Appointment with GOG tomorrow!

[murphslaw1978]

I am flying from Chicago to meet with GOG in NY (Good Old Gold) tomorrow. I will hopefully be bringing back a Square H&A stone and setting with me. I hope I get good pricing from them. Does anyone know if they are flexible on their pricing? I know you get what you pay for, but I still hope to get a deal. Anyone have any tips for selecting the right stone, since they might all be top quality?

 

[kcoursolle]

They might offer a small pricescope discount, but I''m not really sure. I think most internet vendors are pretty strict about pricing since their margins are already pretty slim. Enjoy your visit though, they have some amazing stones in stock!!!

 

[^]

Mike,

Good luck! I missed two trains back to the city because I was so intrigued by what I was learning from Rhino. He was super generous with his time and made sure to give me great examples of the things I''ve read about here. So set aside plenty of time. In the end, when looking at super high end stones, my experience has been that as an "amateur" (by that I mean I haven''t looked at hundreds and hundreds of stones over the course of years), the differences between each stone is going to be slight. It took me a good deal of practice in order to develop somewhat of an eye for stones, and usually the difference I was seeing I was not 100% convinced that my intended, let alone the general public, would ever notice the difference. However, I am convinced that the overall impression may be affected by the quality of the stone in all lighting conditions. Anyway, long-winded way to tell you that my conclusion after tons of searching is to listen to what everybody here has to say: Choose the one that speaks to you.

This is a personal choice. I wouldn''t go based on which one is supposed to be better according to numbers if one just speaks to you more. In the end she won''t be wearing it side by side with the other one you were choosing between, and it will be more significant if you personally chose it because it spoke to you. So take a deep breath, listen to the voice inside which is leaning slightly towards one stone over the other. No need to rationalize it. Love''s not rational anyway.

Have a blast, I''m sure you''ll enjoy it!

^

 

[Arcam]

"I hope I get good pricing from them"

they already have great prices, my guess is that they are lower than over 95% of other B&M stores, especially for the quality you are getting. If I recall correctly, the wire discount is about a little over 3%.

 

[mrssalvo]

GOG prices are competitive and you''re going to do better than most B&M''s out there. Have fun, I''d LOVE to go to GOG some day. I have no doubt you''ll find the perfect stone and setting..

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/27/2007 3:43:15 AM
Author: ^
Mike,

Good luck! I missed two trains back to the city because I was so intrigued by what I was learning from Rhino. He was super generous with his time and made sure to give me great examples of the things I''ve read about here. So set aside plenty of time. In the end, when looking at super high end stones, my experience has been that as an ''amateur'' (by that I mean I haven''t looked at hundreds and hundreds of stones over the course of years), the differences between each stone is going to be slight. It took me a good deal of practice in order to develop somewhat of an eye for stones, and usually the difference I was seeing I was not 100% convinced that my intended, let alone the general public, would ever notice the difference. However, I am convinced that the overall impression may be affected by the quality of the stone in all lighting conditions. Anyway, long-winded way to tell you that my conclusion after tons of searching is to listen to what everybody here has to say: Choose the one that speaks to you.

This is a personal choice. I wouldn''t go based on which one is supposed to be better according to numbers if one just speaks to you more. In the end she won''t be wearing it side by side with the other one you were choosing between, and it will be more significant if you personally chose it because it spoke to you. So take a deep breath, listen to the voice inside which is leaning slightly towards one stone over the other. No need to rationalize it. Love''s not rational anyway.

Have a blast, I''m sure you''ll enjoy it!

^

This is the absolute best advice any of us could give you.

Now, go, have fun, and report back.

p.s. I am just green with envy. A trip to GOG AND a square stone!

 

[Unearthed]

They read this and yelled "HEY, THE GUY FROM CHICAGO COMING IN TOMORROW WANTS A DEAL...HAHAHA."

 

[murphslaw1978]

Unearthed, I figured GOG was on this website, but didn''t know you guys would be checking on me and scoping me out! J/K, HEHEHE. Of course I want a good deal, but GOG pricing is already very good, but I''m stretching to the max, so I have to be smart

So now it''s a choice between the following stones. Which would everyone recommend? I could not tell a difference with the naked eye as to which stone was better. The 121 is larger than the 128, has a smaller table percentage and is a little bit better clarity. I''m will be looking at the microscope to see exactly how this clarity figures in.

Shape: Square H&A
Carat Weight: 1.21ct
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Optical Symmetry: Superior
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: Negligible
Girdle: 2.20%
Culet: None
Lab Report: GIA
Lab Report #: 14781670
In House: Yes
Width: 6.06mm
Length: 6.07mm
Depth: 4.33mm
Table Percentage: 55.62%
Depth Percentage: 71.51%
Crown Depth: 15.19%
Pavilion Depth: 43.16%

Shape: Square H&A
Carat Weight: 1.28ct
Color: E
Clarity: VS2
Optical Symmetry: Superior
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: 1.31%
Culet: None
Lab Report: GIA
Lab Report #: 14637529
In House: Yes
Width: 6.01mm
Length: 6.01mm
Depth: 4.37mm
Table Percentage: 60.62%
Depth Percentage: 72.70%
Crown Depth: 11.70%
Pavilion Depth: 42.74%

 

[mrssalvo]

they are both going to be beautiful and I doubt most people would even be able to tell a difference between the 2. go with the one that *speaks* to you more when you see it. maybe even ask not to be told which is which until after you look at them and pick the one you like..

 

[Ellen]

If you can''t see a difference in performance, go with the bigger one.

 

[murphslaw1978]

Well, after it has all been said and done, the GOG experience was absolutely awesome. I ended up with the 1.21 F VS1 square hearts & arrows. Everyone thinks the stone is gorgeous. For the same price as a HOF .87 H&A, I was able to get this 1.21 for my fiancee. No one in Chicago can compete at any level with these guys. If they opened up a store here, they would take over. Anyone buying online should have the confidence to buy from GOG.

I hope that my sister, mother, brother, and father will buy from GOG. The $120 round-trip airfare from Chicago to NY was well worth it. You don''t have to go to the store to buy a stone from them, but doing so is a nice day trip and it solidifies what you read with what your eyes are telling you. Cheap insurance and fun to see the store.

Thanks, GOG team

 

[JulieN]

I just noticed that one was gone. Congrats.