The asscher cut diamond was first produced in 1902 by the Asscher Brothers of Holland, famous at the time for cutting the world's largest rough stone (the Cullinan, at 3,106 carats). This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald-cut, except that it is square. 

Asscher cut diamonds originally peaked in popularity in the 1920's, and could recently be found only in antique jewelry shops. Around 2002, one hundred years after the first asscher cut diamond was created, the shape began to make a comeback, spurred on by cut modifications that gave the shape more brilliance than traditional asscher cut diamonds.

The modern asscher cut diamond is similar to a square emerald cut, usually with larger step facets, a higher crown, and a smaller table. This combination often produces more brilliance than the emerald cut. A well cut asscher will appear to have concentric squares as you look down through the table, the result of proper positioning of the pavilion facets underneath. Like the emerald cut, the asscher cut has cropped corners; however, because an asscher is square, the cropped corners give the asscher cut a somewhat octagonal shape. Once mounted in a four prong setting, the diamond maintains its unique shape within a square silhouette.