Ashoka: The Rarest Diamond Cut

Ashoka diamonds have been in the news frequently these days owing to the fact that actress Reese Witherspoon recently revealed her engagement ring to be a four-carat Ashoka diamond. But just what is it that makes these diamonds particularly intriguing?

An Ashoka-cut diamond is essentially a modified antique cushion-cut diamond, modeled after the long reputed original Ashoka diamond. The original Ashoka diamond was a 41.37 carat D flawless diamond mined in the Golconda region of southern India and named after the Buddhist warrior and emperor, Ashoka Maurya. The emperor was said to have a stone with the ability to eradicate sorrow.

The Ashoka-cut diamond is unique because it is longer than a cushion-cut diamond, and has 62 facets which allows more light to refract within the diamond. As a result, the diamond appears to be 30% larger than it actually is. What makes the Ashoka diamond so rare is that it can only be cut from an oblong rough diamond that is at a minimum of three carats in size. Aside from the size, clarity and color also play a large factor in determining what rough diamonds will meet the high standards for an Ashoka cut. This means that less that 10% of the diamonds mined in a year have the ability to be an Ashoka-cut diamond.

Brides-to-be are not the only ones fascinated by this diamond cut either. Luxury powerhouse Chopard released six styles of watches in their Haute Joaillerie collection that featured Ashoka diamonds with prices ranging from $200,000 up to $1 million. These watches were exclusively sold in Chopard boutiques.

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