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GOG, WF, JA, no brainer spin off

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Stone Hunter

Ideal_Rock
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So if they have the diamond which one would you go with and why?

I can''t find a setting I like yet. I''ve been following DiamondSeeker''s setting saga. The stone I''m looking at is a cushion.

Thanks.
 
I'd go with the vendor who had the stone I was looking for in-house. One reason I really like Mark t at engagementringsdirect.com for cushion hunting b/c he's in the NY diamond district and can look at a lot of stones w/out you having to pay to have them called in. WF and GOG both provide a ton of info on their stone, and JA will provide it for any inhouse stone so if you find what you're looking for on one of their sites you should call and get someone to look at it. cushions are tricky, you just can't go by the numbers. I'd go ERD or GOG.


But again...if one has in-house the stone you're looking for of you just have a vendor preference any one of them will do a great job. something else to consider is how you are planning on having it set? I like to buy the stone and setting from the same vendor if possible.
 
Of all the vendors you''ve listed, I''d choose WF as top pick for a few reasons. They tend to have more inhouse inventory for rounds (and increasingly with princess stones too), and they offer what I consider the best terms on trade-ups.

Having said that, all of the vendors you listed as respected PS vendors, so any of them would be an excellent choice.

HOWEVER.....you mentioned you want cushion, so I''d agree with Mrs. Salvo. I think that Mark at ERD has tremendous access to fancies, and he provides excellent service and pricing.
 
Hmm I don''t think my post worked
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Anyway i''ll retype it....I was saying I went with James Allen because he was closest to me, and I was soo very scared about buying online. I thought he had the best prices for the stones I was looking at. I came to trust him very much, I thought the customer service was impeccable. I really liked how upfront and honest he was about everything, I got a sense that he took a lot of pride in his work and enjoyed it as well! I''m sure you''ll find those traits in other PS vendors as well! If I ever made a future purchase from them I would have no problems in calling them and telling them my budget and what i''m looking for and have THEM pick out something for me!
 
Well, I surely can relate to the setting dilemma! It is very, very hard to decide unless there is something that just stands out to you, but I didn''t have that happen. I''d go to ERD or GOG for the diamond. I am partial to GOG because I received such excellent service there, and I know they will search out stones for you until they find one. But it sounds like Mark at ERD has a good track record, too. And as mrssalvo said, it would be easier if you knew which one had a setting you liked, believe me!
 
hmm it would depend for me on who has the best stone for what i want, in house. since i have only bought rounds so far, i have always used WF since they have a great selection of in-house rounds in both ES and ACA, but ERD is supposed to be fabulous for fancy stones. for a cushion i''d probably put feelers out to see who could get closest to what i wanted...i wouldn''t necessarily say i was going to only work with one vendor right off the start. it''s fabulous there are so many vendors to choose from.
 
Date: 8/24/2006 12:17:29 PM
Author: devientdrow
Hmm I don''t think my post worked
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Anyway i''ll retype it....I was saying I went with James Allen because he was closest to me, and I was soo very scared about buying online. I thought he had the best prices for the stones I was looking at. I came to trust him very much, I thought the customer service was impeccable. I really liked how upfront and honest he was about everything, I got a sense that he took a lot of pride in his work and enjoyed it as well! I''m sure you''ll find those traits in other PS vendors as well! If I ever made a future purchase from them I would have no problems in calling them and telling them my budget and what i''m looking for and have THEM pick out something for me!
Devientdrow- who did you work with at JA? Everyone here seems to rave about Brian the cutter at WF, and how he will truthfully analyze the stones for you if you can''t go in-person. Does JA have anyone that rivals his expertise and honesty?
 
Date: 8/24/2006 1:29:18 PM
Author: Go Blue 99

Devientdrow- who did you work with at JA? Everyone here seems to rave about Brian the cutter at WF, and how he will truthfully analyze the stones for you if you can't go in-person. Does JA have anyone that rivals his expertise and honesty?
I cannot answer for DD, but I will reply that I really believe all of the vendors here are top-shelf when it comes to straight dealings with the clients.

As far as expertise, it's hard to match Brian's.....he's a fifth-generation diamond cutter. He is also the steward and owner of the ACA line of H&A stones. That's a tough resume to match, per se.

I'd consider Mark a great option, though....he's been in the business a long time (over 20/25 years?), and he is centrally located among most of the supplier in NY. As a result, he can go to where a diamond is and inspect it for you.

Last I knew, I believe more of J/A's stones are not owned, so I don't think they can "lay eyes" on the stones themselves. They likely would be able to call the supplier, but unless something has changed, I don't think they inspect much inhouse. If someone else has more current info, by all mean, chime in!
 
Date: 8/23/2006 10:05:37 PM
Author:Stone Hunter
So if they have the diamond which one would you go with and why?

I can''t find a setting I like yet. I''ve been following DiamondSeeker''s setting saga. The stone I''m looking at is a cushion.

Thanks.
hehe cushion pal! I''m having trouble with the vendor thing because I want to have loyalty and I''m not sure that''s wise at this point. ESPECIALLY when looking for such a difficult cut. I''ve been disappointed once before and I think I''m approaching this all wrong.

I seriously wish they''d have a primer!!! What stone are you looking at? What type of cushion cut? I''m planning to have my setting made so I don''t know the difficulties of having it set where you didn''t buy the stone, but I''m pretty sure you can buy the stone from one vendor, ship it to another and buy the setting there... I could be wrong.
 
Date: 8/24/2006 10:33:47 AM
Author: aljdewey
Of all the vendors you''ve listed, I''d choose WF as top pick for a few reasons. They tend to have more inhouse inventory for rounds (and increasingly with princess stones too), and they offer what I consider the best terms on trade-ups.

Having said that, all of the vendors you listed as respected PS vendors, so any of them would be an excellent choice.

HOWEVER.....you mentioned you want cushion, so I''d agree with Mrs. Salvo. I think that Mark at ERD has tremendous access to fancies, and he provides excellent service and pricing.
WF is the vendor I''d choose for a round in a nanosecond. I love their customer service and their attitude about helping the customer, it''s awesome. All very nice and polite and thoughtful. Cushions though? I dunno... I think they''ve put most of their efforts into rounds and a few other primary cuts.
 
Date: 8/24/2006 2:03:09 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Cushions though? I dunno... I think they've put most of their efforts into rounds and a few other primary cuts.
I agree.....which is why I put the great big "HOWEVER, I see you want a cushion" in there and mentioned that I agreed with Mrs. Salvo's recommendation of ERD.
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Mara - you said you have always worked with WF - who did you work with? Thanks!
 
I went with James Allen/DCD. I was really impressed with their huge inventory and low prices. It does take a little more work to find a great cut compared to whiteflash, but James Allen definitely has many beauties. I like that they also carry quite a few fancies. Jim Schultz also was really easy to work with and gave me very honest opinions when I asked him questions. I do with that their upgrade policy was more like whiteflash''s though.
 
Well I can''t seem to find a setting I like.

I think GOG has a better selection but they don''t list their prices
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GOG also has photos of their cushions, but not many to select from.

I just can''t seem to find a WF setting I like.

I do like JA settings but they don''t have photos of their stones.

I guess I''m just confused still.
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GOG carries so many full lines of settings that they couldn''t keep the site updated with the correct prices all the time. You just have to email them for a price quote and tell them the size, metal, etc. They will also look for other cushions for you if you tell them what you''re looking for. I''d just call and ask for Tim or Jonathan on Tuesday (closed Sun-Mon) and tell them your preferences and they can see what else is available. I did that but ended up buying a stone they already had! The settings are very difficult for me because it helps so much to try them on. I''m about tired out from setting shopping! Are you looking for a halo or some other kind of setting for your cushion?
 
Why don''t you contact some of the vendors you are interested in, and discuss the options (stone/setting).....I''m sure not every stone/setting is listed on the website.... (I believe GOG is closed till Tuesday, though).
Are you having better luck finding stones or settings you like??
 
Well I want something antique ish or very plain.

Some settings I don''t really like are more money than I want to spend. I''d like most $ to go for the diamond.

And of course it pains me to spend $ for a setting I don''t love.

Does anyone know of any split prong settings??? that GOG or WF might have?

THANKS
 
stone hunter,

WF and GOG both do custom so if you see something you like they can probably make something similar. Is there a particular split prong setting you've seen and are interested in? Also, have you looked at Pearlmans? He's got more settings than just about anyone and the prices are listed on his site...
 
Well, somewhere on here I''ve posted a picture of a gorgeous Richard Landi antique split prong setting (from GOG), but the sad news is that is was about $4000. So I scratched it off my list! But it would be very, very beautiful with a cushion!
 
Yes I have looked at Pearlman''s but I want to get the setting and the stone from the same vendor to simplify my life.
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Cehra -- I''m looking for a rectangular cushion.

DiamondSeeker -- Right now it is the settings that are driving me insane. If I could just pick a setting then I''d go with that vendor for the stone.

Sounds like WF is great for rounds. JA doesn''t give me as much online info about their stones as WF and GOG.

Thanks for all your responses. I''m off to search PS for photos of split prongs...
 
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