Good old Gold or local jeweler for my oval?

[Ice_newbie]

I am trying to decide whether to use Good Old Gold or a reputable local jeweler to source stones and mount my three stone oval ring. If you have an opinion one way or the other, I would love to hear your reasons.

I know that with fancy shapes, the jeweler's discretion and judgment can be particularly important, so this seems like a very important decision.

By way of background, I am in Washington DC, so unfortunately I can't go to GoG in person - I would be working with them online/by phone only.

My local jeweler provides the GIA report for the center stone, but would use uncertified stones for the sides (probably .65s or .75s), and no ASET image or other similar information.

Thanks in advance!

 

[chrono]

I'd go with GOG since you are looking for ovals. GIA doesn't tell you about the light performance of fancies and the numbers don't tell you anything about it either. There's no need to be physically in NY either when Jon will provide not only the ASET but a video of your stone!

 

[JaneSmith]

Yay three stone oval! That's my engagement ring!
Ovals are fancy shapes that cannot be decided on by stats. You must look at it or have someone knowledgeable you trust look at it for you. GOG can do ASET's and videos and tell you what they think.
Make sure you get ones that aren't too fat and squatty or too long and skinny. Not too deep either or it will face up small for the carat weight. No one wants that! I was looking at a 1.84ct that had the same dimensions as a 2ct because it was well cut with a 60.1% depth.
Find an oval without a too obvious bowtie. Go for GIA certs for all three stones.

I'm sorry if I'm telling you things you already know, I just get excited about three stone ovals!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I completely agree with Chrono and Jane! PLus GOG is in NY and can so easily access stones to look at.

 

[Alexiszoe]

GOG has an eye for amazing ovals. However, do you intend to upgrade/trade in your stone at some point? I ask this because GOG doesn't accept ovals for their lifetime upgrade policy. So if upgrading is something you might want to do in the future, you would have to sell your oval on your own or consign it before you can do so rather than do a straight up trade-in with a vendor, and ovals are harder to sell than RBs. If upgrading is not on the horizon, then go for it!

 

[chrono]

I think all fancies are not covered under the lifetime upgrade policy of PS vendors anyway. The only exception is if it is the vendor's branded cut diamonds.

 

[Ice_newbie]

Wow - thanks for the information regarding upgrade policy - that might actually be the deciding factor for me. I have no plans to upgrade anytime soon, but I want this big investment to at least hold its value! My jeweler has a lifetime upgrade policy for all diamonds, fancy or not. I just assumed the same was true with GoG and the other vendors that PSers seem to like and recommend.

 

[Alexiszoe]

I think all fancies are not covered under the lifetime upgrade policy of PS vendors anyway. The only exception is if it is the vendor's branded cut diamonds.

JA has a lifetime upgrade policy for any stone purchased from them (based on their website's information). I think DBL has a similar policy for most of their stuff as well, although I am not sure.

OP,
if upgrade policy is important to you, you might want to call/email the vendors to ask if ovals/fancies are covered. Some that I can recall (other than the ones listed above) are Perry Chen from Art of Platinum and ID Jewelry.

 

[Enerchi]

No idea about the reputation of your local B&M, and I have never worked with Jonathan at GOG, but when it comes to something in the specialty realm, my personal preference would be to use one of the trusted PS vendors. I would completely trust one of "the usual suspects" only because there are so many of us here on PS that have had very good experiences with the tried and true. May not apply if you are a regular user or have a great history with your local person... but if it were me, I'd rely on the eyes of GOG for something like this.

The upgrade policy may be something I'd want to discuss directly with Jonathan tho....

 

[bernersnuggler]

Just received my ring today from GOG and I am absolutely thrilled with it. I live in Canada and totally trusted Jonathan and Lynda's opinions on what I was looking for. They couldn't have been more helpful. Every question or concern I had was promply answered and totally put my mind at ease. The ring has turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined! I can't believe how white and sparkly it is! It actual takes my breath away just looking at it.

 

[GreenBling]

I had super good experience with GoG so they'd be my first choice. I'd call them to verify their upgrade policy before ruling them out.