shape
carat
color
clarity

GOG versus BN diamond faceoff

Which diamond would you buy?

  • GOG 1.55

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • BN 1.61

    Votes: 1 100.0%

  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .
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silverbuggy

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Good Old Gold round brilliant diamond:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/5080/
Price: $19,000
Carat: 1.55
Cut: Excellent H&A (backed by pics of hearts and arrows)
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Symmetry: Excellent
Polisth: Excellent
Depth %: 60.9%
Table %: 57%
Crown angle: 34.0
Pavilion angle: 41.0
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Culet: None
HCA: 1.4 (EX EX VG VG) if based on GIA (numbers above are from GIA)
HCA: 1.5 (EX VG VG VG) if based on stats from right column of webpage
Lifetime Upgrade Policy: Yes

Blue Nile round brilliant diamond:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-d-color-vs2-clarity_LD01418170?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0
Price: $18,519
Carat: 1.61
Cut: Signature Ideal (they claim these are H&A but no proof except for GCAL if that counts)
Color: D
Clarity: VS2
Symmetry: Excellent
Polisth: Excellent
Depth %: 61.0
Table %: 57
Crown angle: 34.0
Pavilion angle: 41.0
Fluorescence: Medium Blue
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Culet: None
HCA: 1.4 (EX EX VG VG) if based on GIA (numbers above are from GIA)
HCA: 1.2 (EX EX VG VG) if based on GCAL
Lifetime Upgrade Policy: No
 

silverbuggy

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Feb 18, 2009
Messages
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I''d appreciate if people could explain their reasons as well. :) Thanks!
 

stone-cold11

Super_Ideal_Rock
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question is do you think you will up-grade?

EDT:
Actually the GOG stone is a branded cut. An ISee2 stone.
 

geckodani

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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9,021
No contest for me - GOG 100%. The lifetime trade up policy would be enough for me to go with them.
 

silverbuggy

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Messages
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Date: 3/2/2009 2:52:02 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
question is do you think you will up-grade?
I may want to upgrade but I''m concerned with the markup in price. Not sure if there would be room to negotiate when upgrading. Stone-cold11, did you vote yet? Upgrade aside, which diamond do you think is a better deal?
 

geckodani

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Date: 3/2/2009 2:51:24 PM
Author: silverbuggy
I''d appreciate if people could explain their reasons as well. :) Thanks!
Okay, in addition to the upgrade policy, the GOG stone is H&A stone with the credentials and imagery to back it up - it will be ecxeptionally well cut. If you''ve ever watched any of the videos on GOG - they are crazy about their cut standards, in a good way!

D color is not necessary. Trust me. I have one, and up next to an F I guarantee I wouldn''t be able to tell the difference.

I don''t like flour, so the no flour in the GOG appeals to me.
 

silverbuggy

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Messages
188
Date: 3/2/2009 2:52:02 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
question is do you think you will up-grade?

EDT:
Actually the GOG stone is a branded cut. An ISee2 stone.
How can you tell? Is ISee2 well-known around here? Sorry if I sound like a newbie because I am!
 

stone-cold11

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Messages
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Date: 3/2/2009 2:54:39 PM
Author: silverbuggy
Date: 3/2/2009 2:52:02 PM

Author: Stone-cold11

question is do you think you will up-grade?

I may want to upgrade but I''m concerned with the markup in price. Not sure if there would be room to negotiate when upgrading. Stone-cold11, did you vote yet? Upgrade aside, which diamond do you think is a better deal?
I think GOG stone has a higher price because of the MB fluor of the BN stone and also the better customer service and upgrade policy. If you may be upgrading BN will be the better deal.

I will vote for GOG. An ISee2 stone is a very good stone in cut performance.
 

stone-cold11

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
14,083
Just do a search on the web. They have a website. Their cutting is very precise as can be seen from the well defined ''star burst'' in the centre of the stone for the IS pics and the hearts pattern.
 

kcoursolle

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
10,595
Well it depends whether you want to upgrade the stone or not in the future. If you have no intention of this than the BN stone is a better value. However, at least with me for an engagement stone I like the option of changing the stone in case styles change over time or I want something bigger.

Personally I would probably drop in color and clarity to save a bundle as well. Many SI stones are eye clean and the G/H range is still very white.
 

Ellen

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Messages
24,433
Date: 3/2/2009 3:25:40 PM
Author: kcoursolle
Well it depends whether you want to upgrade the stone or not in the future. If you have no intention of this than the BN stone is a better value. However, at least with me for an engagement stone I like the option of changing the stone in case styles change over time or I want something bigger.

Personally I would probably drop in color and clarity to save a bundle as well. Many SI stones are eye clean and the G/H range is still very white.
Ditto. In a very well cut stone, which these are, you can lower things a bit and not be making any visual compromises.

I''d go for this myself. (they don''t haver much in the G-H range)

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4882/


I voted for the GOG stone. Along with everything else that''s been said, that pavilion angle is iffy, and there''s no IS pic to confirm if it''s a problem or not. Though you could bring it home to be appraised.
 

Lorelei

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Ditto what the ladies above said.
 

secondhandnews

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Messages
147
I voted for the GOG because of the trade-in policy. Ellen and kcourselle also gave good advice regarding possibly looking at G or H stones.
 

Abril

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Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
197
The upgrade policy isn''t worth it unless you''re buying while diamond prices are high. Carat is king for most people. I say go with the larger stone.
 

diamondseeker2006

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Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
My stone came from Good Old Gold, and I appreciate what they do to choose the very best cut stones and show the buyer all the information. They are trustworthy, and as a family business, I expect they are likely to be around a long time. I don''t expect to change my stone, but I love it that if I ever did decide I wanted a different shape or color, I could easily exchange it. Jonathan has integrity, and I recommend doing business with him.
 

Ellen

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Messages
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Date: 3/2/2009 5:02:41 PM
Author: Abril
The upgrade policy isn''t worth it unless you''re buying while diamond prices are high. Carat is king for most people. I say go with the larger stone.
To me, getting full price paid towards new purchase is worth far more than an average of 1/3 original price paid, 1/2 at best, IF you can sell it at all. Otherwise, you start all over.


But that''s just me.
 

vespergirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
5,497
I voted for the BN stone, because I love a D color with flour, plus it''s a little bigger.

However, if there''s any chance she will ever want to upgrade, you should go with the GOG stone. My ring has a great upgrade policy, and we have already taken advantage of it.
 

Darthkim

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
Messages
85
i vote GOG on the service and also because the stone is an Isee2 stone (which are amazing). Silverbuggy, the stone that you see with the Gabriel setting is also an isee2. The way you can tell is on the GIA certification, under inscription, you''ll see the little flower looking thing with some numbers on it.

They don''t advertise it very much and I based my decision without knowing it was an Isee2. Either way, I think you''ll be incredibly happy with either of the stones.
 

purrfectpear

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 31, 2008
Messages
4,079
No question, GOG due to the upgrade policy.
 

silverbuggy

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Joined
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Messages
188
Date: 3/2/2009 7:59:50 PM
Author: Darthkim
i vote GOG on the service and also because the stone is an Isee2 stone (which are amazing). Silverbuggy, the stone that you see with the Gabriel setting is also an isee2. The way you can tell is on the GIA certification, under inscription, you''ll see the little flower looking thing with some numbers on it.

They don''t advertise it very much and I based my decision without knowing it was an Isee2. Either way, I think you''ll be incredibly happy with either of the stones.
Darthkim, I noticed that 3 out of the 5 pictures you posted here show the beautiful arrows:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pick-one.108803/

Can you see them with your naked eyes or does it take a specific angle and/or flash photography?
 

AprilBaby

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Messages
13,234
GOG for the lifetime upgrade.
 

Darthkim

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Joined
Aug 24, 2008
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85
I have to admit, i think i have eagle eyes and the arrows are very apparent for me. I''ve also "trained" my fiance to look at them. I look for them when I look at other diamonds (store and whatnot) One of the fun things is to use an idealscope (which GOG includes) so you can see the arrows in the scope.

I also agree with the others in dropping the color / clarity. I spent a good couple of hours at GOG comparing colors grades. I could tell more easily between an H and a J, but between a D-G and H, it was very tough to sell.

Hope this helps!. I understand how stressful this can be. Good luck!
 

silverbuggy

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Messages
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Date: 3/3/2009 1:55:33 AM
Author: Darthkim
I have to admit, i think i have eagle eyes and the arrows are very apparent for me. I''ve also ''trained'' my fiance to look at them. I look for them when I look at other diamonds (store and whatnot) One of the fun things is to use an idealscope (which GOG includes) so you can see the arrows in the scope.

I also agree with the others in dropping the color / clarity. I spent a good couple of hours at GOG comparing colors grades. I could tell more easily between an H and a J, but between a D-G and H, it was very tough to sell.

Hope this helps!. I understand how stressful this can be. Good luck!
haha apparently your camera has eagle eyes too!!! i am tipping the fence towards GOG now based on the feedback here...tomorrow is probably the day i''ll make the final decision!

we actually placed order at Blue Nile like last Monday night but due to my boyfriend''s work schedule and problems with the bank still haven''t been able to complete bank wire!! actually, it got CANCELLED today because they haven''t been able to reach my boyfriend...so maybe it''s fate. we''ll see what happens tomorrow after talking to jonathan at GOG about options there!
 

Lorelei

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Messages
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Keep us posted!
 

Abril

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
197
Another reason to ignore the upgrade policy: having a choice to upgrade may leave you dissatisfied with your purchase

See this interesting video

Well worth watching in its entirety.
 

DaCounselor

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May 28, 2008
Messages
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Another vote here for GOG. Even if you''re not thinking of a potential future upgrade at this point, you may feel differently down the road. Nice to have the option.
 

silverbuggy

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Joined
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Messages
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Date: 3/3/2009 1:55:33 AM
Author: Darthkim
I have to admit, i think i have eagle eyes and the arrows are very apparent for me. I''ve also ''trained'' my fiance to look at them. I look for them when I look at other diamonds (store and whatnot) One of the fun things is to use an idealscope (which GOG includes) so you can see the arrows in the scope.

I also agree with the others in dropping the color / clarity. I spent a good couple of hours at GOG comparing colors grades. I could tell more easily between an H and a J, but between a D-G and H, it was very tough to sell.

Hope this helps!. I understand how stressful this can be. Good luck!
Darthkim, can you let me know the star facets % and LGF % for the diamond that you have set in the gabriel? The percentages are on the table in the GIA report. I was choosing between the 2 diamonds here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-has-better-cut-arrows-fat-vs-skinny.109029/

One has 50% stars and 80% LGF. The other one is 55% stars and 75% LGF (though strmrdr says GIA rounds and the 75% is closer to 77%). My bf already picked the one with 55%/75%, but I''m considering purchasing the other one as well and comparing them! I bought a diamond toolkit from Excel which includes a H&A viewer and something like an idealscope.
41.gif


I want to get one with similar proportion as yours so that hopefully the arrows will come out in pictures too! I initially was thinking fatter arrows = better picture, but now I''m not so sure.
 

Lorelei

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Date: 3/5/2009 12:37:33 AM
Author: silverbuggy

Date: 3/3/2009 1:55:33 AM
Author: Darthkim
I have to admit, i think i have eagle eyes and the arrows are very apparent for me. I''ve also ''trained'' my fiance to look at them. I look for them when I look at other diamonds (store and whatnot) One of the fun things is to use an idealscope (which GOG includes) so you can see the arrows in the scope.

I also agree with the others in dropping the color / clarity. I spent a good couple of hours at GOG comparing colors grades. I could tell more easily between an H and a J, but between a D-G and H, it was very tough to sell.

Hope this helps!. I understand how stressful this can be. Good luck!
Darthkim, can you let me know the star facets % and LGF % for the diamond that you have set in the gabriel? The percentages are on the table in the GIA report. I was choosing between the 2 diamonds here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-has-better-cut-arrows-fat-vs-skinny.109029/

One has 50% stars and 80% LGF. The other one is 55% stars and 75% LGF (though strmrdr says GIA rounds and the 75% is closer to 77%). My bf already picked the one with 55%/75%, but I''m considering purchasing the other one as well and comparing them! I bought a diamond toolkit from Excel which includes a H&A viewer and something like an idealscope.
41.gif


I want to get one with similar proportion as yours so that hopefully the arrows will come out in pictures too! I initially was thinking fatter arrows = better picture, but now I''m not so sure.
Photography and set up technique is very important when trying to capture arrows.
 

Ellen

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
24,433
Date: 3/5/2009 12:37:33 AM
Author: silverbuggy

Darthkim, can you let me know the star facets % and LGF % for the diamond that you have set in the gabriel? The percentages are on the table in the GIA report. I was choosing between the 2 diamonds here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-has-better-cut-arrows-fat-vs-skinny.109029/

One has 50% stars and 80% LGF. The other one is 55% stars and 75% LGF (though strmrdr says GIA rounds and the 75% is closer to 77%). My bf already picked the one with 55%/75%, but I'm considering purchasing the other one as well and comparing them! I bought a diamond toolkit from Excel which includes a H&A viewer and something like an idealscope.
41.gif


I want to get one with similar proportion as yours so that hopefully the arrows will come out in pictures too! I initially was thinking fatter arrows = better picture, but now I'm not so sure.
As long as a stone has well defined arrows, they are going to show up in pics. It won't matter whether they are fat or skinny. And the difference between these two you are considering is not great, I doubt a lot of people would even be able to tell the difference. So just pick the stone that has everything (or most) of what you want.
2.gif


Here's an example of the arrow size not mattering. If it shows up in the IS, it will show up in pics.

1047591-IdealScopelarger.JPG




1083961idealscopelarger.jpg



And here's a thread on arrow shots, you can easily see the differences in size.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-arrow-thread.79034/

HTH!
 

MissGotRocks

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Premium
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Messages
16,270
Date: 3/5/2009 7:16:05 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 12:37:33 AM
Author: silverbuggy

Darthkim, can you let me know the star facets % and LGF % for the diamond that you have set in the gabriel? The percentages are on the table in the GIA report. I was choosing between the 2 diamonds here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-has-better-cut-arrows-fat-vs-skinny.109029/

One has 50% stars and 80% LGF. The other one is 55% stars and 75% LGF (though strmrdr says GIA rounds and the 75% is closer to 77%). My bf already picked the one with 55%/75%, but I''m considering purchasing the other one as well and comparing them! I bought a diamond toolkit from Excel which includes a H&A viewer and something like an idealscope.
41.gif


I want to get one with similar proportion as yours so that hopefully the arrows will come out in pictures too! I initially was thinking fatter arrows = better picture, but now I''m not so sure.
As long as a stone has well defined arrows, they are going to show up in pics. It won''t matter whether they are fat or skinny. And the difference between these two you are considering is not great, I doubt a lot of people would even be able to tell the difference. So just pick the stone that has everything (or most) of what you want.
2.gif


Here''s an example of the arrow size not mattering. If it shows up in the IS, it will show up in pics.

1047591-IdealScopelarger.JPG




1083961idealscopelarger.jpg



And here''s a thread on arrow shots, you can easily see the differences in size.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-arrow-thread.79034/

HTH!
I would go with the GOG stone. I like the numbers, GOG is a great company, and you have an upgrade policy.

As for the arrows, Ellen is right. Fat or skinny they will show up. My stone has great arrows but that doesn''t mean I get great arrow shots. Part of that depends on the photographer and the camera (although the camera should be good)!
2.gif


More importantly, you want an excellent performing stone. You won''t wear the arrow pictures and most of your friends and family will have no idea what you are talking about regarding arrows. They will, however, know you have a killer, sparkling stone.

That''s my two cents - you have two beautiful stones to pick from so that makes you lucky! In my opinion, at this point you should look to the other variables such as vendor, policies, etc. in making your choice - the stones speak for themselves!
 
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