The asscher cut diamond was created by the Asscher Brothers of Holland in 1902. The brothers were famous at the time for cutting the world's largest rough stone - the Cullinan (3,106 carats). In the 1920's Asscher cut diamonds peaked in popularity, and recently could only be found in antique jewelry shops.
Roughly a hundred years after the first asscher cut diamond was produced, the shape began to make a comeback, triggered by cut modifications which endowed the shape with greater brilliance than conventional asscher cut diamonds. Modern asscher cut diamonds are similar to square emerald cut diamonds, usually with a higher crown, smaller table, and larger step facets.