grade letter and number means before you shop, because on an asscher they are not abstractions, they are what you will see. Our diamond clarity and colour chart lays out the GIA scales side by side and is especially worth reading for a step cut, where a single SI inclusion or one colour grade of warmth shows far more plainly than it would on a round.

A practical SA approach: hold colour at G or above and clarity at VS1 or above, then let carat take whatever the budget allows. A smaller, cleaner asscher always outperforms a larger, tinted or included one. Reputable wholesalers pre-screen their asscher stock to these grades; cheaper online suppliers often list SI-clarity or I-colour asschers that look fine in a photo and disappointing in the hand.

Asscher pricing in 2026 South Africa

On SA wholesale, a 1.00 carat GIA G/VS1 asscher (Excellent polish, Excellent symmetry) typically runs R62,000 to R82,000, against R75,000 to R95,000 on the equivalent round. SA retail (Shimansky, Browns) on the same 1.00 carat stone typically runs R95,000 to R130,000. At 1.50 carat, SA wholesale runs R130,000 to R175,000 on G/VS1. At 2.00 carat, SA wholesale runs R258,000 to R348,000.

The 10 to 20 per cent discount versus an equivalent round reflects lower per-carat demand for step cuts, partly offset by the fact that a well-made asscher needs clean rough and skilled cutting to keep the corners and the windmill symmetric. The discount is narrower than the oval's because clean rough at the grades an asscher needs is itself less common.

Asschers also wear smaller face-up than an elongated shape of the same weight, since the carat sits in a compact square with depth rather than spread across the finger. If maximum visual size per Rand is the goal, an oval or emerald will look larger; if the geometric step-cut look is the goal, the asscher is the stone. The diamond size calculator shows the true millimetre footprint of any carat and shape to scale before you commit.

What to insist on in an asscher

Insist on GIA certification with Excellent polish and Excellent symmetry. GIA does not award an overall Cut grade on an asscher (the grade only applies to round brilliants), so polish and symmetry are your proxies, and on a step cut they matter more than on any other shape. The whole appeal is the concentric windmill: if the rows are uneven, the corners unequal, or the X off-centre, the optical effect collapses and no certificate will rescue it.

View the stone in person or via high-quality video and look straight down the table. The step rows should be crisp and parallel, the four cropped corners equal, and the central X clean and centred. Confirm the stone is eye-clean from a normal viewing distance with no inclusion sitting in the open field. A subtle, well-cut asscher rewards close looking; a poorly aligned one looks busy and dull at the same time.

Verify the GIA report number on GIA Report Check before paying. Standard step on any GIA-certified centre stone.

Asscher settings: what works

The solitaire is the natural home for an asscher: a single stone on a plain or fine pavé band lets the geometry speak without distraction, and four prongs at the cropped corners hold it securely while leaving the step rows fully open. This is the classic Art Deco presentation and still the most popular asscher setting in SA in 2026.

Vintage three-stone settings also suit the asscher beautifully, with the square centre flanked by two smaller asschers or tapered baguettes for an authentic period look. Asschers are often built into a slightly higher-set gallery than a brilliant, which lifts the stone, lets light enter the deep pavilion from the sides, and shows off the windmill from above. A halo of small round accents is a less traditional but rising choice for buyers who want extra sparkle around the quiet centre.

A wholesale-margin workshop builds an asscher setting in 3 to 4 weeks. A solitaire or simple three-stone in 18kt white gold or platinum typically adds R12,000 to R30,000 at wholesale margin, against R25,000 to R55,000 for comparable work at retail. The geometric look ties naturally to a vintage-leaning engagement ring.

Where to buy an asscher in SA in 2026

For a GIA-certified asscher on wholesale margin, our top value pick is Prodiam in Bedfordview, a wholesale-to-public cutting house that sources rough and polishes to GIA Excellent specifications. Because the asscher exposes everything, its stock is pre-screened for clean, well-centred windmill symmetry at G colour and VS1 clarity or better, with deepest coverage in the 1.00 to 2.00 carat engagement range.

Cape Diamonds suits buyers who prefer Cape Town local handling and want to view step cuts in person at the V&A Waterfront. Pricing typically runs 15 to 25 per cent above wholesale.

Premium retailers (Shimansky, Browns, Charles Greig) carry asschers at retail-tier pricing, often with bespoke Art Deco setting design as the primary value-add. The stone itself runs 30 to 40 per cent above wholesale on like-for-like grades.

Guidance and sources

Frequently Asked Questions