Testimonies

 

Home

4C's and Beyond

Diamonds

Contact Us

About Us

Settings

Jewelry

 

If you want to hear from other's who've purchased from us,
then take the time to read some of the testimonials. 
This page will always be updated as I collect
more and more testimonials from people we have satisfied.
If all respond, there will be thousands.
Remember, we've been in business 24 years. 

Danny Malechuk
Christen (and Good of Gold Staff),

I am writing to thank you for all the help in making my and my fiancée's engagement story
one that we will cherish for the rest of our lives! She was...Continue

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

Otto and Carrie

Thought I'd thank you and your crew again for all the help.
I proposed to Carrie on Friday morning while she was making a bowl of
oatmeal and she was totally surprised. Well needless to say, things
went according to plan and we headed to Vancouver on a surprise
getaway to celebrate. continue>>

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

 

Kyle & Kim
Arizona
                   

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick

I received my ring today and I just wanted to let you know that I don't have
to take you up on your personal guarantee.  The "I" color of the Jubilee is
not noticeable at all to the naked eye when sitting in the pave ring. 
The diamond is amazing and sparkles like none that I've ever seen. 
Thanks for not letting this amazing stone slip away from me just because of the color!

Patrick

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

 

Patrick
Florida

Dear Jonathan and Marie:

Thanks again for all your help in helping me to pick out such a great diamond and put it in such a lovely ring!  I would be glad to recommend Good Old Gold to anyone who was looking for a great diamond at a fair price. continue>>
 

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

Andrew
Michigan

Jonathan and the GOG team,

Wow, wow!  I am speechless.  My new Jubilee arrived today and it blows
away every square diamond I have seen to date and probably 99.9% of the
rounds.    The hearts and arrows viewer is so fun, and through my Ideal
Scope all I see is red, pink and blacks.  continue>>

 

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

Ron and Susan
Beltsville, Maryland

 

Dear Jonathan, Christen, and Marie,

I wanted to send a photograph of Ron presenting me with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen!  I'm sure he told you that this was not the first time he has asked me to marry him.  Over 23 years ago Ron asked me to marry him, but time, distance, and others pulled us apart.  As the years went by I always dreamed about him, wondered where he was and how he was.  In my wildest dreams I never ever thought I would have the honor of becoming his wife!
continue>>
 

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

Stephen
Texas

I just wanted to drop you guys a note about how great everything has gone.
My fiancé and I have been engaged for almost two months now and life has
gotten really busy.  The  proposal went off really well and the diamond I
purchased from you is an absolute knockout.
continue>>

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

Peter
Michigan

 

Hi Jonathan and Christen,

Well, I'm engaged!  Its been a few weeks since I got the ring, sorry
for the delay.  Just wanted to drop a line to say THANK YOU for all
your help in making this happen.  The ring is a beautiful thing, and
DeeDee loves it.  continue>>
------------------------------------------------------

 

Boris
Canada

Hi Jonathan.

As I glance at the subject line, I remember writing my first email when I had three stones in mind.  Since then, I've made my purchase decision, thanks to help from you and Marie.

continue>>

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

Eric
Indiana
 

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

Ali and Kelly

Dear Jonathan and Christen,

Well, it's been nearly three months since my fiancé Ali proposed with an amazing diamond from your site, and I'm happy
to report that the initial glow is still going strong.  You were totally right about this diamond--it is a real dazzler
that blows other larger stones away with its fire and brilliance.  I cannot say enough about your site as the
diamond has more than lived up to my expectations.  For anyone wondering if they can really trust the Brilliance Scope,
Firescope, Sarin Reports and Microscope results to help guide them to an amazing diamond, I can say with certainty the
answer is YES!  Even three months after our engagement, I still find myself staring shamelessly at my ring throughout
the day to marvel at the rainbows it produces.  Ali is even more shameless--blatantly grabbing my hand to show it off,
sometimes to complete strangers!

Beyond the excellent selection of diamonds, your customer service was top notch.  As you may recall, Ali's travel
schedule forced him to accelerate the engagement and you guys really came through at the last minute.  The diamond arrived
the day before he was scheduled to fly out to visit me, giving him just enough time to show it off to his best friend who was
equally mesmerized by its beauty, not to mention the ring box with the little light in it.

Having done tons of diamond research on the web, and with jewelry stores around the country, I am convinced that GOG's
website is the most comprehensive and transparent in the business. So if quality and honesty matter to you, GOG is the
place to go.  In the end, there is really no substitute for personal experience.  For anyone reading this testimonial, I
wish you the same success in finding a beautiful diamond as we had.

Sincerely,
Kelly

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

Lindsey
San Jose, California

Hi Christen and Jonathan,

I just wanted to let you both know that we got the ring from Chris at D. Atlas last Thursday...It wasn't presented to me until Friday night (a nice romantic proposal from my boyfriend), but I wanted to thank you and tell you WOW!  The ring is beautiful. the diamond is spectacular!  It looks huge and it brilliance and fire...everything!  its awesome!   All weekend, I just walked around staring at it under different light conditions...saying, this is good lighting... :)  All of you at GOG have been outstanding...my online experience was
great..all thanks to you (and Chris!).  I understand now why you all come so highly recommended...you go above and beyond to make your clients happy....it is so appreciated.  I will send pictures of us, and the ring!  as soon as i can...  I will also be recommending you to any and all of my friends or relatives who wish to take their diamond purchases online....  many many thanks....i love it..

Sincerely,
Lindsay :)

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

Steve & Nicole

Hi Jonathan,
I just wanted to thank you so much for helping Steve and I find such a
beautiful diamond. I would have written sooner, but I just finished taking
the bar exam last week, and then I noticed you were on vacation...

Anyway, this diamond is absolutely stunning, and exactly what I wanted. My
friends, family and even complete strangers can't believe how beautiful
and "sparkly" it is. The funniest part is definitely running into people I
haven't seen in a while, because I don't even have to tell them I am engaged
they usually see the ring shooting off little fireworks first!

So thanks again, GOG is an amazing business with top of the line inventory,
and unsurpassed customer service. You can count on our business, and the
business of many friends and family members for years to come.

Thanks again!
Nicole (and Steve)

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

Cadman
Toronto, Canada

Hi Jonathan / Christen,

I recently proposed to my girlfriend, Sandra of 8 years last night with a spectacular diamond that was purchased at GoodOldGold over the Internet. She loves it! My diamond buying experience can be summed up as follows:

As much as the diamond ring is for her... It really is something for both of us to cherish and admire - strange as it may sound.

THE MISSION
(a) Diamond must be "big and sparkly". There is something within people that find sparkly and shiny things mighty appealing. Diamonds are the epitome of this mysterious attraction, and it is the brilliance and fire that makes diamonds most beautiful.
(b) Must impress girlfriend.
(c) Must impress girlfriend's girlfriends.
(d) Must impress girlfriend's girlfriend's boyfriends.
(e) Must fit within budget constraints, while maximizing quality.

Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, when other girls swoon over your woman's ring, the one that YOU gave her, it brings some serious pride in you.

Ok, so the journey begins:
Knowing next to nothing except the 4 C's from a previous purchase at a high-end diamond chain in Canada, I didn't know where to begin. I was educated again and again by sales people about Clarity, Color, and Carat. (Note the missing "C", which I later found to be most important, through Jonathan's site). Being an engineer, I WANTED QUANTIFIABLE results. I wanted to buy the best and brightest diamond I could afford for my girlfriend, BUT HOW COULD I QUANTIFY THE BEAUTY OF A DIAMOND?

I became obsessed. I search and scoured the Internet for answers. I searched high and low, and finally reached a site called GoodOldGold.com. I went through reams and reams of data, that emphasized the most important "C" - Cut. All I can say is, Jonathan OPENED MY EYES, to what characterizes a brilliant diamond (H&A super-ideal cuts, firescope / idealscope analysis, etc). So I found what I was looking for, specifications and a way to quantify brilliance, fire, and scintillation. I could finally browse through the inventory of a bricks and mortar company (GoodOldGold) and get astounding information on each actual diamond. The close ups of the inclusions were the most impressive, and so were his brand new computer models of the diamonds themselves, along with BrillianceScope images.

So from here, I was armed. Being skeptical of buying such a high ticket item over the Internet, I turned to retail stores in Toronto. Boy was I in for a shock. The sales people would typically ask me what I was looking for after they figured out I knew about the 4 C's. When I said "Hearts and Arrows", they looked like a deer in headlights. They had no clue, and kept referring to the cuts they had as "Ideal, Excellent, or Very Good". This was disturbing to me. Why could a retail store not give me information that Jonathan could give me? Another disturbing fact was that I was unable to compare diamonds side-by-side. Jewellers typically bring out one stone at a time. I couldn't compare them all by seeing them next to each other.

After going through about 10 retail stores. I'd had it. I realized I couldn't get (a) information and specifications on the diamonds that I wanted and (b) no one seemed to have or know about hearts and arrows diamonds. A couple of stores could order them in for me to see, but what good is that?? I might as well order over the Internet! Over the Internet, on GoodOldGold.com, I could see everything about the diamonds before ordering, with quantifiable results.
 

 

So after two weeks of thorough research, I decided to contact Jonathan. He was very patient with me and, at my request, gave me detailed scans of a particular diamond I was interested in. I placed the order through Christen, who was extremely helpful (and patient, as I was wishy-washy over the setting etc. - she even sent me pictures of the actual diamond in some mounts). Another few days passed, and I realized I was running out of time. I needed the diamond right away, and had Christen send the loose diamond immediately. Sure enough, the package arrived the next day and BY GOLLY THE DIAMOND WAS EVERYTHING I EXPECTED, and I had HIGH expectations. Even in overcast conditions and flourescent office lighting, it sparkled, which I didn't expect. And in the Sun, or under halogen lights. BAMMO! Spectacular.

It was even on a temporary setting in a little white box with a little light that turned on when I opened it (everyone I showed at work was very impressed with this!). Accompanying this, was the original laminated GIA Certificate, and 2 copies of 10 page appraisal with close ups of the diamond and everything. All the specs an engineer would ever need.

I had the diamond mounted in a 6 prong Tiffany-style setting in Toronto. It looked fabulous! Absolutely stunning laser beams jetting out of the diamond from all different directions. I'm to the point where I can recognize Sandra's diamond with my naked eye, because of the rarity of H&A diamonds here, and there IS a visual difference due to the optical symmetry of these gems.

For anyone that is considering buying diamonds, I would highly recommend Jonathan. He is the ONLY diamond vendor that gives every piece of information possible to you about the diamonds he has in his inventory.

Mission Accomplished. Thanks Jon and Christen.

Best regards,
Cadman

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

Todd
Indiana

Hi Christen and Jonathan,

I just wanted to thank you again for your help find such a gorgeous diamond.
It really is spectacular, and in the Vatche setting, the ring is absolutely
stunning. My new fiancé loves it as well, as evidence by her continually
repeating the phrase "It's just so perfect" (for hours and hours). The day
after I proposed, she made me drive her to different places around town so
we could see how beautiful it was in every possible light (incidentally, the
local grocery store seemed best; I think we blinded a few shoppers). It's
truly amazing how much sparkle the diamond has. In fact, the dimmer the
lights get, the more the rock seems to sparkle; when things are really dark,
it's almost like the rock draws in all available light, collects it, and
then shines it right back at you. Anyway, I've attached a few pictures I
took (believe me, there are many more). I'm not as adept with my Fuji
digital as you guys are with the Olympus, but the photos are pretty amazing.
Anyway, thanks again.
-Todd

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

Jason & Meredith
California

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

Holly & Tom
New Jersey

 

Dear Jonathan

Impressed! That is the word that comes to mind when considering my experience shopping for an engagement ring at Good Old Gold.  From start to finish, your entire establishment continued to make me feel educated, informed, and above all, extremely comfortable purchasing such a fine piece of jewelry.

I wanted to take a moment to write to you simply to let you know that I appreciated working with you during my search for the perfect engagement ring.  Having the opportunity to visit your store and receive the treatment that I did from your entire staff...well...let's just say that I immediately knew that I would not even consider dealing with any other diamond experts!  First impressions are everything, and you guys certainly left me with a great one.

Christen is the best! She helped me more than I could have imagined, and I trusted and valued her thoughts probably more than she knows! (Not only because she is a friend, but because she quickly proved to me that she know what she's talking about when it comes to diamonds).  She kept in constant contact with me and always made sure I knew my "options", relieving any of the stress that I'm sure can come along with making such a purchase.

I valued the ability to view several diamonds under the microscope...something I'm sure I would never have been able to do elsewhere.  Simply being able to do that told me that you are not in business of merely "making a sale"  but rather "building a relationship" with me, as a customer. 

When the ring arrived at my door on Saturday, marking the close of our sale, again...I was impressed! Receiving all of the necessary documentation and certification for the gem, I truly felt the full aspect of professionalism with which you operate.  And, finally getting the chance to open the box and view the competed ring fort the first time, it simply took my breath away.

Thank you Jonathan.  For helping me to find the perfect diamond for Holly.  For going above and beyond any of the expectations that I had going into this purchase.  And, for making it all a truly enjoyable experience.  The ring is absolutely perfect!

Yours truly,
Thomas

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

One of our farthest clients

from Honk Kong 09/17/02

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

Bill - Internet

Jonathan and Christen

Well it is done, thanks to your excellent web site and your hard work,
this past Thursday, Thanksgiving morning I proposed to my girlfriend with
an absolutely beautiful stone (1.041c-F-vvs2) set in a Vatche platinum
setting.
The best part she said yes....:) and was then almost speechless for 6
hours.

Brilliant I say, Brilliant (pun)

A note to anyone who is reading this wondering about goodoldgold or
ordering a stone and/or setting on-line, HAVE NO FEAR.
If after researching everything you can find out about diamonds you don't
immediately realize that the www.goodoldgold.com has the best diamond web
site, you need to go back and start researching again.

Jonathan and Christen were amazingly professional, quick to answer when I
had questions. In short I feel they went the extra mile for me, to get me
the completed ring in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

After comparison shopping in several San Francisco jewelry stores as well
as the S.F Jewelry Exchange, I know I got the quality stone I wanted at a
price that I don't think you can beat.

Thanks again, to everyone at Goodoldgold.

P.S. Going to sleep that night, my better half asked if there was a switch
to turn it off, as she didn't want the sparkling light to wake her up.

P.S.S. If anyone would like to contact me directly you can do so at bclary@rottendock.org

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

Meryl
New York

Jonathan,

I finally have a moment to send you a picture of my finished product.
It doesn't show off the stone any near what it is live, but I hope
you like it.

I have to say working with you was one of the BEST vendor experiences
I have EVER had. What a pleasure . . .

-to be treated as an intelligent human.
-to be expected that I would understand information.
-to TRULY feel absolutely no pressure.
-to walk out knowing EXACTLY what I bought and why I bought it.
-to have such fun!

I have told many about you, saying that when I need to buy again, it
is so nice to know that I won't have to shop around. I will go
straight to Good Old Gold.

Hope to see you sometime soon!

Meryl N.

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

Jonathan:

Sorry for the delay in getting this note out to you but it's been kind of hectic lately :-)

I wrote to you a couple months back with questions about getting a diamond engagement ring for my then-girlfriend. I had a few bad experiences with some "swanky" jewelry boutiques and mall stores and came upon goodoldgold while doing an Internet search looking for information. Well your site was so informative I sent you an email and got a response within a few hours. You answered the questions I had and didn't go for the hard sell. I appreciated that immensely so I had you get me information on a few rocks that were on the website. I almost immediately went with the 1.087 I VS1 after I saw the pictures (and the fact you told me the price had dropped was the clincher).

I had the Vatche Surprise Setting ordered and within two weeks I got an email from Christen saying it was done. When I got it via FedEx the next day, wow! It looked AWESOME!!!

I had planned a surprise birthday party for my g/f in the Toronto area (it was a couple days before her birthday but what the heck) and our mutual friend, who actually had "hooked us up" (imagine, two people from metro Detroit being put together by someone in Toronto!!) helped me out immensely. After the "surprise" for the birthday party, I took her to another hotel room we'd set up with flowers, champage and all kinds of ambiance and I popped the question (she said yes before I finished asking!!!). It doesn't happen often but when I gave her the ring she was speechless!! She absolutely loved it!

In the month since then I keep kidding her that she doesn't pay attention to me anymore because she is always staring at her left hand! She gets compliments from everyone we go out with (and so do I..no one can believe I picked the diamond and setting out on my own! LOL).

We're looking at an August 2003 wedding so she has lots of time left to get more compliments!!! Now it's time to find some nice simple and elegant platinum bands for us!!! LOL

Thanks again to both you and Christen for all your help!! I couldn't have gotten nearly the value on a diamond that I did without your website and the way you do business. As I said in my first email to you, it's obvious you love your work. It certainly came through to me in our dealings and I will heartily recommend goodoldgold to anyone!!!

And as my fiancee Donna said, thanks for teaching Ed about diamonds so he could pick me out such a beauty!!!

What better endorsement could you get?? :-)

Regards,

Ed Roberts and Donna Ehle

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

Eric
Portland, OR

Funny story.  Last night I had to work late (like every day this week) and didn't get home until really late.  We decided just to grab fast food since it was so late and we hadn't had dinner yet.  So we are sitting in line in the Burger King drive thru when this tall Suburban pulls up behind me.  The headlights were shining through my car and my fiancée noticed that her ring was sparkling because of their headlights.  A few seconds later their high-beams blink on then off then the person gets out, walks forward to my car and says what a beautiful ring that is then walks back to her Suburban.  We were pretty impressed that it was sparkling enough that she noticed from back there! 

Anyway, thank you again.

Eric

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

Charles & Sandra
Vancouver, British Columbia  Canada

Jonathan --

Our ring is finally DONE, and on Sandra's finger.
        My first word, when the diamonds were mounted and I saw it all together, was: "WOW!"
which says something about the stones, since we were under a skylight and fluorescent fixture.
Sandra just grinned. [Sandra- I'm sitting at the computer reading what Charles has written and as I'm typing in my two cents worth those diamonds are glowing on my finger.]
        We found a local goldsmith (Sako, at Object Design in Vancouver BC) who was happy to work with us on a custom mount.   We did lots of legwork, looking at 3-stone mounts at local jewelers, actually measuring a few, to find out what Sandra really wanted -- how wide, how high, how many prongs, . . . . -- you know the drill.  We decided on a an 18K yellow-gold band, and sprung for a platinum head, rather than white gold.  Sako's work is very nice.  Good goldsmith is timeless.   And the rocks sparkle so nicely, next to each other !!!!! <g> [Sandra - As Sako said, " each of these diamonds is not shabby on its own, so when you put the three together, they just take off."]

        Let me start this story from the beginning (since it _is_ a testimonial).
Sandra decided that she wanted a 3 stone diamond ring.  It's her first-ever piece of _real_ jewelry, and she wanted a nice one.   We didn't know what "nice" entailed . . . We started out at local jewelers, and knowing next to nothing about diamonds,  searched the Net looking for information.  Sandra knew that she wouldn't buy diamonds over the Net -- it was too big a purchase, and there was no way of knowing whether she would like the stones when they arrived.    But there was lots of good information -- we found Diamond Talk, and the Nice Ice site, very useful.  We talked with people via e-mail, and over the phone.  And we found Good Old Gold -- ah, the mother-lode of diamond information.<g>   We spent lots of time looking at pictures; and reading all the information available, a good way to find out all the information your local jewelry store sales people will never give you.    We bought a loupe, and finally an IdealScope. The local jewelers either (a) didn't have really well-cut stones (and we quickly understood how important "well-cut" is), or (b) wanted outrageous prices for them.   And AGS- or GIA-certified stones were hard to come by.  We were not happy.  Neither were the local jeweler's.   "We'll call you when we find something" -- but most of them never did.  At some point, Sandra changed her mind about an Internet purchase -- she considered buying stones from Good Old Gold, because (a) she could get enough information to feel comfortable ordering, (b) she could return them if she didn't like them and [c] it was the only site that had pictures of the stones.
        Jonathan put together three  very nice stones (.46 F/VS2, .23 G/VVS1, .23 G/VVS2, all AGS Ideal, H&A patterns) and when they finally appeared on his Website, after lots of soul-searching ("should we wait for higher brilliantscope scores ?"), Sandra decided that she would  look at them, and off went the bank draft.  We brought them through Canadian Customs ourselves.   They were duty-free, but there _is_ an "excise tax" we weren't expecting.  In spite of that, we saved considerable money over buying the stones from the few high-end local retailers who could supply them. Then we stared at them, and stared, and stared -- amateurs trying to simulate years of professional judgement.  [By this time we were starting to understand how to use the IdealScope -- it does take some practice.]  Yeah, they looked pretty good!  It took Sako a few weeks to get the mount together.   We brought the diamonds out of the vault, he cut some notches into the prongs and clamped them into position, and... "WOW!"   They leap right out at you like head lights on a moonless night. ...... Gee,  we think we're sounding a little like Jonathan when he discribes the various stones on his site. - Well now we know why.
Two more happy customers for Good Old Gold.

Sandra & Charles

 

Sandra

Hi Jonathan,
This is Sandra writing. Just thought I'd write you the epilogue to my diamond purchase.

The diamonds arrived. We were very happy with them, as you know. The ring is on my finger and I had already taken it to an independent appraiser here in Vancouver.  Her first words, as she looked at it were "well I see you went for quality". She also said that we were her first clients to buy the stones over the Internet and the first to seem confident in their purchase.  She looked at the AGS certificates and the diamonds and said, "You got what you paid for, and then some."

A couple of weeks later, on the spur of the moment, when I was passing Birks [the high end jewelry store in Canada], I stopped in to show the ring to a saleswoman who had spent a lot of time with me when I was looking and who I might have bought from if the price had not been so outrageously high.

Boy did I get a surprise.  She did not take the loss of a sale in good grace at all.  She grudgingly admitted that the diamonds looked good. When I told her I had AGS certificates for them  (something I never would have gotten from Birks), she said AGS was an organization you paid to belong to and that "you tell them what the stones should be and that's what they put down".

Well that floored me.  In all the time Charles  and I spent on the internet, looking at sites, reading both complaints and compliments on the chat rooms, never did we see a complaint against AGS; so if there is something crooked going on it must be a very well kept secret.

Here is what my appraiser said in response to that:

I feel that you're probably right about the clerk trying to make you
second-guess your purchase.  I find this sort of attitude very harmful to
the jewelry industry and unfortunately it seems to happen far too
frequently.  The American Gem Society and GIA Gem Trade Laboratory
certificates are issued using the strictest grading standards.  As I
mentioned when you were in, my certificate of choice is the HRD (Hoge Raad
Voor Diamant) certificate using the grading standards of the Diamond High
Council of Antwerp....but I must admit that my preference is personal due to
the format of the certificates and because each cert bears the signature of
two diamond graders.  The AGS (my favorite American cert) and GIA are every
bit as strict in their grading.
I think you should feel very confident about your purchase.

In the conclusion all I can say is that I trust my eyes. I have looked at these stones in all kinds of light. They have incredible white light return. They never go dark. In sunlight the the colored light return kicks in and the stones throw off rainbow colored rays of light. I can't judge what the scintillation is like because I've never compared them to any stones of similar quality. Hopefully one day I'll make it into your store and I can compare. In the meantime I'm still a happy customer.

Thanks again,
Sandra

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

Richard & Mandy
England

Jonathan,

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

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

Christen / Jonathan,

They arrived safely ... and are beautiful.  I decided not to wait until our official anniversary date to give them to my wife.  She loves them.

Thanks for all the assistance.

Jonathan, just so you know, the primary reason I bought from you was because of the analyses you provided on the diamonds.  The firescope images and brilliancscope analysis were quite important to me.  As a lay person, it is very hard to discern one diamond from another ... especially after looking at several.  Analytical results that convey the optical properties of the diamond appealed to my engineering background.  I couldn't even find local jewelers that could provide this level of information.

Of course, when buying remotely, the 10x darkfields images, independent Sarin/colorimeter measurements helped provide the confidence necessary for me to feel comfortable with an online purchase.

If your any of your prospective customers want a referral, please feel free to have them call me.

Regards,
Mark

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

Shawn & Heather
San Francisco, CA

Jonathan--

        First of all, I wanted to thank you again for all your help finding the
stone I was after and for giving me such a good price.  The diamond you sent
me was indeed a beauty, and my girlfriend absolutely loves it. 
        Anyway, I promised you a follow-up e-mail to let you know how the proposal
went...it went perfectly, and she said yes.  Just in case you're interested,
here are a few photos of us right after the big question, and then a few
photos of the ring.  As you can see, it turned out great.  Actually, the
camera was directly above the ring when I took the close-up pictures, so I
think it kind of blocked out the light making the stone look darker than it
is...but you may recall that it's actually a very bright stone and these
pictures really don't do it justice.  You can actually see the brightness a
lot better in the photos of us and in the photo of her whole hand than you
can in the close-ups.
        Anyway, thanks again for all your help.  I've already recommended your site
to three different co-workers, so perhaps that will lead somewhere.
        Take it easy, and if I need more jewelry some day I'll most likely be in
touch.

Best regards--
Shawn

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

Chris & Fiona

Jonathan,

I just want to write a short note to thank you in a special way for your help and service in selecting and purchasing a
diamond ring online.  I spent months looking at photo after photo and reading pages upon pages of information about
diamonds and jewelry.  My head was really starting to spin and ache and your website was a breath of fresh air.  It
just seemed so straightforward and had such potential for me to be able to trust my purchase there.  I wanted someone
who knew this stuff to help me out.  That's when I contacted you by email.  You listened to my worries and
took care of me.  It was such a relief!  Your advice was bang on and the diamond and setting that you helped me to
select were perfect.  My fiancé is totally in love with the ring.  (You should see how it sparkles in church, WOW)
To top it all off, everyone I talked on the phone over at Good Old Gold was incredibly friendly and professional.  I
was able to really trust in my decision and the peace of mind that I had was golden!  You didn't stop there either.  Months later when we had problems with the wedding band we were having made here in Vancouver, you were still there to help.
Truly you were a gift of God when I needed it, and I pray that many more people will find you so that they can have
the same kind of experience. Greetings from Vancouver, Canada and many thanks to you Jonathan, Christen and all the lovely staff at Good Old Gold

Chris (& Fiona)

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

Jason ~ Internet

Jonathan & Christen,

I can not thank you enough!!  I picked up the ring today from Fed-ex (1.44 F
VS2 super ideal cut in Vatche Royal Crown)--it is absolutely the best!!  I had
high expectations after reading all of the information concerning
super ideal cut on Diamondtalk, but even my high expectations were exceeded.  It
was overcast and snowy outside, and still the diamond was sparkling.  Then,
I took it home and looked at it under lights--unbelievable how much
sparkle!!  It is will be impossible to miss on my fiancée's hands.  Again, I
extend a sincere 'thank you' to you, your mother, and the rest of your
staff.  You have differentiated Good Old Gold as the premier diamond
jeweler.

Thank you,
Jason

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

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

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

Dean & Brandi - Internet 

I decided that I was gonna buy my sweetheart an engagement ring and propose at my work holiday party. Attended by 700 fellow co-workers. She had no idea I was learning all I could about her future rock.
Since I'm an internet addict (it's ok to admit it) :) I searched for information on the 4 C's and I learned the very basics from one of the major retailers of diamonds. I thought I was ready to go out and buy the perfect stone, at the best price available. Whoah Nelly! Was I wrong.
I went to the so-called best guy in Central N.J. . I later realized that he lied to me right from the start. Saying Fancy Cut Diamonds are 15% more expensive than rounds. Nonsense!
Frustrated, I returned home and searched the net again. I found a Forum for DiamondTalk. Here is where I came across the best jeweler in the Northeast. The site brings together jewelers, consumers, and appraisers from around the world. I posted a question about the aforementioned jeweler. I got five replies saying I need to talk to Jonathon at Good Old Gold. I visited his website first. The rest is history! I spent over 4 hours studying all the in depth information he supplies there. Now!…I was ready to buy a diamond.
I emailed Jonathon and explained that I was tired of all the ignorant, dishonest jewelers and retailers in NJ. I told him the certain specs. that I wanted for my Marquise. He emailed me back and told me he'll find me what I wanted. Two days later he emails me a Sarin Report, 35X magnified pics of a potential diamond. I couldn't believe it. I called him on the phone and he said I don't have to decide just yet. He's gonna get me a few more "beauts" to choose from. He was good on his word. This time he sent a BrillianceScope of the diamonds. (If you didn't read this part of the website, you absolutely have to.) I was very weary of buying a diamond over the net. My friends and family thought I was nuts.
They had no idea I was protected by the Almighty BrillianceScope.
I didn't see the diamond in person, but I didn't have to. The BrillianceScope shows and reports the Brilliance, Scintillation, and Fire of the Diamond. It's a great piece of equipment and of course Jon has it in his store.
Since I live 2 hours from Long Island I made the trek up to Good Old Gold anyway. I was mainly there to decide on the setting, and to look at the SI2 H Marquise that I had been fancying via emailed reports from Jon.
It took me 2 hours to pick out the setting that I wanted. Jon was there the whole time. Even though his store was booming with business. Let me tell you, his store is busy for a reason.
Well, Jon also showed me a SI1 D that he had just got in. He put both stones side by side, and that was all it took. The D color was overwhelming. Both stones were beautiful, but mono y mono it was very easy to decide which one it would be. That was the easy part.
Picking the setting was practically impossible. I started with 10 and narrowed it down to 2. Jon and I actually walked around the store and surveyed customers and staff. When the votes were tallied, it was too close to call.
I ended up getting the original setting I had picked out from his Website. Sorry Jon, I didnt think I would ever make a decision. :)
So I ended up with a Suhweet! SI1 D w/ a beautiful setting at a price that couldn't be beat anywhere in the NEast. I was so happy with the service and merchandise that was provided, I actually told Jon I love him. lol. Jon you absolutely went above and beyond the norm with the service that you provided me online and in person. It was the best experience I've ever had with any type of purchase. Let alone a very expensive one like this. Jonathon truly exposes the dishonest or ignorant area jewelers for what they are. He proves what he says either via the net (BrillianceScope, FireScope, 35X+ Magnification) or in person. He made an otherwise nerveracking decision very comfortable for me.
After all was said and done. I asked Jon to see some of the infamous 8Stars. Good Lord!
The output of light was actually hurting my eyes. Especially the 4+ct. rock that Jon has.
He put an 8* next to a very nice H&A. The 8* stole the show. It was everything that has been hyped about it. Very Crisp. Beautiful work the 8*'s are.
So to sum it all up, if you're thinking about using Jon as your vendor, for your internet purchase, I greatly recommend it. Or if you have the luxury of visiting his store, you'll soon be writing a letter of praise too, just like this one!
Thanks again Jon.
Dean and my Fiancee Brandi
p.s. If ya have any questions about my experience email me at aabadm0f0@aol.com

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

Andy - Internet

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

Mark and Carri - Internet

Like so many others, we came to Good Old Gold looking to learn more about diamonds.  We had been shopping for an engagement ring for at least five weeks when I stumbled across Jonathan's site, and instantly began reading all the information there.  We had gotten very close to purchasing two different diamonds, both without knowing any detailed information about their cut.  We had originally figured we couldn't afford a good cut, but after reading the information on the Good Old Gold website we both knew we could NOT afford to get a diamond of high quality cut.  We had heard the horror stories of people paying top dollar for stones that were not high quality, and our goal was to learn as much as we could before we made a final, permanent decision on which diamond was for us.  (Knowledge is power, especially in the world of buying a diamond.)

"We" are Mark and Carri, engaged October 12, 2000.  I, Carri, am writing this, and if you have any questions after reading it please write me!  We will be happy to tell you more.  We both feel so lucky to have found Jonathan's website, and are more than happy to tell you more about our great experience buying a diamond from Jonathan.    

We started out by reading the site, every page- a few each day, to make sure we were getting a great diamond education.  By the time we had finished, we felt pretty informed and were ready to take our knowledge shopping with us (we are in out of state, and couldn't take a trip to New York).  We went to the local malls, and most salespeople seemed annoyed by our questions and desire to see Super Ideal Cut Hearts and Arrows diamonds.  We came home and wrote Jonathan, asking him an enormous amount of questions.  He patiently answered every one, with complete honesty and a quick response every time.  We decided that we would buy a diamond from Jonathan because

#1  his website taught us detailed information about the importance of a diamond's cut
#2  his passion for diamonds and for educating the public about diamonds shines through his website, emails, and phone conversations
#3  he was honest and straightforward about the diamonds he sells (CUT, clarity, color, rarity, carats)
#4  he was always willing to help us and answer our questions, and was genuinely happy to do so
#5  he has those really cool close-up photographs on his website that show you exactly what you are getting (no surprises as to the minor flaws that exist in any stone he sells)
#6  he was willing to go the extra mile and help us find a diamond that fit our needs
#7  he uses the LightScope, which is an awesome objective tool for looking at a diamond, and for comparing one diamond to the next
#8  he has an amazing refund policy, which beats out any other policy we had seen anywhere!!!
#9  he was, and continues to be, an awesome resource for diamonds and diamond information.

Being the perfectionists that we are, we bought one of his most outstanding diamonds.   

WOW  is all we can really say, because nothing else will do this amazing "disco ball," "headlight" diamond justice.  We bought our SUPER ideal cut without having ever seen one in person and when it arrived, next day mail, we were in complete awe of this rock.  It is beautiful beyond belief.  In sunlight  it casts rainbows and white light all around the room. In candlelight it's bright white color practically makes it glow in the dark.  When I brush my teeth it sparkles in the mirror,  in a liquid, glitter-like fashion that always catches my attention and often distracts me.  People are always commenting on my diamond, asking how big it is ( it looks much bigger than its actual carat weight), and what kind of diamond it is. We have never seen a diamond like this- it literally sparkles all the time!  

So, if you haven't already, please go read the pages on cut and proportion.  Many diamonds look good in stores, with all those bare light bulbs shining on them, but in the dark, with just a single candle lighting the room?  That is rare.  We could go on, and on, and on, about how awesome this stone is.  If you want to know more, just write us with your questions.  Thank you Jonathan!!!

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

Alan & Kathy LePain
Worcester, MA

My Diamond Search

My diamond search for an engagement ring started with acknowledging I knew almost nothing about diamonds and since I was going to shop around for the best diamond I could buy for my Kathy I wanted to learn some basics.  That way with some basic understanding I could ask (hopefully) some intelligent questions to any jewelers I shopped at and make an informed choice.  So with one of the best tools available for getting information I started surfing the web for diamonds.

Some sites were better than others at giving some pertinent information but for this novice I could not really judge the specific qualities of any diamond that I was considering to purchase.  Your forced to trust the information they show only.  Other than the basic 4C’s, the higher the price for the carat weight I was looking for the better the diamond had to be, or so I thought but I wasn’t sure.

Then I came across Jonathan’s Gold Old Gold web site and IT IS THE BEST of the sites for all the (honest) information anyone could ever want to know about diamonds.  I read through it a few times and some sections many times to learn what you’ll never learn short of becoming a gemologist or a jeweler.  Jonathan’s information was so good that it became apparent that store after store I visited that the attending sales persons (and in one case the store manager) knew very little about the product they were selling.  I suggested and encouraged a couple of them to visit goodoldgold.com to see for themselves.

Because of my new knowledge at one of those stores I came close to buying a diamond and realized in time that I was being intentionally misled.  Since I was now armed with facts their deception was exposed and I got my money back.  It was an adventure going from store to store and I have more stories to tell but it made me realize that Jonathan’s diamond site spoiled me to want BETTER than what others had or presently could offer.  My trust in just what a sales persons said or what a web site promoted was no longer enough and now I demanded more proof of what I was purchasing. Good Old Gold offered that proof with actual pictures of the diamonds, a Sarin report and in my case a AGS certificate, Firescope, Hearts and Arrows images of the diamonds I was comparing and all my many questions were answered too.   Wow, try getting any one of these from you local jewelry store or at those other web sites!  Some day they may catch up but for now Gold Old Gold is the standard they’ll have to measure up to.

After I received the diamond in it’s setting I had a problem that I immediately brought to Jonathan’s attention.  Since there is a 100% customer satisfaction policy my concerns were addressed and Jonathan more than satisfied this customer.  Trust is and was a major concern of mine with making the most important purchase of my internet life.  I can testify to Jonathan’s and Gold Old Gold’s reputation and their honesty in meeting my needs and expectations.  They do keep their words both in print or spoken.

Today more than was possible in the past, it pay’s to become an educated consumer and I strongly encourage all who read my testimony to do so, IT’S WORTH IT.  To buy with true confidence and knowledge that you HAVE purchased not just ANY diamond but the “best” gives a great sense of personal satisfaction.  My Kathy can wear her ring with pride and joy and in the secure knowledge that THIS diamond says how much I love her.  For me there is no room for compromises.

Thanks Jonathan!   
Alan LePain

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

Andy (Internet)

 

Here's a story for you...
After you shipped me the diamond, I went back to the two local dealers I had been dealing with.  I had a stone on hold at each (with a refundable deposit), and wanted to let them know I've chosen my stone and wanted to get my dough back.

The first place bowed out reasonably graciously.. they did throw a few more stones my way, but a little too little a little too late.  The second place was curious to see the diamond and offered to check it out (ie do a Sarin, etc). Knowing they wouldn't have a stone to match (price and qual) I figured, what the hell.  Of course, they looked at the cert and saw the faint fluorescence marking.  The head sales woman called in the owner, both of which had their GIA diplomas on the wall.  They both exclaimed that my diamond was not faint.. that by GIA standards it was definitely a strong. And, that the AGS was too lenient.  According to these ladies, had I gotten my rock cert'd from GIA, I would never have bought it seeing it was strong flouro, and that they know a strong one when they see one, since they had been trained at the GIA.

So, before I started to panic, I asked to see a GIA certed flouro diamond next to mine in the black lite gembox.  All they had (wink wink) was an inert GIA.  Of course, I could see the difference... and not knowing how much "glow" was faint vs. strong... I started to panic.  They proceeded to tell me that a strong flouro nice color diamond should be devalued 15% off Rap, and being the owner and head buyer, she knows the value, and I got ripped off.  I pulled out the Rap sheet quoting percentages for how flouro affects
stones.  "out of date" they said.   They said they'd be happy to "save" me, and search for an E -VS1 to match, but if I truly wanted an ideal cut, it was gonna cost me Rap+10%. In my panic stricken state, I said go for it.

In the days to follow, I contemplated getting my stone re-certed at GIA.  I called them, and they'd rush it for me (4 days) at $177.   That was some dough and too much time, but I thought, for peace of mind, is it worth it?  For the next few days, I stared at the stone in sunlight, shade, overcast sunlight, candlelight, halogen, fluorescent, etc trying to see if I could see the "strong" flouro.

After nearly vomiting and passing out from all the stress, I ran into a dude in my lab who just got engaged.  He recommended another jeweler in town who he had had a good experience with.  I went, told them my story, and how I wasn't sure who to trust, and that I was tired of all the local dealers feeding me crap.  I asked if they could pull out some GIA stones of similar weight and color, with faint, med, strong flouro so I could compare.  They first looked at my stone, remarked how beautiful it was, then looked at my cert and told me not to worry.  Then, they brought out the GIA stones.. and we set them side by side in backlight gem box.

Quelling my fears, there it was... my diamond not glowing anywhere near the Medium, much less the strong.  It was even weaker than one of the GIA faints.  DAMN!! I WAS RELIEVED.  Then I was pissed for those (pardon the french) two bit hookers trying to throw their GIA credentials to scare me into a sale with them.  I promptly asked this new jeweler to set the stone, as I set out for the place that was trying to dupe me.  I had a bit of fun rippin' them a new bung-hole!  Scared off a few customers in the meantime.

I let them know I'd send them a copy of the letter to the BBB and the letter I'll send to the GIA, alerting them to the misuse of
the GIA name and standards.  F*** those B*tches!!  Excuse me, it just gets me torqued every time I think about it.  And, of course,
I couldn't even discuss any of this with my closest confidant.. my future fiancé.

Anyway, all is good now. I pick up the mounting tomorrow (simple Tiffany band with 6 prongs... just for presentation).  I have it
all set up for Monday evening.  She has no idea.    A year and a half ago, we were walking through Seville, Spain...and stumbled
across this neat little courtyard with a fountain and beautiful Spanish homes around it.  It was late at night, and we were the only two there except this college kid playing flamenco guitar on the doorstep.  Totally romantic.  Of course, we made out like
high-school kids for about an hour.   We've talked about going back to that place someday.  Since Emmy doesn't have vacation till July, i couldn't propose to her there, but I found a place in Balboa park here in SD that looks just like it.  I've got this Spanish fellow
lined up to be playing guitar there at 7pm Monday.  We'll just go for a casual walk in the park, stop to hear the guitar guy, talk
about how this reminds me of Spain, and how even then i knew she was the one i wanted to marry.  BAM!  RING on finger.. let the
honey moon begin!!

Anyway, thanks for all your help.  Attached is a picture of the "lovely couple"  he he  (reunion2.jpg)  Actually, that pic was
doctored by me... the original is also attached (reunion.jpg). Funny, huh!?

talk again soon!!
Andy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anthony - In Store

Don’t fool yourself, I’m not going to lie to you. Buying my engagement ring was one of the most dizzying experiences of my life, and it will be for you. It may have also been harder for me because I shopped alone. I decided to surprise my girlfriend-the whole romance thing. Limousine, champagne, dinner reservations, photographs all done without her knowing. (It worked perfectly, by the way) Shopping with your girlfriend makes it easier naturally, but here’s my story. After finding out "through the grapevine" what kind of shape she preferred, etc., I decided to start looking. However, I gave myself a full three months before "the day". Very important. I promised myself "no shotgun sales". I refused to look like an idiot and be taken advantage of, so I took some books out from the library and "educated" myself as best I could. This is supposed to be the "purchase of a lifetime" so it warranted nothing less than all the time I could dedicate to it. I visited a major retailer, a "wholesaler", some other vendors and a "family friend" before I made my final decision with Jonathan. Without going into too many details, the retailer was way over-priced (practically list price). The wholesaler was in New Jersey and the stone was too small for the money. Other vendors tried to make me play "find the inclusions" and would not point anything out on the stones until I noticed them through a loupe, and then he/she would say "oh yeah, I see it, but it’s so small, and that’s normal for this grade", and the "family friend" had only one crummy certified stone. By the way let me comment on certified stones. They will cost you more up front, and I’m not sure it’s worth it. I bought my uncertified stone and had it appraised without the setting. It appraised for a grade higher in all categories. This would have cost me more if it was certified already. This may not be your cup of tea, but I did enough research and looked at many stones to be comfortable enough in my own abilities to know if a stone was in the range that it was graded. The "family friend’s" stone was an IGI certified H color, SI1 clarity. I would not call a stone with a carbon pit and a feather in plain sight through the table SI1. This in my experience is I, and when I saw the "cert", it looked like one of my old term papers from school with all the red marks on the mapping! The moral is that you will pay more for a "cert", but it does not guarantee better value. If I wanted a certificate stone, Jonathan had them or he would obtain one within a day or two. The "family friend" also guaranteed that Jonathan’s diamond was not as "brilliant", not cut as well, as his. I am so tempted to go back and claim my prize, but my stone is prize enough because I picked a winner. Now let me tell you why I chose Jonathan over all the rest, and why you should choose him, hands down. If you do not want to waste your valuable time searching, trust me and go to Jonathan first. It would have been one-stop shopping for me, and I am a stickler. It was obvious to Jonathan from the beginning that I was educated as much as the average consumer could be without going to school, and he actually took the time to expand on that knowledge taking it many steps further. Let me cut to the chase about the things that impressed me and "closed the deal" after no less than five visits to him:

#1 His love for his "art". He loves his job and it shows. He is not a hard sell. He knows that he has quality stuff. However, it’s up to you to realize this and I should have sooner. It would have saved a lot of heartache and time in the end. All my previous experiences left me quite skeptical and uneasy.

#2 He had a large inventory of stones and settings. It’s nice to be shown at least three different stones in your price range. The chances of finding the right one is greater without having to go to many different places.

#3 The way that he dealt with me exclusively each time. There would be times that I would wait a while for him to help me because he was helping someone else. Some other diamond dealers I shopped with would be helping two or three people at a time. This lost many points in my eyes. He would help you with the same vigor regardless if you were browsing or buying. The first time he helped me, he gave me this book he wrote that was like "everything the diamond industry doesn’t want you to know". Sort of an expose on a magician’s secrets.

#4 The microscope, video screen and other equipment. As far as the sale of my particular stone, this is what convinced me to buy from Jonathan. He shows you the stone under high-power magnification, and even points out the imperfections live on the video screen. One word-honest. What you see is what you get. When he points out all the reasons why the stone is graded as such, you know what’s there. Imagine buying a stone from someone, having it appraised and finding out there are things there that you didn’t see with the loupe, or worse, were not pointed out to you. Would you be mad? That would be putting it lightly. No other jeweler (except my appraiser) had this equipment. There are no excuses- it’s all right there in front of you- magnified up to 63x- you see all the stone’s "beautiful imperfections", no surprises. I can’t stress this enough. He even has this apparatus that measures the diamond’s angles-all right in front of you four feet away.

#5 He was patient with me. I am sure in his recent history he hasn’t had such a pain in the @$$ fussy customer. I’d like to think that I’m prudent, but that’s just me. He respected me for all that I learned by myself. He even gave me a "quiz" after I told him that I visited his website and downloaded all his literature on the 4Cs. (Which I highly recommend, because it’s better that DeBeers’) He was impressed that I knew my "acceptable pavilion angles for maximum brilliance on a ‘fancy’ stone". These are the lengths I went to to insure that I was getting the best possible diamond for the money. There were even times that it I knew more than other salespeople in my journeys. Go ahead; ask a salesperson what the pavilion angle is on that stone you were just looking at. If they don’t know, that will not work in your favor, because if the angles are outside the "acceptable limits" for the stone by even something so small as three-quarters of a degree, it may take away up to ten percent of the brilliance as compared to a well-cut stone. SEE?! Beeline for the door! To me it wasn’t good enough if the stone only had the color and clarity ratings. I wanted to know about the pavilion, crown, culet, girdle, table, etc. (If you have no idea what these mean PLEASE download the information available in this website, and don’t be surprised at the amount of paper you’ll need to print, but isn’t that something in your favor?) He knew I was serious enough that if he showed me what I called a "WOW" stone, I would buy it right on the spot. It took all his inventory and he even went "shopping" for me twice. Needless to say, I got my "WOW" stone, with a little bit of "POW" sprinkled in. It is beautiful.

I can’t thank him enough for all the time and effort he dedicated to this slice of my life, but one way I know I can show my appreciation is writing this testimonial. I hope that after reading this you will stop wasting your time with others and go with Jonathan. He is a winner in a business of many losers and cheaters. Don’t get caught with one of them. You may regret it for the rest of your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Susan Andersen & Rob Ciuffo - In store

After seeing countless programs and reading tons of articles on consumers being ripped off by dishonest sales people and "so-called" diamond dealers, we were quite frightened to begin searching for my engagement ring to say the least! Our biggest problem was that we had no knowledge of diamonds.  How lucky could we have been to find "Good Old Gold". The saleswoman helping us suggested that we wait for their resident gemologist to give us a short lesson on diamonds. Feeling like we were going to get roped into buying something, we were a little hesitant but then thought, "What's the harm in just listening?" Well, it ended up being the most helpful hour we have ever spent! Jonathan gave us a condensed but extremely thorough lesson on all aspects of purchasing a diamond. Not only on the well-known 4C's but on how value is determined in a diamond - meaning much more than just the size of the stone. Size doesn't necessarily mean value! He gave us the book he wrote on the subject didn't even try to sell us anything. Feeling like we should buy a diamond in Manhattan (because that's what you're "supposed" to do when you live in NY), Rob went to the diamond district. He was bombarded with tons of pushy salespeople who rushed him and didn't spend time explaining anything. Rob was armed with Jonathan's book which he read that morning and asked many questions that the salespeople either did not want to answer or just couldn't!!! A knowledgeable consumer is dangerous! Needless to say, Rob went back to Jonathan and purchased our diamond. Not only did Rob get an exquisite stone, but since Jonathan has the most up-to-date equipment, we have a large magnified photo printout of the stone, plus all the details about it (the cut analysis, all the specifics on its color, clarity weight, etc.). We highly recommend Jonathan and  Good Old Gold to everyone we know and Rob and I can confirm that anyone that buys jewelry and/or diamonds through Good Old Gold will be more than satisfied. We are thrilled at our find and I am proud to show my ring off!

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

Craig & Jane - In store

When I finally saved enough money to buy an engagement ring I set out to find the right jeweler. When I started to shop around I knew only a couple of things, like what the 4C's stood for (but not what to actually look for when considering them) and the budget that I had to work with.  After shopping a couple of stores in Manhattan's jewelry district and in the Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall, I felt that salespeople were trying to  take advantage of me.  One day, my mother suggested that I try a place in the busy Bee Mall called Good Old Gold and that I should ask for Jonathan. My mother made this recommendation after speaking to one of her co-workers who has used Good Old Gold for many years. The next day I went to Good Old Gold and met Jonathan. For about an hour Jonathan taught me all about diamonds and what to look for when purchasing one.   Jonathan spent this time with me not knowing if I was going to make a purchase from him.  Jonathan then showed me a few diamonds that would be in my price range. When I narrowed it down to two, he put the better one under the microscope and blew it up on the television monitor. After taking me on a tour facet by facet only noting one tiny flaw, I decided to purchase the diamond.  Jonathan was the only jeweler who did not try to take advantage of me, especially since I was only 22 years old.  Jonathan let me put a hold on my credit card (without running it through) and let me take the ring to an independent appraiser of my choice with the option of returning it for ANY REASON AT ALL.   This showed me that he had a lot of faith in the quality of his jewelry, prices and appraisals.  The appraiser appraised the ring for 1.54 times more than the price Jonathan quoted to me.  Finally I paid Jonathan for the ring with a feeling of confidence in his work. That night I proposed to my now finacée. She was amazed at how beautiful the ring and has gotten nothing but compliments from everyone that sees it.   Since I made my purchase I have bought and necklace and a diamond bracelet from Good Old Gold. I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to purchase jewelry should visit Good Old Gold.  I also recommend that any person looking to buy a diamond should ask for Jonathan personally.

Craig Avidano and Jane Garvin

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

Bill & Jenn ~ Internet

Bill and Jenn each sent us a letter of appreciation so it's only fair that I post both. :)

Jonathan and Christen,

I just wanted to write and tell you that I could not have been happier with the
entire experience of buying a diamond from you.  This is based on your extensive
knowledge, courtesy, "pressure-free" approach to selling and customer service,
the extensive level of detailed information provided on every stone you have,
and of course your overall professionalism.

That does not even begin to address the unbelievable, amazing diamond that my
fiancee now wears.  It is the nicest diamond either of us have ever seen, and I
can't imagine her having anything else.

Thanks again for making such a complicated yet important process have such a
wonderful ending.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill

Dear Jonathan and Christen,

I just wanted to write and tell you about the most wonderful experience
that I have had up to this point in my life.  I am 25 years old and my
boyfriend (now fiance...Bill) surprised me with a marriage
proposal March 30, 2002.  I was ecstatic and said, "YES!" immediately.
I did not think I could have been happier, then Bill opened a little
white box and I saw the most spectacular diamond engagement ring I have
ever seen.  WOW!  I think my exact words were, "OH MY GOD!"  It is truly
amazing.   Five days later and I can not stop staring at it.  It is very
distracting, but in a good way.  I am now the envy of my friends and
co-workers.  I feel very special to have such a remarkable engagement
ring.

Thank you for assisting Bill with such an important purchase, and thank
you for being part of the reason why I get to wear such a beautiful
piece of jewelry for the rest of my life.  WOW!  Bill learned so much
about diamonds and was therefore better able to make an educated
decision.  I appreciate your part in making his diamond buying
experience a pleasant one.
- Jennifer
 

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

Dave ~ Internet

Jonathan,
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner.  Been quite busy around here, as usual.
Jonathan, BEAUTIFUL diamond!  It definitely looks better than I imagined it would!

Bill, picked up the ring a week ago Friday from FEDEX. Looked great! 

Anyway, I took it to AZ with me on a business trip, which I did not tell Kristina I was taking.  I
surprised her twice last Monday.  Once by showing up out of nowhere, and the second time by giving her her
engagement ring!  She started crying, but loved the ring!

As you both said would happen, she has had people stop her when they caught a glimpse of the diamond to get a closer look!  She loves it and can't stop gazing at it!

Thanks again for a job well done!!
Dave

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

Stephen Ash ~ Internet

 

Eric Sorenson

esorensen@monmouth.com

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

Marcos Chambers - Internet

Hi there Jonathan,

Well I received the ring on thursday and it was absolutely beautiful. I can't
get over how much it sparkled. Even with all the lighting that the other
jewelry stores use to try to show off their jewelry, I never did come across
a diamond that was as bright and brilliant as this one. And this was a
princess cut. I can't imagine how the Hearts and Arrows diamonds look if they
are even better proportioned and reflect even more light.

Well I am happy to say that my now fiancé is so happy with the ring and
diamonds. She has gotten so many compliments about how bright and beautiful
the ring is.

I just wanted to take the time to thank you and your staff for all your help
and patience with all my questions during this acquisition. People are quite
surprised when I tell them I bought the ring over the internet. But with the
satisfaction I received working with you and your store, I would do it again
in a minute. I will absolutely recommend your store to anyone I know looking
to buy a diamond.

I hope to talk with you soon.
Marco  chambers.marco@usa.net

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

William Bowers (Internet)

Jonathan,

Just wanted to give you some more words of praise in your high quality of diamonds.  I bought a great G VVS2, super ideal cut from you back in June