First off I wanted to continue someone else's post so it wouldn't look like just one person saying what a great Team GOG is. The other post is a wall of text so instead I'll just link to it so you can read it in your own good time:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/good-old-gold-and-fuller-amp-associates-highly-recommended.3093/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/good-old-gold-and-fuller-amp-associates-highly-recommended.3093/[/URL]
Now for my story...
I first bought my wife's engagement ring way back when, with A LOT of research which I will go into detail much like the previous post. For now I introduced myself with just my name and my state and they pulled up my information. They even told me what I bought:
you purchased a 1.13ct H SI1 Round AGS Ideal H&A in 2002 for $6,211.00
That first diamond was gorgeous. It shimmered in any light and if someone would ask to see it it was like a flash bang went off in their eyes.
The reason that I was emailing them is that MY WIFE LOST THAT RING. I'm actually not nearly as upset as that suggests. Her losing the ring illustrated how much she appreciated it. Her ring was sorely missed due to the amount of regular compliments that she received on it.
My wife helps run her family business so she makes regular trips to the bank and she said she was interacting with a teller and she got sad because it was at the point of the transaction where she had to sign off on it and that was usually when the teller would say something about the ring.
That being said I went back to where I got the original rock and poked around to find out if there were any advancements in diamonds saw the various new patented rounds and that's when I solicited interaction and opinion.
I'm one of those people who believe that: you don't buy newspapers, you buy news... so I don't really buy diamonds... I buy light... more accurately... I'm trying to buy OOOs and AAAHs. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't buying decade old technology even if it in something as simple as a facet of a stone.
Originally I was fascinated by the Star129s but they didn't look right to me in the firescope? (the red one). I didn't see any prominent black areas which would indicate strong white light... which has always been the wow factor for me. Fire and scintilation are great and all but it's when the white light hits a layman's eyes that they go "WOW!" and that's what I want.
They steered me towards some vlogs that they did comparing the new branded rounds and it was really the solsafera that had the large planes of white and general light performance that was off the charts that got me... A "WOW" and a squint... that's what I want to buy.
They've found what I wanted but the color is a J and I'd prefer a G or an H. It's going in a yellow gold setting which picks up the yellow from the gold so it may not be a problem. My wife isn't a solitaire person so there will be baguettes and rounds flanking and I know those colors are usually pretty clear because the sizes are small and easy to get good quality.
The J has a faint flourescense so in the majority of light settings it should appear like a slightly higher color grade than it really is. So that's where we're at today... they've ordered the diamond for analysis and they're going to send me pics or a vlog on a comparison in different light settings. My wife will mostly be in either daylight or fluorescent lighting so hopefully it would be great.
I haven't closed my mind to the classic rounds and I have one of those selected as a back up if the color comparisons don't come out the way I like.
GOG has a fantastic amount of diamond education. I've fact checked them vs. the original book that I've read on buying diamonds for engagement rings:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Buy-Diamond-ebook/dp/B0023ZLHRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1308198404&sr=1-1
GOG is a reputable place that has a laundry list of testimonials on their site (and I've fact checked those to... I actually contacted some of them)... and they have a bang up refund policy:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/lifetimeguarantee/
My only gripe is as an old customer I didn't know about the addition of the trade up policy in 08' I'm definitely going to take advantage of that later.
If you want my opinion from what I've read and facts that i've checked...
If it's for an engagement ring you want:
Clarity: SI 1 or SI 2 ... something that's just eye clean... anything better is just going to get banged up through wear and tear of actually wearing the diamond vs. locking it in a safe.
Cut: Shape is a matter of taste but the quality of the cut is where you want to spend the most money. Keep in mind that diamonds are really just stones in the ground and it's the craftsman who cuts, planes and polishes it that makes it gorgeous.
Carat: I always suggest a 6 prong setting which adds substantial size to the appearance of the diamond but more importantly adds security. In a 4 prong setting one prong breaks you have 180% of unmounted diamond to fall out. Ergo you can buy just shy of a carat and have it look just over. I bought the 1.13 and it looked like it was between 1.25 -1.5 carats once it was in the setting.
Color: I've been told G or H for yellow gold and D, E, F for white gold or platinum. My wife prefers yellow gold so I get to skimp here to pay more for the craftsmanship.
Here's GOG's section on flourescense if you're curious. Apparently they had enough questions that they had to write something up:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/Fluorescence/
My only internet caveat is that it's hard to find a jeweler who will work with (mount/set) an outside diamond. Usually they require that you buy from them so they can mark it up more. Just be sure to line that up first before buying from GOG.
Now GOG does custom rings and designer rings... but I imagine servicing to be a pain and I'd rather be able to walk into a local shop and have them service it for free than me having to pay for shipping and insurance every time. The caveat there is that my first Jeweler moved back to California. So I'm stuck finding another one.
Bottom line... I trust GOG, and I won't go anywhere else to buy a diamond. I ask all sorts of crazy questions, ask them to do tests, I fact check'em... they oblige me, and give me great advice, and better service.
I apologize to them for being a nightmare of a customer... but what can I say... they spoiled me ;-p
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/good-old-gold-and-fuller-amp-associates-highly-recommended.3093/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/good-old-gold-and-fuller-amp-associates-highly-recommended.3093/[/URL]
Now for my story...
I first bought my wife's engagement ring way back when, with A LOT of research which I will go into detail much like the previous post. For now I introduced myself with just my name and my state and they pulled up my information. They even told me what I bought:
you purchased a 1.13ct H SI1 Round AGS Ideal H&A in 2002 for $6,211.00
That first diamond was gorgeous. It shimmered in any light and if someone would ask to see it it was like a flash bang went off in their eyes.
The reason that I was emailing them is that MY WIFE LOST THAT RING. I'm actually not nearly as upset as that suggests. Her losing the ring illustrated how much she appreciated it. Her ring was sorely missed due to the amount of regular compliments that she received on it.
My wife helps run her family business so she makes regular trips to the bank and she said she was interacting with a teller and she got sad because it was at the point of the transaction where she had to sign off on it and that was usually when the teller would say something about the ring.
That being said I went back to where I got the original rock and poked around to find out if there were any advancements in diamonds saw the various new patented rounds and that's when I solicited interaction and opinion.
I'm one of those people who believe that: you don't buy newspapers, you buy news... so I don't really buy diamonds... I buy light... more accurately... I'm trying to buy OOOs and AAAHs. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't buying decade old technology even if it in something as simple as a facet of a stone.
Originally I was fascinated by the Star129s but they didn't look right to me in the firescope? (the red one). I didn't see any prominent black areas which would indicate strong white light... which has always been the wow factor for me. Fire and scintilation are great and all but it's when the white light hits a layman's eyes that they go "WOW!" and that's what I want.
They steered me towards some vlogs that they did comparing the new branded rounds and it was really the solsafera that had the large planes of white and general light performance that was off the charts that got me... A "WOW" and a squint... that's what I want to buy.
They've found what I wanted but the color is a J and I'd prefer a G or an H. It's going in a yellow gold setting which picks up the yellow from the gold so it may not be a problem. My wife isn't a solitaire person so there will be baguettes and rounds flanking and I know those colors are usually pretty clear because the sizes are small and easy to get good quality.
The J has a faint flourescense so in the majority of light settings it should appear like a slightly higher color grade than it really is. So that's where we're at today... they've ordered the diamond for analysis and they're going to send me pics or a vlog on a comparison in different light settings. My wife will mostly be in either daylight or fluorescent lighting so hopefully it would be great.
I haven't closed my mind to the classic rounds and I have one of those selected as a back up if the color comparisons don't come out the way I like.
GOG has a fantastic amount of diamond education. I've fact checked them vs. the original book that I've read on buying diamonds for engagement rings:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Buy-Diamond-ebook/dp/B0023ZLHRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1308198404&sr=1-1
GOG is a reputable place that has a laundry list of testimonials on their site (and I've fact checked those to... I actually contacted some of them)... and they have a bang up refund policy:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/lifetimeguarantee/
My only gripe is as an old customer I didn't know about the addition of the trade up policy in 08' I'm definitely going to take advantage of that later.
If you want my opinion from what I've read and facts that i've checked...
If it's for an engagement ring you want:
Clarity: SI 1 or SI 2 ... something that's just eye clean... anything better is just going to get banged up through wear and tear of actually wearing the diamond vs. locking it in a safe.
Cut: Shape is a matter of taste but the quality of the cut is where you want to spend the most money. Keep in mind that diamonds are really just stones in the ground and it's the craftsman who cuts, planes and polishes it that makes it gorgeous.
Carat: I always suggest a 6 prong setting which adds substantial size to the appearance of the diamond but more importantly adds security. In a 4 prong setting one prong breaks you have 180% of unmounted diamond to fall out. Ergo you can buy just shy of a carat and have it look just over. I bought the 1.13 and it looked like it was between 1.25 -1.5 carats once it was in the setting.
Color: I've been told G or H for yellow gold and D, E, F for white gold or platinum. My wife prefers yellow gold so I get to skimp here to pay more for the craftsmanship.
Here's GOG's section on flourescense if you're curious. Apparently they had enough questions that they had to write something up:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/Fluorescence/
My only internet caveat is that it's hard to find a jeweler who will work with (mount/set) an outside diamond. Usually they require that you buy from them so they can mark it up more. Just be sure to line that up first before buying from GOG.
Now GOG does custom rings and designer rings... but I imagine servicing to be a pain and I'd rather be able to walk into a local shop and have them service it for free than me having to pay for shipping and insurance every time. The caveat there is that my first Jeweler moved back to California. So I'm stuck finding another one.
Bottom line... I trust GOG, and I won't go anywhere else to buy a diamond. I ask all sorts of crazy questions, ask them to do tests, I fact check'em... they oblige me, and give me great advice, and better service.
I apologize to them for being a nightmare of a customer... but what can I say... they spoiled me ;-p
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