^
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- May 9, 2006
- Messages
- 91
I wanted to include my personal review of Good Old Gold for posterity’s sake, and perhaps it will help the next person who visits. I will avoid re-iterating how fantastic it is to have so much info on each stone, how much material they have on their site, the quality of their stones, and the fair prices they have, as so many other posts have confirmed this. Anyway, I was recently fortunate enough to include an in-person visit to GOG as part of my diamond search this Summer. I had done my requisite PS and GOG reading long before making an appointment to come see the stock, and was excited to have the opportunity. I had tons of expectations for the trip: I wanted to see Solasferas and Eighternitys (Eighternities?) in person, I wanted to see H&A’s within my price range, I wanted to confirm what ideal cut face-up color I was comfortable with, I wanted to see stones with certain IS (or diamXray), BS, ISEE2 performance and how they translated into real life appearance, the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, for reasons I will divulge at a later date to maintain anonymity
, my trip was cut quite short, so I had to toss these goals out the window.
Jonathan, Tim, and the rest of the crew were very flexible with my short schedule, and they did their best to accommodate me. It’s very clear from the first moment you meet Jonathan that you’re dealing with somebody who is in their element; somebody who is intensely passionate and excited about what you’re about to do. This guy is so in love with diamonds he literally gets giddy talking about them even though you know this is the umpteenbillionth time he’s gone through this with somebody. You can plainly see that this man has been able to turn his passion into his career. This type of motivation creates the teachers that you and I have had throughout our childhood who inspired us to get excited about what they were passionate about. It’s contagious, and it’s a treat to experience.
The only downside about Jonathan’s passion is if you are on a tight schedule. The two of you will get absorbed into the material and before you know it, you’ve missed your train. I, in fact, missed 3 trains in the course of my “short” visit there. We tried earnestly to make each one, but each time we poked our heads up to check the clock, it was too late to make it. My advice, to GOG and to visitors, is to assess the goals and constraints before your arrival. Unless you are a local and you can spend ½ a day there with multiple return visits, which would be ideal, then it seems it’s important to make an efficient use of your time there. I had already read GOG’s site several times before my arrival, so there was no need for me to review that material. Once you get to see these demonstrations in person, though, it’s tough to resist since they’re so compelling live. What we should have done was determine what my level of knowledge was, and start there instead of reviewing the basics that I already knew. This simply took time away from the important stuff, which was applying that knowledge to the stones that were in stock, and seeing how the technology related to them in particular.
I would suggest that Jonathan have a non-PS client speil and a PS client speil. Perhaps 2 PS speils, one for the PS novices and one for the PS intermediates. I assume PS pros don’t need a speil at all, they may just want to examine the stones and ask their own questions when it’s time. But it seems to me, due to the train schedule, it might be useful to have a timed presentation that got somebody through stuff in 30 minutes before looking at stones. Of course, it doesn’t help that I then start asking questions, so I’m as much to blame for side-tracking us as anybody. It’s just that once I had to leave, examining stones of that caliber in person locally became impossible, which is truly unfortunate in terms of the development of my eye and my ability to analyze stones w/ and w/o tools. If I had time, I could’ve grown leaps and bounds in my “diamond sophistication” much as one would develop a palate for wine tasting after experience.
Let me pause here to give a “brief” impression of the Solasfera and Eighternity I saw, since there was another poster who was wondering about the difference between the Solasfera and a regular H&A. First of all, this is simply a decision that you have to make for yourself. It’s like asking somebody to tell you whether chocolate or vanilla ice cream is better. Second of all, the videos that GOG has comparing them can give you a great idea of what they look like IRL. That being said, it was clear to me that Solasferas are my preference over Eighternitys. These stones are “busier” than 57/58 facet stones, and the Eighternity to me has just gone too far. For me there needs to be some pattern, some optical symmetry that you can see which allows your eye to get “anchored” in the stone, and the Eighternity is just too chaotic for me to handle.
As for the Solasfera, it’s simply a gorgeous stone.
While it performs similarly in indirect lighting conditions to an H&A, it just sparkles and crackles in the direct lighting condition like no other. As you tilt the stone vs. an H&A, you see much more fire and movement in the stone. For instance, if you took a snapshot at every 1/20th of a degree of rotation, there would be times when the H&A stone is not reflecting dispersed light, but the Solasfera is. Or the H&A is reflecting 3 dispersed colors when the Solasfera has 6 distinct flashes of color. Or the H&A is still reflecting the same dispersed colors but the Solasfera is reflecting 4 different spots than the 1/20th of a degree before. Does that make sense?
Imagine if you start with a mirror and a light source. You can tilt this so that the light reflects in your eyes. Split the mirror in half and angle the halves slightly. One half will reflect light into your eyes at a time. Split the mirror several times, now there is more “life”, as you can get the light to reflect into your eyes from pretty much any position, however the size of the reflection has dropped. Jonathan has already summed up the differences as broad fire flashes vs. pin fire flashes. The H&A simply gives more broad flashes. Large pavilion mains blasting you with a full spectrum of color that changes from orange to blue before turning off. Solasfera pelts you with constant pins and splinters. Both are incredible. I have heard that the broader flashes are more noticeable from across a room but did not test that.
The deciding factor for me, actually, was optical symmetry and contrast. Due to all the activity in the Solasfera, your focal point seems to be much higher on the stone, if that makes sense. Your eyes (in direct lighting) aren’t really allowed to look into the stone at all since you’re being blinded by so much fire. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it means you’re not looking into the pavilion, and due to the ethereal nature of flashes, you’re not even focusing on the table. In fact, I think if I had gone to GOG w/o any “formal” education in diamonds and was asked which I liked better, I’d probably say the Solasfera since it really jumps out at you as more “sparkly.” However, having learned about H&A’s, and having grown to like the pattern of the arrows and the depth and life it gives to a stone, combined with the extra size I could get for the same price, I opted for an H&A stone as my preference this time around.
I would definitely love to have a Solasfera stone at some point down the line. As this is to be a somewhat more traditional e-ring, I thought and H&A might fit the bill slightly better. I wish I could know what I would’ve picked pre-PS, as I think it might agree with what the gf would’ve picked. Not that the H&A I ended up with is a dog, but let’s face it, one factor in purchasing a stone is what your peers will think. And most of my peers aren’t PS’ers, and I think many non-PS’ers might be more blown away by a Solasfera, at least in strong direct lighting. I didn’t get to compare indirect lighting performance as closely. Something tells me the H&A may look better due to contrast, though brightness “performance” may be similar. Rhino, I know Solasferas triple flush the Bscope, how do they do on ISEE2?
Which brings me to another point. Jonathan aka Rhino is one of the more prolific posters on this board, a reflection of his passion for the subject. His views (GIA, Bscope, ISEE2, DiamondDock etc.) aren’t shared by all. But he continues to post his opinion despite the sometimes rude and/or hostile responses they get from some of the more immature or unprofessional posters on PS. Many people would simply stop contributing at some point, so I admire his dilligence. It’s a shame to see responses like that because it brings down the level of discourse on PS.
Instead, I much prefer to see the intelligent debate that opposing views spark on this board, and I very much enjoy watching professionals compel each other to see their point of view through examples. I think it reminds consumers that many of these issues can be matters of taste instead of looking for the one “right” answer, which only leads to OCD.
On that note, despite my positive review of GOG, I''m not saying Rhino/GOG is infallible. Everything on PS should be taken with a grain of salt.
Diamonds have personalities, much like wines. What may be the #1 ultimate wine for one person may not be for the next. While some people prefer a stone that pegs the Bscope, others place higher weight on Firescope images or angles, etc. Rhino has said, I believe, that stones which score triple VH aren’t necessarily “better” than stones that are H, VH, H. He repeats throughout his tutorials and posts on PS that the most important factor is personal preference. He urges people to choose what’s most appealing to their eyes, be that stones w/o optical symmetry, Solasfera, steep/deep, whatever.
I know he is sincere in this, because I had the gall to bring a WhiteFlash Expert Selection stone into GOG to compare to their stock.
Many lesser “salesmen” might have been tempted to knock a competitor’s stone, in hopes of earning a sale. To the contrary, he was complimentary of the stone after a thorough inspection, and never made me feel that I was pressured to choose a GOG stone over the WF stone I had brought. He wanted me to see the stones side-by-side and let my eyes choose what was most appealing to me. Imagine this, even knowing how prone people can be to the “mind clean” effect, he did not plant seeds of doubt in my head about the WF stone, but instead spent 2 hours talking to me, educating me, and allowing me to compare to his stock without ever once making me feel pressured into purchasing his stone. To top it off, he gave me a ride to the train station in the “Batmobile” (yes ladies, I can confirm, he really does drive a Batmobile
), and sent me on my way.
I was thoroughly impressed by his impartiality, and his genuine interest in my getting a stone that makes me happy. The bad news (for GOG
) is that I ended up keeping that WF ES stone. This was more a reflection of what I found in stock at the time I was looking than anything else. My experience with GOG, their uber-extensive online library, and the quality of their stones has ensured that I will certainly be back when it’s time to buy my next stone, and will continue to direct everybody I know who might be interested to the “UDIS”.
Not to sound like a commercial, but if you’re in the market for a stone, I think you owe it to yourself to consider whether spending a few hundred dollars to get out to GOG in person might be worth it. In the overall cost of the engagement ring process, it may be a small percentage, but the benefits are great.
^
Jonathan, Tim, and the rest of the crew were very flexible with my short schedule, and they did their best to accommodate me. It’s very clear from the first moment you meet Jonathan that you’re dealing with somebody who is in their element; somebody who is intensely passionate and excited about what you’re about to do. This guy is so in love with diamonds he literally gets giddy talking about them even though you know this is the umpteenbillionth time he’s gone through this with somebody. You can plainly see that this man has been able to turn his passion into his career. This type of motivation creates the teachers that you and I have had throughout our childhood who inspired us to get excited about what they were passionate about. It’s contagious, and it’s a treat to experience.
The only downside about Jonathan’s passion is if you are on a tight schedule. The two of you will get absorbed into the material and before you know it, you’ve missed your train. I, in fact, missed 3 trains in the course of my “short” visit there. We tried earnestly to make each one, but each time we poked our heads up to check the clock, it was too late to make it. My advice, to GOG and to visitors, is to assess the goals and constraints before your arrival. Unless you are a local and you can spend ½ a day there with multiple return visits, which would be ideal, then it seems it’s important to make an efficient use of your time there. I had already read GOG’s site several times before my arrival, so there was no need for me to review that material. Once you get to see these demonstrations in person, though, it’s tough to resist since they’re so compelling live. What we should have done was determine what my level of knowledge was, and start there instead of reviewing the basics that I already knew. This simply took time away from the important stuff, which was applying that knowledge to the stones that were in stock, and seeing how the technology related to them in particular.
I would suggest that Jonathan have a non-PS client speil and a PS client speil. Perhaps 2 PS speils, one for the PS novices and one for the PS intermediates. I assume PS pros don’t need a speil at all, they may just want to examine the stones and ask their own questions when it’s time. But it seems to me, due to the train schedule, it might be useful to have a timed presentation that got somebody through stuff in 30 minutes before looking at stones. Of course, it doesn’t help that I then start asking questions, so I’m as much to blame for side-tracking us as anybody. It’s just that once I had to leave, examining stones of that caliber in person locally became impossible, which is truly unfortunate in terms of the development of my eye and my ability to analyze stones w/ and w/o tools. If I had time, I could’ve grown leaps and bounds in my “diamond sophistication” much as one would develop a palate for wine tasting after experience.
Let me pause here to give a “brief” impression of the Solasfera and Eighternity I saw, since there was another poster who was wondering about the difference between the Solasfera and a regular H&A. First of all, this is simply a decision that you have to make for yourself. It’s like asking somebody to tell you whether chocolate or vanilla ice cream is better. Second of all, the videos that GOG has comparing them can give you a great idea of what they look like IRL. That being said, it was clear to me that Solasferas are my preference over Eighternitys. These stones are “busier” than 57/58 facet stones, and the Eighternity to me has just gone too far. For me there needs to be some pattern, some optical symmetry that you can see which allows your eye to get “anchored” in the stone, and the Eighternity is just too chaotic for me to handle.
As for the Solasfera, it’s simply a gorgeous stone.
Imagine if you start with a mirror and a light source. You can tilt this so that the light reflects in your eyes. Split the mirror in half and angle the halves slightly. One half will reflect light into your eyes at a time. Split the mirror several times, now there is more “life”, as you can get the light to reflect into your eyes from pretty much any position, however the size of the reflection has dropped. Jonathan has already summed up the differences as broad fire flashes vs. pin fire flashes. The H&A simply gives more broad flashes. Large pavilion mains blasting you with a full spectrum of color that changes from orange to blue before turning off. Solasfera pelts you with constant pins and splinters. Both are incredible. I have heard that the broader flashes are more noticeable from across a room but did not test that.
The deciding factor for me, actually, was optical symmetry and contrast. Due to all the activity in the Solasfera, your focal point seems to be much higher on the stone, if that makes sense. Your eyes (in direct lighting) aren’t really allowed to look into the stone at all since you’re being blinded by so much fire. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it means you’re not looking into the pavilion, and due to the ethereal nature of flashes, you’re not even focusing on the table. In fact, I think if I had gone to GOG w/o any “formal” education in diamonds and was asked which I liked better, I’d probably say the Solasfera since it really jumps out at you as more “sparkly.” However, having learned about H&A’s, and having grown to like the pattern of the arrows and the depth and life it gives to a stone, combined with the extra size I could get for the same price, I opted for an H&A stone as my preference this time around.
I would definitely love to have a Solasfera stone at some point down the line. As this is to be a somewhat more traditional e-ring, I thought and H&A might fit the bill slightly better. I wish I could know what I would’ve picked pre-PS, as I think it might agree with what the gf would’ve picked. Not that the H&A I ended up with is a dog, but let’s face it, one factor in purchasing a stone is what your peers will think. And most of my peers aren’t PS’ers, and I think many non-PS’ers might be more blown away by a Solasfera, at least in strong direct lighting. I didn’t get to compare indirect lighting performance as closely. Something tells me the H&A may look better due to contrast, though brightness “performance” may be similar. Rhino, I know Solasferas triple flush the Bscope, how do they do on ISEE2?
Which brings me to another point. Jonathan aka Rhino is one of the more prolific posters on this board, a reflection of his passion for the subject. His views (GIA, Bscope, ISEE2, DiamondDock etc.) aren’t shared by all. But he continues to post his opinion despite the sometimes rude and/or hostile responses they get from some of the more immature or unprofessional posters on PS. Many people would simply stop contributing at some point, so I admire his dilligence. It’s a shame to see responses like that because it brings down the level of discourse on PS.
Diamonds have personalities, much like wines. What may be the #1 ultimate wine for one person may not be for the next. While some people prefer a stone that pegs the Bscope, others place higher weight on Firescope images or angles, etc. Rhino has said, I believe, that stones which score triple VH aren’t necessarily “better” than stones that are H, VH, H. He repeats throughout his tutorials and posts on PS that the most important factor is personal preference. He urges people to choose what’s most appealing to their eyes, be that stones w/o optical symmetry, Solasfera, steep/deep, whatever.
I know he is sincere in this, because I had the gall to bring a WhiteFlash Expert Selection stone into GOG to compare to their stock.
I was thoroughly impressed by his impartiality, and his genuine interest in my getting a stone that makes me happy. The bad news (for GOG
Not to sound like a commercial, but if you’re in the market for a stone, I think you owe it to yourself to consider whether spending a few hundred dollars to get out to GOG in person might be worth it. In the overall cost of the engagement ring process, it may be a small percentage, but the benefits are great.
^
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