Four Iconic Diamond Shapes. Four Different Expressions of Beauty.
For more than 170 years, our family has explored how diamonds capture and return light. Through generations of innovation, we have not only refined the art of diamond cutting but also created patented diamond cuts that have become milestones in the history of the craft.
Every natural diamond begins its story millions of years beneath the earth's surface. Formed by nature over extraordinary periods of time, each diamond carries a history long before it becomes a treasured jewel. But a diamond's final expression is revealed through craftsmanship.
Through the hands of master cutters, a rough crystal is transformed into a creation that can celebrate a proposal, mark an anniversary, honour a personal achievement, or become a future family heirloom. This is why choosing a diamond shape is such a personal decision.
A diamond is not defined only by its size, rarity, or brilliance. Its shape influences the way it interacts with light, the way it feels when worn, and the emotions it evokes. Some diamonds are admired for their timeless elegance. Some for their individuality. Some for their connection to history. And some for the innovation behind their creation.
Among the world's most admired diamond shapes, four continue to capture hearts across generations. And for each of them, our family has created a patented signature interpretation, which is the same beloved silhouette, elevated by generations of craftsmanship:
The Round Brilliant Cut represents timeless elegance, perfected in the Royal Asscher Brilliant. The Oval Diamond reflects modern sophistication, refined in the Royal Asscher Oval. The Cushion Cut Diamond carries romance and heritage, reimagined in the Royal Asscher Cushion. The Royal Asscher Cut represents a legacy of innovation and craftsmanship all its own.
The question is not which diamond shape is the most beautiful. The question is which one tells your story, and how it can be made more beautiful still.
The Round Brilliant Cut: The Eternal Symbol of Elegance
Some designs become icons because they never need to change. The round brilliant cut is one of those rare creations. With its perfectly balanced silhouette and exceptional ability to reflect light, the round diamond has become the most recognised expression of classic diamond beauty. Its symmetrical design creates remarkable brilliance, making it the traditional choice for those who dream of a diamond with timeless sparkle. A round diamond engagement ring has long represented enduring romance. It is a shape chosen by generations of couples because it feels elegant today and will remain beautiful decades from now.
The appeal of the round diamond can be seen throughout jewellery history. From royal collections to Hollywood's most memorable love stories, this shape has remained a symbol of sophistication and refinement. Celebrities such as Nikki Reed and Carrie Underwood have embraced the classic round diamond engagement ring, proving that some designs remain beautiful precisely because they never follow trends.
Our family asked whether even the world's most beloved shape could be made more beautiful. The Royal Asscher Brilliant reinvents the classic round brilliant cut by adding additional facets to the diamond's exterior, reducing the dark reflections found in traditional round diamonds. The result is a crisper, brighter, and more dazzling diamond, which is a fresh take on the world's most cherished shape, and a new generation of timeless elegance.
A round diamond is ideal for someone who appreciates:
- timeless elegance over passing trends
- exceptional brilliance and sparkle
- a design that complements every style of jewellery
Like a perfectly crafted watch or a beautifully tailored piece of clothing, the round diamond represents luxury that never goes out of fashion.
The Oval Diamond: The Modern Muse
Imagine a diamond that captures the brilliance of tradition, but expresses it with a more personal silhouette. If the round diamond represents tradition, the oval diamond represents individuality.
That is the beauty of the oval diamond.
Its elongated form creates graceful movement and exceptional presence, often appearing larger face-up than a round diamond of the same carat weight. It offers a rare balance: familiar enough to feel timeless, yet distinctive enough to feel uniquely personal.
Perhaps this is why the oval diamond has become one of the defining engagement ring styles of modern times. From Blake Lively's celebrated oval diamond to Hailey Bieber's elegant engagement ring, the shape has become associated with a new generation of timeless style, the one that values individuality while remaining rooted in classic beauty. The oval diamond is not about standing apart for attention. It is about expressing individuality with grace.
By refining the faceting pattern and proportions of the classic oval, our family uncovered a new level of fire and sparkle within this timeless shape, the Royal Asscher Oval. With 74 precisely cut facets, an elongated silhouette and softly rounded corners, the Royal Asscher Oval maximises light reflection to create a mesmerising play of brilliance — a modern yet classic design of exceptional radiance, depth and sophistication.
An oval diamond is ideal for someone who appreciates:
- brilliance and sparkle in a more distinctive silhouette
- a graceful, elongated shape that flatters the hand
- individuality expressed with timeless refinement
The Cushion Cut Diamond: Romance, Heritage and Character
Some diamonds sparkle. Others tell stories. The cushion cut belongs to the second category.
With its softly rounded corners and generous facets, the cushion creates a warmer, more romantic expression of light. It carries a sense of history, connecting modern jewellery with the elegance of generations past.
Its distinctive character has made it a favourite among those who seek something less expected and more personal. Recent high-profile examples, including the cushion-cut engagement rings associated with Zendaya and Taylor Swift, have brought renewed attention to this distinctive shape. But the true beauty of the cushion is not its popularity.
The Royal Asscher Cushion is our family's interpretation on the vintage cushion, blending curved corners with the brilliance of larger stones. Featuring 74 precision-cut facets strategically placed on the table and pavilion to enhance light reflection and fire, the Royal Asscher Cushion preserves the soft, pillowy elegance of the classic shape while delivering unmatched brilliance and depth, which is the result of generations of craftsmanship.
It is its personality. A cushion diamond feels as though it already holds memories, even before it becomes part of yours.
A cushion cut diamond is ideal for someone who appreciates:
- romantic, vintage-inspired beauty
- jewellery with individuality and warmth
- a diamond that feels connected to history
The cushion is more than a shape. It is a bridge between generations, combining heritage with modern elegance.
The Royal Asscher Cut: Where Heritage Becomes Innovation
Every great diamond cut begins with a question.
Could it be more beautiful?
More than a century ago, our family began answering that question. In 1902, Joseph Asscher introduced the original Asscher Cut, a revolutionary step-cut diamond admired for its remarkable symmetry, architectural beauty, and distinctive hall-of-mirrors effect. It became one of the most influential diamond cuts in history. But preserving tradition was never enough.
Our family has always believed that heritage should inspire innovation. Through generations of research into light performance, proportions, and craftsmanship, we continued exploring how a diamond could reveal even more beauty. The result was the Royal Asscher Cut.
A patented diamond cut created exclusively by our family, the Royal Asscher Cut reimagines the iconic Asscher design with additional precision-cut facets, enhancing brilliance while preserving the elegant geometric character that made the original Asscher Cut legendary. It is not simply another interpretation of a diamond shape. It is a continuation of a family legacy.
The Royal Asscher Cut represents the philosophy that has guided our family for more than 170 years: respect for tradition, curiosity for innovation, and an endless pursuit of perfection. While many diamonds become iconic because of their popularity, the Royal Asscher Cut became iconic because it changed what was possible.
It is not only a diamond. It is a chapter in the history of diamond cutting, created by the family whose name it carries.
A Royal Asscher Cut diamond is ideal for someone who appreciates:
- architectural beauty and striking geometric character
- the mesmerising depth of the patented "hall of mirrors" effect
- a diamond unlike any other, created by the family who defined it
Four Shapes, Four Ways of Capturing Light
Every diamond shape tells its own story through light.
While silhouette is often the first thing we notice, it is the way a diamond captures, reflects and returns light that ultimately gives it its character. For more than six generations, our family has studied this relationship between light and craftsmanship, because the true beauty of a diamond is never defined by shape alone, but revealed by the precision of its cut.
Brilliance and Character
The Round Brilliant Cut is celebrated for its extraordinary brilliance, making it the benchmark for sparkle and light return. The Royal Asscher Brilliant pushes further by reducing the dark reflections of a traditional round. The Oval Diamond shares much of that brilliance while introducing a softer, elongated elegance, refined in the 74-facet Royal Asscher Oval. The Cushion Cut Diamond offers a warmer expression of light, producing broader flashes that many describe as romantic and inviting, elevated by the 74 precision facets of the Royal Asscher Cushion. And the Royal Asscher Cut reveals light differently still. Its 74-facet arrangement creating remarkable depth and the mesmerising hall-of-light effect synonymous with our family's craftsmanship.
No expression of light is more beautiful than another. Each simply tells a different story.
Presence Beyond Carat Weight
A diamond's visual impact is shaped by more than its carat weight. Its proportions determine how much of the diamond is visible from above, which is known as its face-up appearance, and how it sits on the hand.
Oval diamonds often appear larger than round diamonds of the same weight because of their elongated outline. Round diamonds offer balanced proportions and classic symmetry, while cushion diamonds create a softer, more substantial presence.
The Royal Asscher Cut captivates in another way entirely. Rather than appearing larger, it draws the eye inward through its striking geometry, exceptional depth and architectural elegance.
Beauty Beyond Value
Different diamond shapes require different approaches to cutting, influencing both yield and value. Round brilliant diamonds typically command a premium because achieving their exceptional light performance demands extraordinary precision. Oval and cushion diamonds often offer different opportunities to balance individuality, beauty and investment. A patented signature cut carries a value of another kind, which is a proprietary craftsmanship that no other maker can replicate.
Yet the most valuable diamond is never defined by price alone. It is the one whose craftsmanship, character and meaning endure for generations.
Which Diamond Shape Matches Your Story?
Choosing a diamond is not simply choosing a shape. It is choosing an expression of yourself.
The round brilliant speaks to those who believe true elegance is eternal. The oval speaks to those who appreciate individuality with refinement. The cushion speaks to those drawn to romance, heritage, and emotion. The Royal Asscher Cut speaks to those who value innovation, craftsmanship, and a diamond unlike any other.
And whichever shape speaks to you, there is a Royal Asscher signature cut that expresses it more beautifully.
At Royal Asscher, our role is not only to create exceptional diamonds. It is to help each person discover the diamond that feels uniquely their own. Because the most meaningful diamonds are not simply admired. They are remembered.
Discover the Royal Asscher diamond collection or book an appointment with us. Our family will guide you through every step of your diamond journey.