Good Old Gold or ERD/Brilliantly Engaged for Oval Stone?

[RoyalRaindrop63]

Hi all! I posted a couple weeks ago about my search for an oval ring. I am now pretty sure I am getting the setting from ERD/Brilliantly Engaged. I was planning on looking at GOG for the stone, since I have heard so many great things and love the videos Jonathan provides. However, someone also recommended getting the stone from Brilliantly Engaged, and as that's where the setting is coming from, that'd obviously be easier.

I am wondering:

1) if anyone has any insight into whether their prices will be comparable
2) has had experience with buying an oval from Brilliantly Engaged. Do they send pictures of the stone? Videos? Are they good at working with people who are picky about what they want? In my mind, most ovals I see I am not excited about - it is only a few that have the kind of faceting patterns I like and have minimal bowtie. It seems like a tall order, so I need a vendor that will work with me and not try to sell me the first stone they find.
3) Does GOG still provide comparison videos, today, in 2015? Do they charge extra for this?
4) Does Brilliantly Engaged charge more to set an externally sourced stone/give some sort of discount for buying both setting & diamond?

Either way, I will want to see ASET images - but from what I've heard, both vendors could provide this.

 

[Niel]

When I watch good old gold videos on YouTube of past ovals they have picked for customers, I wasn't impressed. I know they are well known for being able to "pick the best fancies" and admittedly they seem to find amazing step cuts, and I have purchased a marquise from them before- but I would if I would go look at their old videos with ovals. If you like them then maybe I'd consider, but I'd look their first because I do believe they charge to make videos.

I believe James Allen is a great way to pick a fancy brilliant cut like ovals. They give you a controlled lighting environment and hundreds of ovals so you can use your eyes to see really what you prefer.

You could buy it from JA and have BE set them. Or you wouldn't even have to buy from JA, ita nice to look at many to see what you like.

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

That is an interesting observation Niel. I have watched several of their oval comparison videos and there are indeed only one or two I have liked - but I think it's that way for me with all ovals. Although, if their stock in ovals is mostly virtual (and it seems to be as I get a whopping 1(one) stone showing up when I put in the parameters I'm looking for), if they are just calling in 3 or 4 random stones to evaluate for me without seeing pictures of them themselves beforehand, then it really is a crapshoot, because I could easily hate all 3 or 4.

I have been looking at James Allen off and on for months and months - there have been a few absolute gems that I would love to have pop up, but I know they were way out of my boyfriend's price range (and I only know this judging from the prices my boyfriend has reacted to). There are a couple right now that I do like, and should maybe explore more. One downside to James Allen is while the videos are great, they only show the oval oriented east-west. And while the controlled lighting environment is great for comparing multiple stones, I would ideally like to see it in multiple lighting environments and moving around other than just in a circle.

I think the problem is that what I really want, doesn't exist. It would be ideal to see a huge inventory of ovals, in person, with online-store data on the stones (ie; much more information available), and online-store pricing. And have a certified gemologist help guide me. Unfortunately... that doesn't exist!

I have seen SO MANY ovals over the past few months. Pictures, videos, etc. And out of all those, I have liked only a couple. I'm worried I won't even find an oval I like, and will have to move to a different shape where you don't need to worry about bowties.

 

[Niel]

I agree, I have the same fears about gog and calling in stones, ive seen someone before pay them to call in stones, they pull a handful, and none were really worth pursuing. I really dont know what happens from there.

If you're that particular, I would want to pick though more than 4.

Can you show me one on James Allen yoy really like, regardless of your budget and the price of the stone, just one you saw and said "that's perfect!

Also, may I ask what you're budget is? What size you're trying to get to?

 

[tyty333]

I agree, I have the same fears about gog and calling in stones, ive seen someone before pay them to call in stones, they pull a handful, and none were really worth pursuing. I really dont know what happens from there.

If you're that particular, I would want to pick though more than 4.

Can you show me one on James Allen yoy really like, regardless of your budget and the price of the stone, just one you saw and said "that's perfect!

Also, may I ask what you're budget is? What size you're trying to get to?

Ditto Niel...point out some stones that you do like (never mind budget)

I think JA is really your best option.

 

[Rhino]

Greetings.Yep. We still provide this service in 2015 and always will.

Just for clarification about the process.

a. A person leaves a deposit to cover the transportation of a diamond. We in turn double, triple, quadruple their investment by calling in multiple diamonds with information on the GIA Reports that has the best known factors we can locate based on the clients carat/clarity/color/budget contraints.

b. We'll shoot the client a video in multiple lighting environments and we will be incorporating the ASET's into these videos more often now as well for educational purposes.

c. The best performers will then be further analyzed based upon our 30 point inspection and published for the client to review. If they are happy they make their choice and we proceed to the next step.

d. If the client isn't happy with any of the choices and depending on the value amount of the diamonds being shipped and where within the world they are coming we may proceed (at times on our own dime) to pay for additional options to be transported in if we see other potential options nationally or internationally.

Since no cutting facility at this point in time is cutting ideal cut ovals we can only get what is available on the open market. If you're not thrilled with what you're seeing in the videos then you may want to consider a different cutting style entirely. Ovals are a tricky beast. Like rounds and any other shape, oval diamonds can appear very similar on paper or and look great in photography yet be 180 degrees different when it comes to their optics in various lighting environments. We have had excellent success in hunting down the beauties. A recent video we did for a client was considering the same thing and we located one of those rare ovals and for their own knowledge and inquiry shot it alongside of one of our Superior H&A's for a comparison. We sent the oval to an appraiser for them to see and after their months of hunting were quite happy.

If you have any other questions concerning our process feel free to ask.

Kind regards,
Rhino

 

[Fancygems]

I would not consider BE as an option, I had Mark send out a few and they all had huge bow ties I think I even posted about one of them, I had to send them back at a $250 restocking fee and then was charged For the overnight shipping for each back and forth.

 

[Niel]

I would not consider BE as an option, I had Mark send out a few and they all had huge bow ties I think I even posted about one of them, I had to send them back at a $250 restocking fee and then was charged For the overnight shipping for each back and forth.

Oh another good thing about James Allen, they pay for shipping both ways.

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

Thanks everyone and sorry for the late reply - been a busy week. Also, I appreciate you reaching out, Jonathan.

Here are examples of some ovals I like:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.23-carat-d-color-si1-clarity-sku-426049
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxgo_NCmwis (4th stone - last stone in lineup)
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/square-off-oval-vs-round-pics-please-help.193646/

I really don't know how to articulate what kind of facet patterns I like. I know one of them (the example from James Allen) seems to have a center which reminds me of a round (with facets fanning out from the center). I don't know how to describe the other two, really. I wish there was some sort of guide or classification for this - I feel like ovals can look so drastically different from stone to stone; some of the facet patterns I really don't care for.


I am looking for something E-F range as I find I'm really color sensitive and prefer ultra-white, clear stones with no hints of yellow. I even like fluorescence, as long as it doesn't cause any negative effects (I know it often does). I actually think the blue tint in sunlight is really cool. Clarity isn't very important to me, I'd prefer eye clean, but I may even consider non-eye clean if the mark wasn't large, dark, or in a noticeable area like the middle of the table.

I am hoping to get in between 1.25-1.5ct, but I don't know my boyfriend's actual budget - all I know is he told me between 1-1.5ct. I realize that makes it tough.

If I don't find an oval I like soon, I may consider moving to a different cut like a vintage cushion, emerald, or oec round.

 

[tyty333]

A cut like this is sort of what I see in that pricescope thread you posted.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.50-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-sku-277579
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.50-carat-f-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-366657 this one has a thin to extremely
thick girdle so I would probably stay away

Other than that, thats all I'm seeing at JA in your color range/size
Not sure how you feel about this one...its cut like a round brilliant but the arrow is not running directly across the middle.
This stone looks decent but I've certainly seen better.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.50-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-sku-260887

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

Thanks for taking a look. You're right, the first one is pretty spot on what I like. If I had to be picky, I would say it has a little more bowtie around the middle than I like (I guess you'd call it a bowtie since it's in that spot, though not quite shaped like a typical bowtie). I am pretty sure price wise will be an issue there, but it's worth showing my boyfriend.

The 2nd one is okay, 3rd one I am not crazy about.

I just discovered EnchantedDiamonds and found a few I like..

1.01 D VVS2
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamo...-01-Carat-D-Color-VVS2-Clarity-Diamond-8GTCX8
http://www.since1910.com/diamond/1-01ct/d-vvs2/oval/diamond/-r-30838-55829973 (click on 'View Actual Diamond Photo')

1.50 E SI1 (strong blue fluor)
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamo...-1-5-Carat-E-Color-SI1-Clarity-Diamond-4QC87F

1.50 E SI1(no fluor)
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamo...-1-5-Carat-E-Color-SI1-Clarity-Diamond-GCAKB2

Thoughts on any of these? There are even more I like, but those are my 3 favorite. I am pretty excited about finding EnchantedDiamonds... huge inventory (most virtual but still), lots of videos/actual photos, even some ASET/Idealscope images. No idea how they would be to work with?

 

[chrono]

The 3 from ED have a different facet pattern than the one you like from JA; my guess is that these 3 will have significant bowties but at the same time, the bowtie could light up beautifully under the right lighting.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Good Old Gold is going to be your best bet to find a good oval. They are very hard to find, as you have seen. But honestly, until you get a budget, I really don't think you should be at the point of having a vendor call in stones. There is a HUGE price difference in a 1.5 D VVS and a 1.5 I SI1. It makes me wonder if your boyfriend realizes this about diamond pricing. It makes a big difference whether the budget is $10k or $20k.

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

The 3 from ED have a different facet pattern than the one you like from JA; my guess is that these 3 will have significant bowties but at the same time, the bowtie could light up beautifully under the right lighting.

I realize they do have different facet patterns - I can't seem find one exactly like the example from JA. But that was just one example, there are probably a couple of different patterns I like - but the majority of them I don't.

What makes you think they would have strong bowties? I ask because I specifically picked them out due to in their pictures and videos, I see only minimal bowties - at least when looking at them head-on. From certain angles in the videos, I do see some darker flashes around the middle, is this what you're talking about? Maybe I need to be watching out for bowties that don't look bad head-on but look bad from other angles?

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

Good Old Gold is going to be your best bet to find a good oval. They are very hard to find, as you have seen. But honestly, until you get a budget, I really don't think you should be at the point of having a vendor call in stones. There is a HUGE price difference in a 1.5 D VVS and a 1.5 I SI1. It makes me wonder if your boyfriend realizes this about diamond pricing. It makes a big difference whether the budget is $10k or $20k.

I'm not counting GOG out yet, but others have raised what seem to me, very valid points. My concern is if they are calling in a few virtual stones on stats alone, without their seeing them first, the probability of me disliking them all is high. Even if they called in 2 or 3 rounds of choices - I still worry I won't find what I'm looking for and will be wasting both of our time and money. After all, when I look at a bunch of ovals on JA or Enchanted (or wherever I can see real pictures/videos of them), I often do see 12 diamonds in a row that fit what would be good "stats" for an oval, but that I don't like and wouldn't buy. I do think this is unique to ovals (at least for me). They all look so different from each other and I only like maybe 8-10% of them in my carat/color range. I think anyone who can have experts like Jonathan analyze diamonds for them and create detailed performance videos of the stones is lucky, and I think it's probably invaluable to anyone who wants to get the best performing stone. But they can't help it if they call in 4 or 5 virtual stones with promising stats and all happen to be duds in my eyes. I have every confidence they can pick the best of any bunch, but that's no good if the bunch happen to all be disappointing. Maybe that is worth the risk for me? I guess I have some thinking to do. Hopefully I get more time to do so soon - things are moving pretty slowly with this due to other life events.


In regards to the budget, my future fiance does have a budget in mind, and I know he is happy to discuss it with any vendors we work with, but he doesn't want me to be directly involved with the numbers aspect of it. Originally he was going to keep the whole thing secret, do the shopping himself, and surprise me - in a much more traditional fashion. He only grudgingly looped me in after several months of him looking without any luck or idea what I wanted. When he did loop me in, the deal was I picked the setting, he'd pick the diamond (retaining some traditionality in his eyes I'm sure). But that was before either of us knew much about diamonds in general, let alone how hard it would be to find a good diamond in the cut I wanted. Then when I started looking at settings, I started researching & learning about diamonds - at the least, I had to know what shape I wanted in order to decide upon a setting. Right away I fell in love with ovals. Then I learned that it would be difficult to find the perfect one - and I realized I needed to be a part of the diamond choosing, too.

My point is that he has been trying to retain some traditionality in all of this, but he keeps being pushed more and more out of his comfort zone. If we go thru a vendor like GOG, it will be my boyfriend working with the vendor directly, providing a budget, and me deciding on the stones picked out that fit within his budget. If it's me picking it out on my own, he'll let me know whether it's doable or not. Of course this makes it hard for me to pick, but I understand his point of view, and honestly?- I'm just happy to be getting engaged soon! I also can't help but have a general range in mind judging from his reactions.

 

[chrono]

The problem is that without knowing what $ range to work within, you could be wasting your time (and the vendor's time) looking for stones that your BF cannot afford. Good ovals are difficult enough to purchase and not knowing how much you can spend on it makes it almost impossible to know what to look for/at.

 

[RoyalRaindrop63]

Sorry if what I said was a little unclear but that's what I was trying to say - if we work thru a vendor, my boyfriend will give them a budget (from the start, so I'm only shown what he can afford). He won't tell me the budget but he'll tell the vendor.

Edit: I reread the last part of my post and see where it was confusing. If we work thru someplace like GOG he will give them a budget so they only call in stones he can afford. When I said "me picking it out on my own" I meant without the assistance of a vendor in the selection process, somewhere like James Allen. If its just me shopping on my own, I personally would not know the budget.

 

[chrono]

In that case, I would let GOG handle it.

 

[k5678]

Agreed... Contact GOG. They found me an amazing oval. It sparkles like crazy and has no bow tie. Just be very, very clear in what you are expecting from them and let them know won't accept a "decent" oval. Show them facet patterns you like and even ASETs if you want to really show what you are looking for. Because you will have to pay a non-refundable fee for them to get a set of diamonds(which for me was $150 but I think it depends on the overall budget)