Thanks to the Forum & Good Old Gold

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hello-I am really not new to the forum and have been intrigued reading through the forum the past 6 months. I have finally decided on a diamond for my potential fiance and wanted to thank those out there who too through educating consumers like myself have made my job in picking out a stone a lot easier and it has also left me with a better sense of security in my purchase.

This story starts out with me being interested in a stone. I didn't just want to get any stone, but one which I could truly call my best option through educating myself. Sifting through the different sites I came to this forum and through reading and educating myself the purchase was an easier thing for me to make. All in all I would like to thank pricescope and it's moderators and the people involved in taking time to help consumers like me through. I have decided on a stone. A 1.01 H VS1 H&A cut diamond. It scores a 1 on the Holloway cut advisor and is very beautiful. I would also like to thank Jonathan from Good Old Gold for taking time to make my purchase a pleasure. Jonathan is eager, patient and willing to please. In the process of picking out a stone I emailed him several times about many different options and he stayed very patient and was willing to work with me each and every time I had questions or concerns about my diamond options. Jonathan seems truly passionate about what he does. Very informative and educates, with his bottom line being making the consumer happy. I live in Alaska and the web has been great for me and probably along with many other people who are in the market. I just wanted to take time to thank all those invloved so keep up the good work. I know the guy on this end of the screen really appreciates it.
Well my girfriend grew up in Yakutat Alaska. I live in Sika and plan to fly with her there to propose. She has family there so I am going to use the excuse that we can go visit family. When were there I plan to take her to the beach she grew up playing on and propose to her. I hope everything goes well and I will post a picture of the ring when I receive it. I'm having the stone set in a platinum vatche comfort fit x-prong setting. I'm signing off but thanks again to everyone!

 

[pricescope]

Scorpionrioux, thaks - great story

 

[Rhino]

Hey Scorpion!

The ball is rolling and I can't thank you enough for the kind words. Welcome to the forums! As soon as the ring is done we'll forward pics to you. You truly got a very rare and beautiful stone.

Kind regards and thanks!

Rhino

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Scorp, sounds like you are about to embark on a grand adventure. I envy you this time in your life. Enjoy it to the max, and don't forget to carpe' diem.

Rich

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hello Again to the pricescope forum. Just a follow up on Jonathan’s service. I made initial inquiries about this whole purchase in November. From beginning to end Jonathan has been prompt professional and the education on his site was enlightening in helping me make the best possible purchase for the stone I was in the market for. I can’t say enough how patient and willing to work with the customer Jonathan is. There was times where Jonathan I imagine and from the sounds in the background was very busy. All considered he was courteous patient and took his time in answering all my questions and inquiries. 6 months ago I was very skeptical about purchasing online, but can assure other people in the market and debating whether to do things online, I am left feeling very positive about my choices and the whole process of picking out an ideal cut stone for myself and a lot of that satisfaction comes from the service I experienced with Jonathan. Whether anyone in the market decides to do things online or not my experience has been great. Thanks again to all the enlightening info, which I learned from this site. To Garry Holloway very interesting information on your site. Plugging all the numbers into the HCA was a fun way that helped me pick out the stone I wanted also. The ideal-scope and seeing how much leakage in a stone is a great way to evaluate a perspective purchase too. Too many people on the forum to thank so thanks to everyone. Jonathan said he will send pic’s when he sets the stone once the setting arrives & soon as he does so I’ll post pic’s herefor the forum too see. a

My advice to those who are in the market for a diamond that knows absolutely nothing about diamond buying online or who to buy from. These are the steps I took. I started reading through the forums diamondtalk and pricescope. After months of research and reading countless articles and testimonials I realized the different vendors and online sellers who name’s constantly popped up in the forums. I narrowed down my search after browsing through the forums and visited those sites online. I decided for myself which site was the best in illustrating the different options and possibilities I considered important. The important elements for me in picking the site were how comprehensive the stones for sale were illustrated. If a seller has nothing to hide they will do the best in showing the consumer all the different angles and will tell you the good and the bad about your different options. The Questions I asked myself and elements I knew I was looking for were as Follows. Are the stones GIA certed or otherwise certified? What were the different cut qualities offered (because I wanted a superior cut in the diamond I was purchasing.) What kind of pictures did the site have in illustrating the different stones for sale? Did the site produce sarin results so I could go to the Holloway Cut Advisor and plug in the numbers to see what the stone scored? In the process I organized my buying strategy. The first thing I knew I had to do was find out the most info I could about the 4c’s before I purchased because in the long run I knew my purchase would be the best in educating myself. I don’t kid myself there is always risk in buying things online, but as a consumer you can eliminate a large portion of that risk by educating yourself. Ask questions when educating yourself. Email different moderators on the forums or reputable people through the forum who constantly are giving advice.
People In the forum I kept my eyes on were which I found very educational in reading their advice through the threads were (RocDoc, CutNut, Rhino, Richard Sherwood, & Oldminer just to name a few) there were many others also…


Check the qualifications of the people you are talking too and read other threads to see for yourself if they give un-biased advice. Explore your stone options to the best of your possibilities. Go into the different stores if you decide to purchase stones online and see what the diff. Color variances look like in person. Educate yourself about the different clarity classifications and what they mean so in the long run you know what your getting…In educating myself about clarity I decided I would bank on an GIA cert. Concerning the true representation of the stone. There are more labs that grade stones but I decided to stick with Gia. Cut was the biggest part of my educating myself. After spending hours reading different tutorials and information on what makes a diamond sparkle I realized the cut is what brings out the true beauty of a diamond. Thanks again Garry for the Education…reading through your site helped me a lot. When I got my buying strategy together I first decided on what things were important to me. This is how I rationalized things:
My Buying Stategy:

(1) Cut was number 1 for me. (I didn’t want to make any sacrifices on cut quality)
(2) Clarity was #2 (I knew I could save myself money and getting a good si-1 to vs. quality stone would save me bucks in the long run, and for inclusions you can’t see with the naked eye anyway…It made sense to not worry about having an IF when a person can’t see vs2-vs1 inclusions face-up anyway .)
(3) Color was #3 (I decided on an H color stone. H was fine to me and the color grade differences from e-f versus g-h were very subtle to me and with getting a superior cut H faces up very white.)
(4) Size was last (That’s right last. I decided I wanted it to be the least important thing for me in figuring out what was important to me in a stone. First I decided on Cut, clarity & color and then took my budget and figured out what size stone I could get in relevance to the price of the first 3 elements I prioritized.

What I learned about the 4 C’s. This is collectively what I have learned through the many sites and my own personal evaluation of what I see and how I view them from my own realistic standpoint. I am adding this in hopes it will give someone else in the market like me (the average consumer) who knew nothing about diamonds a head start:

Color: Well I now know that definitively D is the best. ICY White. In the market for a stone I think me (the average consumer) got a great value going with G-H. My decision was based on comparing the colors next to each other. I found out what a g-h color stone looked like next to a d color stone and the differences are subtle. I based my personal evaluation on seeing the stones compared side by side at a local jeweler who showed me stones side by side. The stones were Gia certed. I went with seeing the certed Gia color stones next to each other because I was comfortable that Gia graded consistently.

Clarity: I learned that F & IF stones are the rarest & best in this category. Personally I went with a vs1 clarity stone. I learned that the most value can be gained in going with a clarity in the vs2-si-1 range in getting the best value for your dollar with out sacrificing seeing noticeable inclusions. When making my purchase I asked myself when deciding on clarity. If it’s eye clean & I can’t see it why not go with a lower clarity grade to save myself some bucks. After all if a stone which exhibits beauty is hiding it’s flaws under a microscope who is going to see it? Certainly not me or my fianc’e or the guy standing from 10 feet away. I think it was important for me to consider this and remember a stones clarity is measured under the scope and understanding the proper definition for what the term “eye clean” means.
Carat Weight: I learned that a diamond is equal to how it is measured on a diamond scale in units called carats and that a carat consist of 100 points. I also learned what “magic numbers” were and the premiums which are paid when hitting a certain carat weight and the money that is saved when going a little under a certain carat weight without sacrifizing a whole lot of size. Just an example: Price wise Compare a Gia Certed D color IF clarity 1 carat H&A symmetry diamond with a D color IF clarity .90 carat H&A symmetry diamond. The difference in price can be quite substantial but relative to the size of the smaller stone your getting, I personally don’t think it is as substantial in relevance to the price your going to be paying by hitting the 1 carat mark. Just my observation though…Dipping under the magic number mark will save you money.

Cut: What I learned about cut in a nut shell is the better the cut the better the diamonds over all brilliancy & the better it shines. I also learned that the cut is the most intricate part of measuring a diamonds beauty and there are a lot of factors in which determine what separates the studs from the duds. I also learned from the threads that cut is one of the most debated issues through both the forums. Question which keeps coming up is what is the most perfectly cut diamond. I think it is up to the individual to define what he or she considers perfect and then go from there. I think one of the most interesting things about diamonds is that they are all unique in their own separate ways.

Some of the most important things to me in making my diamond purchase was to stay informed and not feeling pressured. After all the browsing and educating myself the single most important thing to me was how did the person on the other end make me feel. Were they just trying to make a quick sale or were they really patient in letting me the consumer decide. 2nd was a money back guarantee. A guarantee tells (me) the consumer that no matter what the circumstance in the long run you will stand behind what you sell.

Once Again Jonathan Thumbs Way Up and Pricescope & it’s moderators/contibutors You “ROCK”
Jonathan Please post those pic’s whenever the ring is done here. After sharing my online experience with everyone I would also like to share the ring… Thanks Again….

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey here's the pic's everybody.Thanks Jonathan & Christen. Thanks Leonid for the help with the pic's. Much appreciated!

Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Here's The 2nd Shot.

 

[pricescope]

Scorpionrioux,

You did it man

 

[student]

Wow! Nice work. Congratulations!

 

[fire&ice]

Great Job. No nonsense & logical approach. I like your priorities & your choices.

Lovely ring.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 12/14/2002 11:56:58 AM

I like your priorities & your choices.


----------------


The reason why I liked your priorities w/ size being last was that you figured out what you wanted first rather than let size get in your way. The more I think about this the more I like it.

 

[IceFind]

Wow Great Story.Really cool ring too. Their site is awesome. Do you know how to get in touch with Jonathan.

Thanks-

Jared

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Jared. Thanks for the comments. Here is a link attached that will help you with your request on how to contact them. All the info you need is on their site.

www.goodoldgold.com/feedback.htm

See Ya-

Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Jared. Thanks for the comments. Here is a link attached that will help you with your request on how to contact them. All the info you need is on their site.

www.goodoldgold.com/feedback.htm

See Ya-

Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[Rocky6]

Hey Scorpion-

Wow!! Nice Ring. I was thinking of getting a Vatche setting also. Is that ring the knife-edge style or comfort fit. I was thinking of getting the knife-edge, but wondered what your take on the 2 different styles was. Is that platinum or yellow gold? How thick is the band?

-Rocky