Verragio Warranty

[MikeM]

I sent the e-mail below to Jon at Good Old Gold. I hope he doesn''t mind me bothering him; however, it didn''t seem like he answered my question (actually diamondseeker2006''s question): Which of the two diamonds below has better visual performance?

Would him saying, "Both are very beautiful stones.", mean that they both have very good visual performance?

I feel very naive at times.

--------------------------------------
Hello,

I''m sorry to keep bothering you, but I was wondering if I could ask you one last favor: Could you tell me which of the two diamonds below has better visual performance?

0.918ct F VS1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2011/

1.034ct G SI1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1445/

If the G SI1 is better or very similiar to the F VS1, I''d like to buy the G SI1. However, I''ll be gone/busy most of the day tomorrow (I won''t be able to check my e-mail), so I won''t be able to complete the bank wire.

Could I give you my credit card information over the phone tomorrow as a retainer, until I complete the bank wire?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mike

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mike,

Actually, I expect him to say that they are both beautiful! It just seems wise to ask the question, but those hearts and arrows stones that they select usually have optimal optical symmetry and look very much alike. I think you''ll be safe with the G SI1. Honestly, that way, she''ll have a stone that fits that setting well. You''d likely never want to upgrade the diamond because of the expensive designer setting, and the setting is made for around a carat. As long as she was fine with the SI1 part, then I''d choose the G, too. It will be gorgeous with those side stones, and I can''t wait to see pictures of the ring and the set!

I am sure they''ll hold the G until Monday with you leaving a deposit on CC. You need to talk to Sister''s and see whether GOG should ship the diamond to them or to Verragio, though.

 

[MikeM]

Peter from Sisters sent me this. He wants $6380 for this one. Would anyone happen to know if, from the GIA Report number, there is any way to find more information about the diamond?

I also told Tim from Good Old Gold that I would do the bank wire today for the G SI1. Do you think I should wait until tomorrow (from website: Good Old Gold is closed Sunday & Monday) to see if Peter comes up with any more diamonds, and also to find out more info about this diamond?

After all of the work everyone has put into helping me to pick out that G SI1, I''d hate to lose it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mike,

The one at GOG costs less and is a sure thing. There is no indication that this is a hearts and arrows diamond, even if we had all the numbers on it. You can have the stone from GOG overnight, so it is not that much of an advantage to get a stone from Sister's. I imagine they'd have to call it in and that would probably take a day anyway. I have eliminated call-in diamonds for just this reason..you don't have full information on them and there are enough to choose from with in-house diamonds that can be examined and checked for brilliance, etc. But you're right that GOG is closed today and tomorrow, so one wouldn't think that a day would matter.

ETA: This one is a little under 6.5mm which a 1 ct. should be. I can't still access the stone you have on hold to see that cert, but I hope it was at least 6.5mm.

 

[MikeM]

Date: 6/3/2006 9:40:48 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Mike,


Actually, I expect him to say that they are both beautiful! It just seems wise to ask the question, but those hearts and arrows stones that they select usually have optimal optical symmetry and look very much alike. I think you''ll be safe with the G SI1. Honestly, that way, she''ll have a stone that fits that setting well. You''d likely never want to upgrade the diamond because of the expensive designer setting, and the setting is made for around a carat. As long as she was fine with the SI1 part, then I''d choose the G, too. It will be gorgeous with those side stones, and I can''t wait to see pictures of the ring and the set!


I am sure they''ll hold the G until Monday with you leaving a deposit on CC. You need to talk to Sister''s and see whether GOG should ship the diamond to them or to Verragio, though.

You''re right he did like both of them.

I think that she''s a little sentimental because she''s told me a couple of times that she would never want to upgrade.

Unlike me, she still has virgin eyes -- she hasn''t been influenced by pricescope. And, I''ve also been telling her about all of the time me and everyone else (all of you really are too nice!) here has been spending on finding a nice diamond, so I think she''ll be thrilled with whatever I give her.

By the way, I''d really like to find someway to repay everyone here for all of the help they have given us so far. Can I leave my e-mail address here so that someone can e-mail me if they need help with something? I''m somewhat good at solving problems with computers, although I don''t do it professionally. I''m also somewhat good at a couple of other things -- see my profile.

I''ll definitely post pictures once we get it.

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

Here''s the e-mail I got from Jon at Good Old Gold:

Hey Mike,

Response below and between the lines.


Hello,

I''m sorry to keep bothering you, but I was wondering if I could ask you for one last favor: Could tell me which of the two diamonds below has better visual performance?

0.918ct F VS1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2011/

1.034ct G SI1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1445/

[Rhino@GoodOldGold] Tough call there. I was thinking about this when I was taking the picture yesterday. Pretty much a dead heat.

If the G SI1 is better or very similiar to the F VS1, I''d like to buy the G SI1. However, I''ll be gone/busy most of the day tomorrow (I won''t be able to check my e-mail), so I won''t be able to complete the bank wire.

[Rhino@GoodOldGold] Then I’d suggest the 1.03ct. I know girls like the size thing.

Could I give you my credit card information over the phone tomorrow as a retainer, until I complete the bank wire?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mike

[Rhino@GoodOldGold] You can do this with any of our staff here Mike. Call anytime at your convenience.

We look forward to being of further help.

Kind regards,

Jonathan

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mike, that''s what I was thinking...if you get the 1 ct., then there might never be the feeling of wishing for a little larger stone. I have had a 1 ct. now for many years, and it is a wonderful size.

You are a very nice guy, and that is why people jumped on the bandwagon to help you! Honestly, we see all kinds of people come through. One time there was a guy who basically said he was cheap and wanted us to help him find the cheapest thing he could get by with! We felt like his attitude was a bad sign for that marriage as he did not want the very best within his budget to give to his future wife. Most guys, like you, clearly care as you are doing the research because you want to give her something she will really love. So that makes us happy to help! (We are not allowed to post emails, but you were so sweet to offer that!). But what always makes us happy is when the person comes back and posts pictures of the ring and tells about the proposal! So we''ll expect to see your pictures on Show Me The Ring in the near future! And include some of the ring on her hand, too! Gotta have those hand shots!!!

 

[MikeM]

Date: 6/4/2006 1:19:09 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Mike,


The one at GOG costs less and is a sure thing. There is no indication that this is a hearts and arrows diamond, even if we had all the numbers on it. You can have the stone from GOG overnight, so it is not that much of an advantage to get a stone from Sister''s. I imagine they''d have to call it in and that would probably take a day anyway. I have eliminated call-in diamonds for just this reason..you don''t have full information on them and there are enough to choose from with in-house diamonds that can be examined and checked for brilliance, etc. But you''re right that GOG is closed today and tomorrow, so one wouldn''t think that a day would matter.


ETA: This one is a little under 6.5mm which a 1 ct. should be. I can''t still access the stone you have on hold to see that cert, but I hope it was at least 6.5mm.

I''m sorry, I was kind of thinking the same thing about the Sisters diamond, but I just wanted to double check.

Mainly, I just wanted to get everyone''s final approval before I did the bank wire.

Just to make sure that I have the right one:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1445

Also, were you looking for the AGS certification?

For some reason I can access everything still. Is there anything else that you would like to see? I can post it here too.

 

[MikeM]

Here''s the left half of the Sarin Report (It was too big so I had to cut it in pieces):

 

[MikeM]

Here''s the right half of the Sarin Report:

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, they are close in size. The GOG stone is 6.47mm which is fine. The other one is 6.45mm average, so that is not enough difference to worry about. But you just have so much more information on the GOG stone, so you know what you are getting. Once I saw a hearts and arrows stone, I knew I wanted one! So I pretty much stopped looking at stones with certs and no other information. If you had three more months to look, we could probably wait and see what new H&A stones come in to compare to the G SI1, but you don''t have any time to waste! In a way, that''s good..you won''t make yourself crazy continually second guessing yourself (like I am doing to myself!!!)!

 

[MikeM]

Here''s the DiamXray image too.

Also, how does the DiamXray compare with the Ideal Scope (are we allowed to talk about that here?)?

Here''s some info I found about it:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/content.php?c=21

 

[pebbles]

Here''s my unbiased opinion one more time.

As DS said, you know what you are getting when you deal with GOG. Jonathan is very passionate about his stones and I trust him. If he says something is good, you better believe it is. He is very honest and I have asked him before about different stones and he was always very upfront with me. This is no disrespect to Sisters, as I have never dealt with them, but I just like dealing with GOG.

I have this mental thing about having a 1ct stone. I had a .72ct, which was close to 1ct (heck of a lot closer than the .38ct I started with!) but I really couldn''t rest until I reached that magic 1ct mark.

If your girlfriend is sentimental and doesn''t want to upgrade, then I would go with the one from GOG.

I would check with Sisters to make sure they take the responsibility for setting your stone...meaning that if they happen to chip the stone while setting it, they will take responsiblity for replacing it. When I bought my Scott Kay setting, the jeweler I dealt with felt better having them set it so that''s what I did.

It''s easy for us to say don''t second guess yourself; I do it all the time. But I think once you see the stone in person you will be so blown away that you won''t even think about what else is out there.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

They are very similar, Mike (the Dxray and IS). That is a classic hearts and arrows cut...exactly what I am looking for, too! I don't see anything wrong with this stone. Like Pebbles, I trust Jonathan.

 

[MikeM]

pebbles & diamondseeker2006,

Thank you very much. Basically, I just wanted both of your blessings before I wire the money to GOG this afternoon for the G SI1.

pebbles,

Unless you or diamondseeker2006 would advise me otherwise, I''m going to ask Sisters if they can send it to Verragio for sizing and setting. Lindsay from Verragio said that I would void the Verragio warranty if I didn''t.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You are very welcome, Mike! I agree with having Verragio set it if they can commit to the time it will take. That would be my preference as well.

 

[MikeM]

Date: 5/30/2006 8:15:50 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Okay, the other insurance company recommended here is called Jeweler''s Mutual. Someone gave their web address just the other day, so do a search and you should find it. We insure my jewelry as a rider on our homeowners policy.


Here''s the deal with the setting issue. If you buy a stone from a vendor and also buy the stone from them, then they will cover either the stone or setting if they are damaged while setting it. I am pretty sure that you can buy a setting elsewhere and then the diamond vendor can tell you if they will agree to set the stone in it or not. But if they do, I do not think there would be any warranty on setting problems later. Letting the setting maker set the stone is usually the only way to keep a warranty valid on a setting. My personal intent is to find a diamond and then find a setting I like at that vendor. But say I decide I want the SuperbCert Tiffany replica setting, for example...then the diamond gets sent by my diamond vendor to the SuperbCert place for setting. All designer''s offer setting your stone in their setting...think about it...you don''t buy a diamond and have Mark Morrell or Leon Mege make a setting and send it to the diamind vendor to set. The diamond vendor send the stone to the setting designer to set. And that would be the same with Verragio, if you want to keep the warranty on the setting. They are setting stones all the time!! The diamond will be covered for later loss or damage by the insurance policy. (Read those policies to make sure they don''t have catches like making you have the diamond checked every 6 months or something! Time passes quickly and I can guarantee you there will be times that you forget or wait longer than that! IT would be a disaster to make a claim and then find out they won''t cover it because you skipped a 6 month check-up or couldn''t find the receipt showing it was checked!)


If I have forgotten to answer something, just tell me!

In regard to insurance, I spoke with Tim from Good Old Gold on Saturday, and he said that they either use or recommend (sorry can''t remember now) Jewelers Mutual too. Interestingly enough, he also said that insurance companies won''t insure loose stones. However, he did say that their insurance will cover the diamond until it is signed for at Sisters. He said that Sisters probably has an insurance policy that will cover it after that, but he said that I should talk with Sisters.

Here''s what Lindsay at Verragio said about accpeting packages -- looks like I''ll have to send the diamond directly to Sisters (this was buried in my post at the begining of the thread):

Thank you for the quick response.

In order to guarantee that all of the work on my ring is done in house, at Verragio, can I purchase my setting from a Verragio retailer, then send my center stone directly to Verragio for setting?

Mike

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

The retailer would actually have to be the one that sends your stone to us. For insurance purposes, we do not accept packages, or ship packages to, anyone other than who is detailed on our policies.

Lindsay A Conrath
Director of Marketing/Business Development
VERRAGIO

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mike,

Yes, many of the setting designers want to receive stones directly from another jeweler and not from the customer. It is better for you not to be in the middle. It is more efficient for GOG to send the stone to Sister''s and then they can send the stone and setting to Verragio. Then Verragio will probably send the ring back to Sister''s before it is sent to you.

 

[pebbles]

Date: 6/5/2006 9:00:08 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Mike,

Yes, many of the setting designers want to receive stones directly from another jeweler and not from the customer. It is better for you not to be in the middle. It is more efficient for GOG to send the stone to Sister''s and then they can send the stone and setting to Verragio. Then Verragio will probably send the ring back to Sister''s before it is sent to you.

That''s how I did it when I got my Scott Kay setting. I sent my stone (which was already in another setting) to Pearlman''s Jewelers, and Bill sent my stone to Scott Kay. Then SK sent the entire ring back to Pearlman''s before he sent it out to me.

 

[MikeM]

I''m sorry to keep bothering both of you...

I got the e-mail below from Bob at Whiteflash today (I''m pretty sure he told me before that they wouldn''t be getting them in for 2 weeks). However, I did the bank wire to Good Old Gold yesterday evening. Although the bank did tell me that it would take a couple days for it to go through.

Just wanted to see what your opinions were.

Thanks in advance.

Mike,


Thank you for getting back to me.

As you can see our diamonds have now come.

I am sorry that you could not wait.

I hope to work with you again sometime.


Bob Hoskins, GG

 

[pebbles]

I did a quick check of the WF inventory and only came up with two that met your criteria that are H&A like the GOG stone is:

1.083ct ACA H, SI2 $5,445
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-672156.htm#

1.027ct ACA F, SI2 $5,675
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-2415703.htm#

The 1.027ct F does not have a cert available online, but I love the idealscope on it. The cert on the 1.083ct H is from 2004; my guess it has been around for a while and it is not eye clean -- in fact, I think I remember seeing this one when I upgraded a few months ago.

This 1.027ct F is slightly bigger than the 1.034ct G from GOG. (6.51mm vs 6.45) which may or may not be noticable once the stone is set. We have no idea where the inclusions are or what they are like (I believe you mentioned that it is very important for the stone to be clean from the sides as well), but if you are interested you can call them and find out.

FWIW, I like the GOG stone. Personally, an F color is too high for me; I like a little more warmth.

Edited to correct link to the F stone.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'll agree with Pebbles again. You have a better stone. I would not get an SI2, personally.

And I'll add a FWIW, I'm not seeing new stones there in the sections I am looking in, and I am on their email list for new stones as well.

 

[pebbles]

Hey DS -- not to hijack, but how is your search coming along?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Aww, thanks for asking Pebbles! I am considering the 1.35 H VVS1 at GOG at the moment. Even though it is VVS, that is still less expensive than a GVS1, so I may get it unless a 1.4 shows up very soon!

 

[MikeM]

I''m sorry, but would both of you mind looking at one last one. I just got this e-mail from Bob at Whiteflash (see below).

Thanks in advance.

Hello Mike,

I really didn’t expect you to cancel your other order but I do have something very special:

ACA 0.998 F VS2 $6895 ($6550ps wire)

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-7372903

This is the only new one so far I have in the 80-99ct range but it is a winner!

What do you think?

Bob Hoskins, GG

 

[JulieN]

And what is the other stone you were considering?

All ACAs are pretty much the same...great brand consistency.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

He bought a G SI1 H&A from GOG and it was about $5800 or so, I think. (I'm not sure I like it that they suddenly have a diamond for him when he emailed them to tell them he had found one elsewhere.)

But I'll look at it, of course.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mike, we were trying to find you a stone for about $6000 to keep you in your budget of $8000 for the diamond and setting (which is about $2000). Now if you want to up your budget, we can start over.

 

[MikeM]

diamondseeker2006,

No that ok. I just wanted your opinion. This is the most money I''ve ever spent on anything, and I just want to make sure I''m doing the right thing -- I''m sorry to be such a pain.

Mike

 

[pebbles]

Date: 6/5/2006 6:37:08 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Mike, we were trying to find you a stone for about $6000 to keep you in your budget of $8000 for the diamond and setting (which is about $2000). Now if you want to up your budget, we can start over.

I agree....GOG has an awesome stone in your budget...and...it is larger than 1ct! (As I said before, the 1ct mark is a mental thing for me). What is it about the WF diamond that makes it "special"???? I am not trying to bash WF at all (heck, I traded up 3 times with them) but there''s nothing glaring about the new one you just posted that would make me consider it over the GOG one....unless it is a "mind clean" thing as far as the color and clarity are concerned.

Mike, you have an absolutely fabulous stone that you just bought....what''s wrong that you are still looking?

 

[MikeM]

pebbles,

I''m sorry I probably sound ungrateful. However, I really do think that the diamond you and DS picked out for me is great (in my humble opinion). Both of you know so much more than I do, I just wanted to get both of your opinions to make sure that I wasn''t missing out on anything -- Bob at WF did kind of talk it up a little.