EMERGENCY...NEED BUYING ADVICE QUICK!

[Hest88]

Also, Jonathan has already said he could do it for you, so it might not be a bad idea to call Barry and group to see if this is feasible.

 

[Patty]

Number one is a gorgeous stone, but I'd elimate it b/c it's about $1500 more than my other favorites.

Number 2 and #8 are the largest at 1.71 and 1.91 but the I color makes me nervous. You also are paying for better clarity that you "need" with them being a VVS1 and VS1.

I would not want to pay for better clarity than a VS2, so I'd eliminate all the VS1s (number 3,6 and 7).

That leaves numbers 4 and 5...both H colors which is the lowest color I'd be comfortable with and VS2s which is great clarity and definitely eye-clean. The sizes of 1.55 and 1.56 are almost the same and the prices are very close. But if Whiteflash can't get them to you in time, that is a problem.

 

[fire&ice]

I'll throw my 2c in the pot.

GOG 1.657 H/SI 11.2K Medium Blue flour. Doesn't note eyeclean - but a nice price. The medium blue may make it face up whiter.

I'm still looking.

 

[Mara]

Wow how did that one get overlooked F&I? That's a gorgeous one!!




http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_657ct_h_si1__h%26a.htm




I would wager that it's 100% eye clean, the blown up magnified picture doesn't even make the inclusions look that big.




Awesome deal and lovely size. I would vote this one over the G VS definitely...more size and no visible difference in color--esp with the med blue fluor at H.




Haven't scrutinized the SC yet...but I'm really liking this GOG one! The IS image really just POPS.

 

[Hest88]

Yowza! Me likee that one! If we can just get Jonathan to confirm that it's eye-clean?

 

[Mara]

Okay! I checked out the SC stone against the new H SI GOG one and I think I like the GOG better.




Reasoning:




The IS images look similar...the GOG one may be a little lighter than the SC one, but as we all know, lighting makes it hard to judge. Both have excellent red light return, typical leakage along the edges. GOG one has a tiny bit more white at some of the triangle areas, but it still look really hot.




The Bscope results look better on SC but when you compare each individual picture on the Bscope view--I end up liking the GOG one better. There seems to be more flashes of color and light in this one, particularly in View 1 and View 5. The others look so similar, hard to tell apart. I think the GOG stone seems more fiery in the light view images.




The HCA scores are similar...the SC scored slightly better but I did not like the 34.0 crown angle with a 41.0 pav angle. The GOG angles are tighter and more in the 'zone' with 34.7 and 40.9.




Lastly, the larger H SI stone gives an additional .20mm in diameter. I think that will be noticeable. Considering that we saw a difference in .15 in two stones, for me a .20 would be noticeably bigger.




Add in the price...which is about the same for both, but one is much bigger....and as long as it's eye clean, performance looks stellar.




My two cents..GOG H SI 1.65c as long as it's eye clean!




!

 

[fire&ice]

I wonder, as consumers, can we solicite vendors to answer the questions posed on line to expedite matters? I'm all for it.

 

[Hest88]

I guess now Domer has to agree with our decision.

And then we can take it offline and call Jonathan.

 

[Mara]

F&I..I think that's one of the odd 'lines' .....I would think that Jonathan could PM domer and let him know privately that yes it's eye clean and then domer can keep us informed on what's going on with his search.

Domer has been rather quiet, bet he is either freaking out or madly figuring out how to make this happen.

 

[aljdewey]

Personally, my vote is for either WF 2 or WF3.....here's why:




The GOG G, VS1 is BEAUTIFUL....but the clarity is unnecessarily high at the expense of driving you over budget.




The second GOG stone....I think you're overpaying for clarity at the expense of color.




The Superbcert stones....the first one has a pav angle of 41, which I'm not keen on, and the other two are I stones.




The WF1 stone is nice, but why pay a bit more for the VS1?




My personal opinion.....you have a fantastic budget, and any of the I stones would be a fine choice IF you couldn't do better....if there were presently no H stones available in your size/price range. But there are, and I think these stones represent the best of all worlds in balancing cost for color/clarity and saying in budget.

 

[Mara]

Al-- you didn't see the more recent H SI listed from GOG.




Also one more note on WF...I know they are absolutely incredibly busy right now, so in the interest of quickness, they may not be the most responsive right now and/or able to focus completely on you.

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 12/12/2003 11:05:52 AM bof wrote:





i don't really under the fascination with SI stones on this forum, some are eye clean, some aren't. most of the time when a vendor says it is eyeclean, it is only eyeclean looking top down and inclusion may be visible from other views. you'll probably be safer with a vs1 or vs2, especially with your time frame but that is just my opinion.

----------------

BOF: I don't know who gave you the impression that VS1 or VS2 stones are guaranteed to be "eyeclean" from other angles. There have been MANY posters in my year here who've noted that they can see inclusions in their VS stones when they look through the side. The stock answer for them has been "clarity is graded from top-down", so you may be able to see an inclusion in a VS stone through the sides.

I just bought an SI2 stone.....believe me, I had my eyeballs pasted to it all night last night. I positively cannot see inclusions from ANY viewing point.....my inclusions are white, wispy and low-relief inclusions.

Folks here need to know that the clarity rating - SI1 or SI2 - DOESN'T tell the whole story.

For those who are comfortable with them, SI stones offer an EXCELLENT value for NO visual sacrifice. When about 50 coworkers came to see me throughout the day yesterday.....NO ONE asked about the clarity of my stone, and NO ONE said "Oh what's that in the side". All they had to say was "WOW, that sparkles like nothing I've ever seen!"

 

[pqcollectibles]

Not that Jonathan doesn't always have gorgeous diamonds. He does. He should. All had selected for beauty and performance.

Just, keep in mind the White Flash discount for Price Scope users. The discount in this range adds significantly toward an upgrade on the temporary setting.

 

[Mara]

----------------
On 12/12/2003 4:14:33 AM chris00nj wrote:











Dude, hold your horses!!! ..... She’s not pregnant so there is no need to rush.

----------------

I totally missed that the first time around!! ROFL! Too funny.

 

[aljdewey]

Actually, I did just see the 1.657 stone from GOG, and I had sent Domer a PM saying that I thought that represented an EXCEPTIONAL choice if he's been happy (which I'm SURE he has been!) with Jonathan.




The H, SI1 stone from GOG has it ALL.....size, good color, great clarity pics, super-tight cut proportions, and a fantastic price within budget.




I think this is the winner, so now we need to do to Domer what you guys did to me. Domer, Mara will be reaching out to smack you in the head any time now! LOL

 

[Mara]

PQ...while you know I love ACA's--I think that domer may be hard-pressed to get information from WF in the time frame he needs. It took them about 24 hours to get AL information on one stone at a time. If he asks for 3...in their extremely busy frame of mind right now...it may be 48 hours or similar and then he has lost some significant decision making time.




Domer should definitely check out WF but by not having the same information up that the other sites do, IMO the other two sites have the leg up right now.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I love GOG's and Nice Ice's and SC's and all gorgeous diamonds! And, it's all Mara's fault!

I just flipped up my calculator and did a little math is all. Then the "Mom, Super Shopper" kicked in.

 

[KittyTiger]

I just recived my 3.06 carat from GOG. It's an "I" color SI-2 clarity.....

You CANNOT tell the yellow color at all.. the cut is sooo wonderful! I mean, sure, if you put it next to a "D" color... there is just a tiny difference... (I held it right next to my D color heart shaped diamond.) But even so.. it's barely there.

GOG has wonderful stones! So if you get an H... belive me, YOU'LL HAVE NO PROBLEM.. and even it you do.. they have a wonderful return policy.

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 12/12/2003 2:35:28 PM pqcollectibles wrote:
I just flipped up my calculator and did a little math is all. Then the 'Mom, Super Shopper' kicked in.

----------------

Actually, this whole thing highlights a valid point for all of us. Purchasing a stone is a balance of ALL the elements......color, cut, clarity, carat weight, cost ...AND service.

It may be worth a few dollars more to Domer to make a buying decision immediately instead of waiting to get information to save a few bucks. If he's trying to meet a timeline, then that's worth something to him.

I don't know the pricing between the GOG and WF stones (I'd have to go back and look, and I'm too lazy). What I do know: The GOG stone has more IMMEDIATE access to information....information that took time/money to provide, and having that information right now may be worth more to Domer than a savings on the stone. There are times I'd pay QUITE A BIT more to get something when I need it, and this might be one of them.

Value is important, but value isn't just "lowest price"....it's getting the most for one's money, and that includes service.

 

[KittyTiger]

well, the 3.06 is a gift for my mother..

I'm thinking about getting one for myself..
And when I do.. I am definitely gettin it from GOG!!

Of course not a 3.06 carat.. maybe somewhere between 1.50-2.00 will be good enough..

But I think I'll wait till after this whirlwind of a holiday sesaon...

Anyhow, the diamond from GOG is AMAZING! And Jonathan is a wonderful person to work with.. He was completely honest about everything I wanted to know.. and more..
I'm sure you will feel the same way.. Give him a call, you'll see what I mean.

 

[aljdewey]

With every due respect......I don't think this comes down to who's nicer to deal with, etc. Both are very professional, very accommodating vendors, and it's really a coin toss.




Seeing that those things are equal, it really comes down to who can be most responsive to Domer's needs -- his timeline needs, his information needs, and his price needs.




I'm sure a phone call in each direction will fill in those holes for you, Domer. Either way, you can't lose.....both vendors' stones are exceptional, so it's really a matter of choosing from a bunch of cherries!

 

[strmrdr]

----------------
On 12/12/2003 1:46:32 PM Mara wrote:


Wow how did that one get overlooked F&I? That's a gorgeous one!!


http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_657ct_h_si1__h%26a.htm


I would wager that it's 100% eye clean, the blown up magnified picture doesn't even make the inclusions look that big.


Awesome deal and lovely size. I would vote this one over the G VS definitely...more size and no visible difference in color--esp with the med blue fluor at H.


Haven't scrutinized the SC yet...but I'm really liking this GOG one! The IS image really just POPS.
----------------

if you follow the second link I posted at the beginning of the thread you will see it leads to that diamond.... :}
For the first time today we can agree, it is a very nice diamond if its eyeclean and it looks like it might very well be.

 

[domer]

Sorry for the lapse, everyone...I was actually at a local jeweler checking out Eightstars. Damn, do I have a dilemma. So here's the deal. I looked at a 1.15ct Eightstar, and I think I can get it out the door in the setting for $10K (no movement on the price of the diamond, but the dealer is willing to throw in the setting). But to be honest, it looked small. Yeah, it sparkled like mad, but I wasn't thrilled with the size. He only had three 8*s in the store, but he called up 8* and got an inventory list. Basically, he's bringing in a stone for me to look at on Monday. It's 1.60ct, VS2, J for $17,000, including the setting. Now we're talking $5k over the $12k I had laid out, but with $6500 financed at 0% for 12 months. Not that it matters, I have the cash on hand...it's just a question of whether or not I want to spend it.

So here's the big dilemma...is 8* worth it? I sized it up side by side with another "ideal" cut, and I do have to say that the 8* J looked better than the G in the "ideal". And man, did that thing dance. But not to take anything away from the other diamond he showed me. I probably should have gotten more detailed specs on the "ideal" so I could know what I was comparing the 8* to, but I was kinda just fascinated by the sparkle of the diamond and lost my analytical cap somewhere

So now I need to figure out if the 1.6ct J-VS2 8* is worth the extra $5K. For $17K, I might even be able to break into the 2ct range, or just shy of that, in a G or H VS2. But from what the dealer said, the 8* shows at least 3 color grades higher, and the 1.6 will most likely show close to a 2ct. The thing is, from everything I've learned, Eightstar is uncontested in their cut, and the best hands down. But there's a premium. The thing is, is it worth it to pay the extra $$ for something that is the absolute top of the line, when your alternative is still 99% (or greater) better than most diamonds out there?

Here's my plan going forward. I'm going to call Jonathan and someone at WF, and get their best prices on the diamonds we've been discussing. If the SI1 is eyeclean, I don't see any reason NOT to go with that diamond...if the price is right. If I'm still working with my Wednesday deadline, I will most likely go with the diamond set by the jeweler, GOG or WF, given the credibility of both, and do the appraisal post proposal.

To complicate things even MORE, I'm leaving in a few minutes to drive 5 hours to meet my GF for her company Christmas party, and she doesn't have an internet connection. As much as I HATE this part of it, I will probably go dark until Sunday night, as she doesn't even have a connection at her apt, and will be with me the whole time anyway.

So here it is broken down:

1) Contact Jonathan at GOG. Determine if SI1 is eyeclean, and if so get best price.
2) Contact WF and request specs on a couple of the diamonds. All request best price.
3) Run HCAs on WF diamonds Sunday night, assuming they can get me the specs I need.
4) Think over the 8* and whether I think it's worth it.
5) Read all of your kernels of knowledge and advice on Sunday night and digest it all.
6) Monday morning, visit my local jeweler and check out the 1.6ct 8*. Given the feedback of all of you, and my impression of the diamond when I see it, I'll decide if it's a "Hell-yes-this-is-well-worth-the-price" kinda rock or an "Impressive-but-can't-justify-the-price" thing.
7) Monday morning, make my final decision. Either go with 8*, GOG, or WF.
Wednesday, the ring arrives and I drive to LA.
9) Thursday, propose.

This timeline is INCREDIBLY tight, especially with me being out this weekend, so if anything slips, I'll just abort and start the entire process over in the new year.

Seriously, you guys have been AMAZING thus far, and any other feedback you may have is priceless to me. Thanks a ton.

 

[domer]

Sorry...it's the images from WF I need...I have the HCA scores. Man, my head is swimming...

 

[strmrdr]

I wouldnt spend 17k on a 1.60 j no matter who cut it.
If the j color didnt bug you then buy this one:
click me
And laugh all the way to the bank with the money savings.

 

[fire&ice]

[/quote]

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_657ct_h_si1__h%26a.htm


I would wager that it's 100% eye clean, the blown up magnified picture doesn't even make the inclusions look that big.

quote]


if you follow the second link I posted at the beginning of the thread you will see it leads to that diamond.... :}
For the first time today we can agree, it is a very nice diamond if its eyeclean and it looks like it might very well be.
----------------[/quote]


To be honest strmrdr & I can't speak for the others, I never open something that says "click here". If you want to get my opinion of whatever you throw in the pot, you have to either provide a direct link or a description of what I am to "click here".

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 12/12/2003 3:59:26 PM domer wrote:

So here's the big dilemma...is 8* worth it? I sized it up side by side with another 'ideal' cut, and I do have to say that the 8* J looked better than the G in the 'ideal'. And man, did that thing dance. But not to take anything away from the other diamond he showed me. I probably should have gotten more detailed specs on the 'ideal' ----------------

Since you're asking......in my opinion, NO, an 8* isn't worth going $5K!!! over budget to get a J color stone.

Look, a great cut CAN mask color, but to suggest that it will improve a stone by 3 color grades......that's horse kaka, to put it mildly.

I think you were right in observing that you were comparing an 8* to an "ideal" without knowing what that "ideal" really was. One jeweler presented a stone to be as "ideal" that had a 59.8 depth and 59 table.....59 table disqualifies it as a TRUE ideal stone.

Honestly, I'd put my WF ACA stone up against an 8* any day of the week, and I'll bet it would make the grade. Same for Jonathan's stones......I'd put them up against 8* any day of the week and they'd make the grade too.

My stone looks ALIVE.....and it didn't come with a $5k premium. Your game plans looks solid....stay the course, and I'm sure you'll meet your goal to get this done. You should see if the vendors can put stones on hold as well until you can get the data to make solid comparisons.

 

[fire&ice]

IMHO, you are paying an extra 6k for a stone graded J vs an H.

Show 3 colors higher? A 1.60 appear as big as a 2ct? These are quite the claims. I hope those claims hold up because for 17K that is exactly what you are paying for a G 2carat stone. Sounds like sales mumbo jumbo to me. Bottom line is that it's a 1.6c J/VS2 stone - certainly not a 2ct G/VS2 stone. Also, the one he compared it to may have been a dog.

JMHO, you are getting carried away. Calm down - no rational purchases are made by storm trooping. If, on Monday, GOG or WF can get the stone set & to Fed Ex in time for you to receive it on Wed. then they are miracle workers in this most busiest of times. I think by Monday, you have lost your window of opportunity. Why the rush? You obviously have been together for over 3 years already. Right ring, Right time, Right purchase.

 

[bof]

I say just hold off and do the job right next year. Rather than narrowing down your choices, you have now added one more, 8*. For the amount of money that you are spending I would advise that you take the proper time to make the best possible decision without regret. but it's your money and your call to make in the end. many people have contributed their opinions and hopefully you'll be happy with your decision in the end.

bof

 

[Mara]

I say 'Nay' on the 8* as well. I saw them in person at a local jeweler and I was really not that impressed personally. Sure it sparkled a little more, but I saw it in comparison to a 'regular ideal' and that was not H&A. I would hands down put something like a hand-picked H&A with an excellent IS image against an 8* anyday. You may see a slight difference, but not enough to warrant another $5k for a J colored stone no less!!! Any J colored excellently cut stone is going to look whiter...but if you are thinking of buying a J, then why not buy an I online ? It will look whiter as well. Not to confuse you even more. But to drop from H to J....for more $$?




My vote is still for the 1.65 H SI from GOG if it's eye clean. Excellent price and stunning looks.