Please help with purchasing first asscher?

[Girl from Mars]

Here''s another Jeff White asscher - this is a 3.23 celon sapphire.

 

[loriken214]

This is an aqua cut by Barry.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

This is my sleepy aqua asscher by Gene.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

My pink tourmaline by Gene.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

Date: 8/29/2009 10:34:56 PM
Author: loriken214
My pink tourmaline by Gene.

Lori

Sorry, double post!

Lori

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 8/29/2009 3:44:57 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 8/28/2009 8:27:23 AM
Author: LaurenThePartier
AJ, have you seen enough Asscher coloured stones to know which cuitter you''re leaning toward? I really think they all have their own styles.


I haven''t seen a JW (more classic RA style) or a BB in person (but I''m getting in line

), but I think my Gary Braun Asschers edge out my Peter Torracas by just a hair. I want a Gene Asscher too!


As for colours, aqua could hit what you need, and tourmaline may take you quite some time to find the appropriate rough. I have a green tourmaline with blue on the B axis, but the C axis is closed so it''s quite dark, and the deep cut didn''t help anything. I love it, though, because of the cut and how it behaves in the sun.


I can''t wait to see what you decide on!

Heya Lauren,
thanks for lending your advice!
I have looked through as many threads on here as I could find, but I can''t claim to have seen any in person.
I *think* I can tell the difference between the RA''s and the generic cut ones, but sometimes it''s difficult in non-vendor pics.

Am I correct that Gene and Jeff W cut RA style ones, and the others do more generic styles?
I must admit, from the photos I''ve seen I do prefer the look of the symmetry/windmills on Gene''s and JW''s - but perhaps that just because I haven''t seen vendor photos for the other cutters...Do you by chance have a photo from Gary of your tourm asscher you could share?

Barry doesn''t seem to have what I''m after; Gary is very quick to reply but doesn''t have any rough atm; and I''ve emailed Gene about his blue-green tourmaline but not heard back as yet..
To answer your question, I would likely be happy with something from any of the above (I think!).

trying once more for a pic of Red Faery''s one from Gene..

Here are a few examples of all of the asschers I have. I don''t have a vendor photo for my cinnamon tourmaline, because it was a surprise to me.

I definitely want an example from Gene and Jeff, because of their patterning style.

All Gary''s

Peter''s

And the aqua is of course Gary''s.

 

[arjunajane]

Wow, thankyou everyone for sharing your photos, I really appreciate it and this is a great help!

Kismet, thanks hon for the link and photos.

Mochi, you do have some collection! I love all of yours, but agree that the ones from Gene really look extra nice.

Gailey, as you know that gem was one of the first that drew me over to the darkside of CS, lol!

Lori, all of yours are incredible, but the first three really stand out. That JW peridot is gorgeous

Lori, quick question - how do you find Barry''s asscher-style compared to the more traditional RA styles from Gene etc? It''s a lil tilted in that pic, but the steps and windmills still look nice to me. Were you happy with it? And do you have a preference, seeing as you have one from nearly every cutter! Cheers.

Hi girl from mars - is that beauty yours?


Thanks everyone for your contributions!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 8/29/2009 9:19:23 AM
Author: Jeffrey Hunt
Hi,


Don''t forget Roger Dery at http://www.spectralgems.net/ He recently cut an astounding Asscher for me. Take a look at his website, but don''t hesitate to contact him either he has many more gems than what is listed on his site.


You might also try Lisa Elser at http://www.custom-cutgems.com/


Regards,


Jeff

Hi Jeff,
great advice, thankyou. I have not dealt with Roger before, but have been enjoying viewing photos of his recent trip and his cuts look very impressive. I have sent him off an inquiry.
Thankyou for the recommendations

 

[arjunajane]

Thanks LTP for the examples!

I really like the looks of your tourmaline in the vendor pics, but I can understand it may be a lil dark IRL. It''s still lovely!
And that aqua photo from Gary is gorgeous.

 

[arjunajane]

At the moment, I am really torn between purchasing something in a different cut in *exactly* the kind of colour I''m after. Or waiting around for someone to find suitable rough for an asscher...

Any advice? - I have to admit I''m leaning toward colour. (It''s not a cut that I dislike btw).

 

[loriken214]

Date: 8/30/2009 12:18:49 AM
Author: arjunajane
Wow, thankyou everyone for sharing your photos, I really appreciate it and this is a great help!

Kismet, thanks hon for the link and photos.

Mochi, you do have some collection! I love all of yours, but agree that the ones from Gene really look extra nice.

Gailey, as you know that gem was one of the first that drew me over to the darkside of CS, lol!

Lori, all of yours are incredible, but the first three really stand out. That JW peridot is gorgeous

Lori, quick question - how do you find Barry''s asscher-style compared to the more traditional RA styles from Gene etc? It''s a lil tilted in that pic, but the steps and windmills still look nice to me. Were you happy with it? And do you have a preference, seeing as you have one from nearly every cutter! Cheers.

Hi girl from mars - is that beauty yours?


Thanks everyone for your contributions!

AJ,

Barry''s asscher-style stones are really awesome....I have several of his. There are more asscher gemstones in my collection, but I don''t have decent photos of them. Barry does a great job on his cutting and I hope he will be cutting lots more of them soon.

I have some of Gary''s gemstones, too, but no asschers yet. He cut the most amazing EC for me. I''ll attach a photo.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

Here it is.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

This is another Barry stone.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

One more from Barry.

Lori

 

[loriken214]

This is a new stone from Dan Stair. I should be receiving it any day now.

Lori

 

[arjunajane]

Hey Lori,
thankyou for the new pics - Barry''s do look lovely too. I really like the pic
of the deep pink one.


Do you have any advice on the above - ie. what would you do in a situation where there is the just colour you''re after, but not necessarily the cut?
I guess I''m leaning towards just grabbing the colour to check it out IRL, than maybe still have an accsher cut later down the track when the rough becomes available..it seems they are not as easy to just "order up" as some other cuts..

 

[chrono]

Hi AJ,
Welcome to the asscher craze. Since you asked for a close up of a Jeff White asscher, here’s his picture of a pink spinel asscher.

 

[chrono]

This is my picture of the same JW stone.

 

[Phoenix]

I never thought I liked Asschers that much but after seeing these, I have to say...WOW....SWOOOONN!!! I think I''ve died and gone to asscher haven!!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 8/31/2009 8:50:12 AM
Author: Chrono
Hi AJ,

Welcome to the asscher craze. Since you asked for a close up of a Jeff White asscher, here’s his picture of a pink spinel asscher.

thankyou Chrono for the addition - is the ring one of yours? I really like that design, it''s kinda similar to what I have in mind when I finally obtain one (probably a half bezel with a wide shank).

Any thoughts/advice on the above dilemma?

Oh, and just because I discovered it today and while we''re on JW, how beautiful is this blue green tourm!

(Unfortunately, this is not available).

The colour seems really other-wordly.


For the folks that own JW gems, are his photo colours accurate/true to real life?
(off to vendor vs owner pics thread)

 

[chrono]

Yes, AJ. It’s mine. I’m glad you like it.

Which dilemma are you asking about? Tying to pick one asscher design over another? I would say it depends on the size of the stone and the type of stone selected. For something dispersive like a garnet or spinel, the traditional RA is well suited. For something with low dispersion like aquamarine or tourmaline, the extra facets added will make it more interesting and sparkly. For a smaller stone, the modified asscher is good because it won’t be overly deep (hence too small face up) and also the gives a bigger step appearance although it sacrifices the windmills in the process.

As for colour accuracy, you can see it in my picture above. It doesn’t get quite as pink as Jeff''s picture in person even though the saturation is spot on – it likes to show a slight lavender tint as shown in my picture.

 

[Ellen]

Hey aj, if it''s the color you''re wanting more than the cut, I''d go for color now. You can always get an Asscher cut down the road if you want.

Just my cheap (.02) opinion.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 8/31/2009 11:03:32 AM
Author: Chrono

Yes, AJ. It’s mine. I’m glad you like it.

Which dilemma are you asking about? Tying to pick one asscher design over another? I would say it depends on the size of the stone and the type of stone selected. For something dispersive like a garnet or spinel, the traditional RA is well suited. For something with low dispersion like aquamarine or tourmaline, the extra facets added will make it more interesting and sparkly. For a smaller stone, the modified asscher is good because it won’t be overly deep (hence too small face up) and also the gives a bigger step appearance although it sacrifices the windmills in the process.

As for colour accuracy, you can see it in my picture above. It doesn’t get quite as pink as Jeff''s picture in person even though the saturation is spot on – it likes to show a slight lavender tint as shown in my picture.

hey C - I was kinda asking about colours vs cut (which Ellen has answered below), I should''ve been more explicit sorry.
But your info on the diff. asschers is actually very useful and informative, thankyou.
Can you tell me the mm of your stone above?

cheers for your help!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 8/31/2009 11:12:17 AM
Author: Ellen
Hey aj, if it''s the color you''re wanting more than the cut, I''d go for color now. You can always get an Asscher cut down the road if you want.


Just my cheap (.02) opinion.

Hi Ellen,
thankyou for your 2c opinion

, it does pretty much go with what I was already feeling.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Those JW asschers are really awesome!

I own a Barry asscher and it is really lovely too. It doesn''t photograph well but just amazing in person.

 

[chrono]

AJ,
Even though my spinel is 1.75 ct, it only measures 6.5 mm due to the cutting style. For coloured gemstones, colour comes first, as always. I did this asscher “thing” as an experiment of sorts and it will most likely be my only asscher stone. The same with concave cutting; I purchased one for the sake of having a well cut concave stone in my collection and will most likely be the only one. In both cases, I still paid very close attention to the colour and made sure they are still attractive.

 

[londonblue]

wow, some very nice asschers!
Only 3 years ago when I was looking for a asscher cut sapphire they pretty much didn''t exist, and most people told me the cut probably wouldn''t look good on a sapphire since the cut was designed for the RI of diamonds.

But now it seems one can get an asscher style cut in any color, which of course makes me very, very interested

Is there an approximate price range for these asschers?

 

[chrono]

Pricing, as with other style of cutting depends on the colour, size and rarity of the gemstone. Pale aquamarines will be the cheapest. Very saturated bright unheated light blue sapphires will be the most expensive. Garnets and spinels will be somewhere in the middle.