Well, here is my GoodOldGold story for everyone. First, I started the process reading on the internet about rings, diamonds, etc. I checked out BlueNile, Mondera, and other online sites and knowing what I know now, I think you can buy a diamond over the internet but you do need to make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Anyway, back to my story, I decided to venture out to my local jewelry store (no names here), to check it out. The jeweler said he only deals with ideal cuts and that he would take some info and get the stones out of the vault for me and I would need to come back. So I made an appointment and came back. He showed 5 stones in my price range, but none were ideal, and all had no sparkle. I said to him, are these ideal cuts, and he said, they are as ideal as you can get. I think he meant to say, "as ideal as he can get", or "if you think they are ideal, then they are ideal", or "if I can only sucker you into buying this junk in your price range". Anyway, I said, "See ya".
Ok, so still confused, I stumbled across this website and started reading what other people were saying. Wow, the boat is full of diamond buyers with little knowledge. I didn''t think there was so many people looking to get engaged. Everyone seemed to be talking about a place in Massapequa called GoodOldGold. Well, considering I grew up in Massapequa and I never miss an opportunity to eat at All American (good burger place), i decided to venture off to GoodOldGold (GOG).
At this point let me say that I had done a little peeking at rings in the mall windows with my girlfriend to get a idea of what she liked. I knew that she liked round cut, yellow gold setting, and channel set diamonds on the side. (lesson #1, know what she likes or you will go nuts)
On my first trip to GOG I met with Jonathan (Rhino). He spent a good hour and a half with me showing me all his toys and how he can dissect a diamond for me. I have to admit, I was very impressed. It is one thing to have a jeweler tell you a diamond is good or to read an appraisal, but when you start seeing pictures that make sense you realize that there is more to a diamond than what meets the eye. In my price range we focused on two stones, a G and I. I wanted the G, but because I hesitated the G got sold (lesson #2, don''t hesitate). I have to admit though, I looked at a D, F, G, and I and I really don''t know what all the hoopla is over color, sure you can see a slight yellow to the I, but when I say slight, I mean slight and only bottom up. Top down they all sparkle and look white! (lesson #3, color is not that important). As Jonathan would say, cut is what matters and he is right. If you compare a I hearts and arrows to a I non hearts and arrows, you will see the difference. I was also looking at G and I cause I had decided that since she wanted yellow gold, I could go that low on color. I placed my ordering as follows, Cut clarity, Color, Carat. Carat, was a given, I wanted 1.5. Cut was a given, I wanted the best cut I could get. Clarity, I have to admit I looked at SI''s and preferred a eye clean stone, which usually was VS2 or better. My I was a VS2. Color, I think I told you, really does not seem to be that important if you get a good cut and clarity. My stone scored a 1.1 on the old HCA tool, now it gets a 1.3, they changed something I think.
So back to Jonathan. Great guy. Taught me a lot in that hour and half and I walked away convinced I will do my business with GOG. Compared to the first jeweler, Jonathan seemed interested in how i spent my money. Let''s face it, if your spending 5 figures on a ring, you should get some respect. They even offered me lunch! So I left with the G and I on my mind, and like I said I lost the G, so my mind was made up, since I was torn b/w the two stones. So now I have my stone, I had my deposit and I needed the setting.
I made a few trips to GOG to look at settings and during these trips I worked with Christen, Marie, and Amy. Again, 3 very nice people who will take their time and work with you. You get the impression that they care, like I said before. They listened to me as I described what I thought she liked (future fiance). Well, we finally narrowed it down and I saw the stone and the final setting side by side and said, "Set it". (Lesson #4, make sure budget includes setting) I blew my budget cause I under-estimated what a nice setting cost, but it was no big deal at this point.
The day came to see the completed ring and I was stunned. It was everything I wanted and I knew she wanted. I had Christen put it on her finger to show me what it looked like on and it looked great. I was getting really excited now about this ordeal.
So in conclusion. If you are shopping for a ring, relax. There are people out there who will help you. GOG is a great place to go and I highly recommend them. I plan to return to get the matching wedding band (lesson #5, give your jeweler a good review and get a discount on the band) (only kidding here). I would give them a good recommendation even if I don''t get a discount. I am attaching pictures of my ring. I have not pulled the trigger on the event yet, I am still a couple of weeks away from that, so this is a secret that you, me and my jeweler know.
Thanks and good luck!
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