Rodgers Testimonial for Good Old Gold

[RodgerD]

I am a research and development engineer, and somewhat of a perfectionist at times. I also have a tendency to become fascinated by and completely engrossed in my persuits.Begin then the quest for the perfect diamond.I suppose everyone approaches this age old task from a similar perspective--a certain amount of cash to spend and the desire to buy your special woman the largest, most gorgeous diamond you can.
What could be a simpler goal!?
Oh but what a CHALLENGING and DANGEROUS task!DANGEROUS because there are so many, I sadly say the majority, who stand ready to take full advantage of you in your time of ignorance. I want this to be a positive post so I'm not going to outline any of the horrors I came across other than to say that it ranged from basic incompetence, people who knew so little about diamonds they really had no business selling them, to outright deception and fraudulent behavior. Fortunately there were a good number of honorable and reputable people too, who were happy just to educate me and help me along even if they didn't sell me a diamond.CHALLENGING. With $10,000+ of my hard earned on top of the incredible sentimental gravity behind the quest for the diamond that would impress her for a lifetime...
The pressure was on.

 

[tonysgeko]

Congratulations Roger and to your fiance. Rhino is one of the best!

 

[pricescope]

RodgerD, congrads with your diamond and thanks so much for sharing your story with us!Great job Jonathan.

 

[RodgerD]

I guess a lucky thing for me is that many years back I had been shown a Lazar-Kaplan ideal cut round in comparison to a std round cut stone. A lasting impression was made on the importance of cut. From my previous looking I also knew about color having viewed a master set of stones and seen first hand the effect of flourescence. So I had at least a basic idea of what mattered.
My fiance talked about wanting an emerald cut with alot of carat weight, perhaps sacrificing quality a little.
I was patient with her.

I took her to a highly reputable local jeweler that I knew had inventory of large ideal cut rounds. One look beside a quality emerald cut and her tune changed completely. She wanted an ideal cut round.

So now the rubber met the road...
The local jewler quoted $10,000 for a 1.00 ct Hearts on Fire that was G VS1 I think. I knew I'd never get a good deal buying over their mohogany table with the little chandellier overhead. So then the quest really really began...

 

[RodgerD]

For the next three months I scoured and searched the internet. I looked at classifieds in Las Vegas and other places, hit every diamond site on the net twice, found out where all my friends bought their diamonds, I left no stone unturned. I can not even begin to tell the stories of what I came across in the space and time of this newsgroup post.
It was worth my effort though. I had gained a rough idea of what diamonds cost and how price generally varied across color, clarity and cut. I had also boiled the ocean down to a short list of people I thought had the integrity and connections to find the diamond I was looking for.
I worked with all the people on the short list but one stood out from the beginning...Jonathan at Good Old Gold.

His site was by far the most informative. It took me days to study and completely absorb all the information on it. I was very pleased that he had the integrity to educate even though he may not make a sale. That was not lost on me.
What really gives Jonathan the edge though is his ability to let you thoroughly evaluate the stone even though you haven't seen it. When you're dealing with people over the internet you must bridge that gap. Jonathan has done it and some of his competitors are rightfully starting to follow suit.
Good Old Gold has the other important details in place as well. Return policy, very generous upgrade/long term buyback policy, and basic family business courtesy. (Amazing how many over look courtesy. Arrogance won't sell diamonds folks!)A final point for Jonathan...patience.
I put him to the test!
By the time I was done I knew EXACTLY what I wanted...and it was a gut wrenching waiting game while I tried to find it. Everyone at work knowing we were engaged yet her left ring finger was barren. I think the women at the office were on the verge of lynching me!
I believe in the value of competition. Even though Jonathan showed me the best information I made him run along with the rest of the pack. Waiting to see who could find a stone that met all the criterion. When the other jewlers found a candidate I'd sweat them to provide the same detailed information Jonathan did. And it paid off. Some stones with good certs and sarin analysis didn't hold up under the scrutiny of the equipment.
And then Jonathan blew it all away with a stone that I don't know if we could ever find again...
1.83 I SI2 under his educational stones section, if you care to take a look.

It brought down the house at work. Some worship it. Many envy it. Most think I'm insane for spending that much on an engagement ring. All agree it's the most brilliant diamond they've ever seen. My fiance's female friends at work took the neuse down from the rafters and now think I'm the sweetest man alive.We find ourselves staring at the diamond alot. It's beauty is beyond verbal description. It has different moods depending on the lighting. In the bright sun it can hurt your eyes if you catch too much light coming off the stone. It will disco ball the interior of the car on anything short of a fully overcast day. Sometimes it will flash my eye from across the house and I turn to see what looks like a burning white piece of fire on her hand. I like it best in subdued lighting where you can fully appreciate it's dispersive effects.
The symbol of our everlasting love that we will cherish all our lives.Thank you Jonathan.

Rodger