Asscher Cut Ruby: holds its light when tipped, better than in diamond

Brilliance 68 · Fire 53 · Scintillation 72 · in our census, where the T73 scores 94 · 37 · 80 in ruby

Concentric square steps and deep-cropped corners: in ruby the Asscher keeps its light steady as it tips, from a face that starts with less than a round's.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The Asscher Cut in ruby, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Asscher Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

Asscher Cut Ruby

The Asscher is a square of steps, cropped deep at the corners. Ours has 58 facets over a 27.6° pavilion, 60.4% deep.

In ruby it returns almost exactly the light the diamond Asscher does, 68 against 69, and holds that light better when tilted. Against a round ruby it is dimmer and leaks more, and against diamond it has much less fire.

Is an Asscher cut good for ruby? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby and with the Asscher Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 4% (face-up size per carat) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Asscher Cut in ruby (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: Asscher Cut in ruby, against the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−7Brilliance−26Fire+16Scintillation−8Spread+7Symmetry0Shape-norm−13Tilt+10

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: ahead on 3, level on 1, behind on 4.

  • Global72, the comparison 79, difference −7
  • Brilliance68, the comparison 94, difference −26
  • Fire53, the comparison 37, difference +16
  • Scintillation72, the comparison 80, difference −8
  • Spread107, the comparison 100, difference +7
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm89, the comparison 102, difference −13
  • Tilt85, the comparison 75, difference +10
Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring. Spread is the census's estimate from depth alone; the face-up size in the pros and cons is measured from each model's outline.
Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What ruby gains in an Asscher cut

Holds its light better than a diamond Asscher

Tilt 85 against 79 for the Asscher Cut in diamond: 6 points higher

Tilt is the share of face-up light kept at 20°. The two stones start level on brilliance, so the ruby's higher share is a real gain, not a small amount kept well.

Asscher Cut in ruby · Tilt 85

Asscher cut in ruby tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 31% of the face leaking0° · 31% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking10° · 30% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking20° · 33% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking30° · 33% leak

Asscher Cut in diamond · Tilt 79

Asscher cut in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking0° · 16% leak
Asscher cut in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 19% of the face leaking10° · 19% leak
Asscher cut in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 26% of the face leaking20° · 26% leak
Asscher cut in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 26% of the face leaking30° · 26% leak
Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

The Asscher's costs in ruby

Much less fire than a diamond Asscher

Fire 53 against 80 for the Asscher Cut in diamond: 27 points lower

Fire 53 in ruby, 80 for the diamond Asscher. The Asscher still out-fires a round ruby, 53 against 37; it is the diamond comparison that is lopsided.

Asscher cut in ruby face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 53)

Asscher Cut in ruby · Fire 53

Asscher cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 80)

Asscher Cut in diamond · Fire 80

Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Less light than a round ruby

Brilliance 68 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: 26 points lower

The pavilion steps lie at 27.6°, well under ruby's 34.6° critical angle, so light arriving straight down can pass through them. The head-on Light Return map shows the result: close to a third of the face is grey.

Asscher cut in ruby face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 68)

Asscher Cut in ruby · Brilliance 68

T73 round brilliant in ruby face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 94)

T73 Round Brilliant in ruby · Brilliance 94

Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: We have not measured an Asscher with steeper steps, so we cannot say what one would return. For a square outline with more light, the Cushion Cut Ruby returns 88; for an eight-sided outline, the Octagon Cut Ruby 78.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

More light leaks than through a round

Leakage 29 against 5 for the T73 Round Brilliant in ruby: 24 points higher

29% of the light in our census leaves through the back, against 5% for the T73 and 11% for the Asscher in diamond. The share holds steady as the stone tips.

Asscher Cut in ruby · Leakage 29

Asscher cut in ruby tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 31% of the face leaking0° · 31% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking10° · 30% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking20° · 33% leak
Asscher cut in ruby tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking30° · 33% leak

T73 Round Brilliant in ruby · Leakage 5

T73 round brilliant in ruby tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 1% of the face leaking0° · 1% leak
T73 round brilliant in ruby tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking10° · 10% leak
T73 round brilliant in ruby tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 29% of the face leaking20° · 29% leak
T73 round brilliant in ruby tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking30° · 30% leak
Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Size changes nothing here. The Cushion Cut Ruby lets out 11%, the Octagon Cut Ruby 20%.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Heavier than a diamond Asscher

1.53 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.34 ct for the same cut in diamond (+14%)

Same outline, denser material: corundum's specific gravity of 4.00 against diamond's 3.52 adds 14% to an Asscher's weight.

Ruby1.53 ctDiamond1.34 ct
A Asscher Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

What helps: Compare Asschers by millimetres.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Asscher Cut page

Who an Asscher ruby suits

The Asscher suits a ruby in an Art Deco setting, or one seen from the side as much as from above: it keeps its light steady at every angle in our strip. Expect less light face-up than a round, and less fire than the same cut in diamond.

If light matters more than the stepped look, the Cushion Cut Ruby keeps a square outline. For a square step cut with a little more light and less leakage, the Emerald Square Cut Ruby returns 71 and leaks 22%.

Asscher Cut Ruby: questions

Is an Asscher cut good for ruby?

For steady light, yes: Tilt 85, against 79 for the diamond Asscher. Face-up it returns 68 against the T73's 94.

Does an Asscher ruby have fire?

More than a round ruby, 53 against 37, but far less than a diamond Asscher at 80. Among ruby cuts close to the T73's light, the most fire is the trilliant's, 52, just below this.

Asscher or emerald square cut ruby?

The emerald square returns a little more light (71 against 68) and leaks less; tilt is close, 86 against 85.

What does a 6.5 mm Asscher ruby weigh?

Close to 1.53 ct, against 1.34 ct for a diamond Asscher of that size.

Get the Asscher Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Asscher Cut 3D files

The Asscher Cut as exact geometry: 58 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

  • STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
  • 3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
  • STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
  • OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files
GemCad96 index

Asscher Cut cutting files

The Asscher Cut as a faceting design: 58 facets, 96 index, 4-fold symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Ruby: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Asscher Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in ruby

The Asscher Cut in other gemstones