Both glamorous and mysterious, the Asscher entices. For two stones with so much in common, their personalities couldn’t be further apart. But which is right for you, and why?

Asscher cut diamonds often conjures up notions of wealth, rarity and excess. It is the only diamond shape whose name bears a capital letter. Local jewelers rarely sell Royal Asscher’s, and their popularity has wained since the earlier part of the century. This is partially due to scarcity, and partly in favor of more sparkly cuts like the ever-popular round brilliant.

Asscher cut engagement rings have been a celebrity favorite for as long as celebrities have been outdoing each other with increasingly large sparkly rocks. When Elizabeth Taylor flaunted the famous 33-carat Krupp diamond in every photo possible, she set off a trend that would be emulated by celebs for decades to come.

Asscher diamonds aren’t for everyone. They’re fussy. They’re expensive. And good ones are so difficult to find that you could exhaust even the most patient jeweler. Less than 2% of diamonds are cut into Asschers — they’re rarer than rare.