goodoldgold

[begtets]

i was thinking of going to good old gold to buy my diamonds(H&A).
i am planning to go to new york from uk and they appear to be reputable and relatively easy to get to from central new york. want to go to a bricks and mortar with my girlfriend to get them so i get it right. (she''s oblivious). any comments or alternative suggestions ?

 

[Chrisk327]

I bought from Good Old Gold. They're great. They're located on Long Island. I think they're pretty close to the train station, a walk or taxi ride. you can pick up the train in Penn station in NYC.

 

[begtets]

thanks chrisk.
i forgot to ask does anyone know any other online outfit with a base near new york, as a backup if gog doen't have what i want

 

[Patty]

SuperbCert is on W. 46th St. in New York. Barry meets with people by appointment.

 

[scotpot]

Plav... I'm also based in the UK and I've recently bought from GOG. I've added a post on Rocky Talk, and photos on Show me the Ring - if you're interested.

A couple of things I've learnt from my experience - you may want to consider them;-

A friend was originally going to pick my ring up from Pennsylvannia, however his plans changed, and he could only pick it up from Manhatten. It was only at this point that I realised I would have to pay NY state tax (9% i think) for a sale within the state. Therefore I avoided this by getting it delivered to a friend in Penn., who then immediately turned it around and sent it straight back to Manhatten by Fedex !! (This was quite a lot of trouble to go to, but worth it.)

GOG provide so much information (online) before you give them a penny, that I took the decision not to send the diamond to my own independent appraisor. (GOG were setting the stone for me, so it would have had to be returned to them for setting anyway - if they were going to rip me off, I figured this was when they would do it.) I'm going to get an appraisal over here - just to check the diamond vs the cert.

If you use a credit card, the diamond usually has to be delivered to the cardholders address.

A bank wire takes upto 3 working days to go through from UK banks !!! (Don't make my mistake - give yourself enough time.)

GOG will 'bring in' any diamonds that they are advertising - they'll then do all the tests etc.... you end up paying a bit extra than you would if they arranged the diamond to be sent directly to you.

I went round Hatton Gardens, even got in touch (through a friend) with a diamond wholesaler whose prices were 30% below retail. Not only was it very difficult to discuss "Ideal Cuts" (I got the impression they thought I was a smart-arse - plus they didn't really know much) .... but the prices were still ~ 30% higher than online in the US. (The exchange rate has made SO much difference)

I would recommend using this route to anyone. (Apart from my close friends .... I want to keep it a secret !!!)

 

[ccartertn2002]

I am in the process of purchasing a diamond from GOG and so far I have no complaints. With most of the places I tried to contact via email, I never heard a response and I even had one company Affinity Diamonds via phone, search for diamonds for me (they knew I was serious, I had given my credit card information earlier to purchase one through them but it fell through) anyway, I still havent heard a word from them and it's been over a week. Jonathan replied to my email within 1 day regarding info on my diamond. The amount of information on the GOG website is priceless. I decided that with GOG I would know what I was getting, I felt taken care of with them and I don't feel like Jonathan would put a diamond on his site that he was not proud of. All those things lead me to choose GOG and I am expecting my diamond later this week so I will post again when I receive it.

Thanks!

 

[oldminer]

We have received several diamonds from various vendors to be delievered to UK residents. Most have had us ship the diamond or the ring, but a couple of people found the time to fly to the US and pick the ring up. I think some of them saved the VAT which paid for their air fare and even a short stay in the States. As far as I can tell, there is no European Internet situation duplicating the deals on diamonds found in the USA. Will some enterprising firm get into this? I imagine it will happen in the years to come. It is a true opportunity for some enterprising vendors.

 

[begtets]

a thought i have had myself oldminer.
the joke is that the established uk and european vendors will be blown out of the water when a good uk / european online seller comes along. the daimond stores in london have a frankly woeful knowledge of what they are selling in comparison to most of the guys on pricescope. it's amazing their lack of vision and service.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Begtets-
Just a quick question. When you say that your girlfriend is oblivious do you mean about your plans of proposing or of exactly where you are going when you make this trip to NY? If you are planning to surprise her with the fact that you are now ready to shop for rings, why don't you e-mail Jonathan first and give him an idea of what you are in the market for? I can tell you from experience, it is important to make an appointment with him, so that he can set aside time to educate and present you with the many different options he has. His store gets packed, so allowing him to set aside specific time and a range of merchandise for you view will work in your favor.

GOG is very reputable and you will love what you see!

Luv

 

[begtets]

oblivious to my proposal-(i am pretty sure i know what she wants

). thanks luvmy will get in touch with gog in advance.

 

[Bagpuss]

----------------
On 2/16/2004 8:27:58 AM oldminer wrote:

We have received several diamonds from various vendors to be delievered to UK residents. Most have had us ship the diamond or the ring, but a couple of people found the time to fly to the US and pick the ring up. I think some of them saved the VAT which paid for their air fare and even a short stay in the States. As far as I can tell, there is no European Internet situation duplicating the deals on diamonds found in the USA. Will some enterprising firm get into this? I imagine it will happen in the years to come. It is a true opportunity for some enterprising vendors.----------------

If only, if only.......but I'm still waiting.......