I guess you would call me an old newbie because i''ve been reading this forum off and on for a year or two getting educated in preparation of buying some diamond studs for my wife on our 25th anniversary. i admit to more than a little trepidation buying diamonds off the internet site unseen. ireally have to thank all the other posters in helping me decide because after reading all their comments helped me narrow my choices of who to buy from and who to appraise the diamonds. I ended up buying a pair of studs from Jonathan at Good Old Gold and had Rockdoc Appraise them. Each stone was 0.7 carats H COLOR, SI CLARITY hearts and arrows. I just gave them tonite to my wife and believe me when i say there may fireworks displays tomorrow, none will surpass that set of rocks on my wife''s ears! to jonathan at GOG i say "you da MAN!" and to Rockdoc thanks for your assistance and going the extra mile when you were under the weather. also a big thank you to Jonathan''s assistant Christen. there are several other vendors and appraisers that i have seen recommended and i''m sure they would have done a fantastic job as well but ultimately you have to pick someone to put your trust in especially if you do this totally by e-mail and telephone. i guess this post is directed more to those of you who are out there wondering about making that big decision to buy for the first time. all i can say is listen and learn because i felt more informed and sure of what i was buying than in the past when i was standing in a B&M store actually hoding the jewelry in my hand. This is the first time other than the engagement ring that i bought diamond jewelry totally on my own. in the past i relied on my wife''s expertise (she worked for several years in the trade). i totally surprised her and the best feeling in the world came over me when she said "honey..you did good!" peter
300x240.png)