Buying an Engagement Ring

I'm interested in buying an engagement ring in Aruba. How are the prices at Diamond International. Any other places we should check out?

For something that important, I would buy it at home. Most jewelers only guaranteed the ring if you bring it in for "check ups"....about every 6 months or so! And, there really are no "bargains"....you're better off buying from someone that you have easy access to, if you need them to fix something, or trade in, or whatever!

If I saw a bauble that I loved on a cruise, sure, I'd buy it. But for expensive stuff...home is the better choice.

I have bought several nice pieces of jewelry in ports while on cruises, and they have held up great. I had a tanzanite ring appraised when I returned home that appraised for a lot more than I paid for it. I understand wanting to purchase the ring while on vacation. There are a lot of reputable jewelry stores on the front street when you get off of the ship. I think that Diamonds International has offices in the US, so they would probably be the easiest to deal with if you run into any issues later. The ships get part of the profits from Diamonds International, so their prices are usually a little more. Some other good stores are Royal Jewelers, Noble Jewelers, Gold Palace, Little Switzerland, Kays (not affiliated with the Kay stores in the US). The one thing to remember is that if you buy the ring here in the US, most of the stores have a warranty where you can take it in every 6 months or yearly to have it inspected and replated if needed.

Thanks for the advice. We're doing a land vacation this time and I thought it might mean more if I bought the ring where I propose.

Thanks for the advice. We're doing a land vacation this time and I thought it might mean more if I bought the ring where I propose.

I love that idea. Where are you staying?

I don't trust buying jewelry anywhere unless its in the cayman islands. Buy the ring at home but its a nice idea you have to.

We are staying at Casa Del Mar. My dad has 2 weeks there that he is going to sell and since retirement is in sight, we are planning on buying them. It will cut down on our cruising, but Aruba is a great place to go and relax. We are doing a sunset cruise where I'm going to pop the question (I hope she isn't reading this, but I suspect she knows).

We are staying at Casa Del Mar. My dad has 2 weeks there that he is going to sell and since retirement is in sight, we are planning on buying them. It will cut down on our cruising, but Aruba is a great place to go and relax. We are doing a sunset cruise where I'm going to pop the question (I hope she isn't reading this, but I suspect she knows).

I love Casa Del Mar. We stay very close to there at Costa Linda, and go to Matthews every year for dinner at least once. I really love the idea of proposing on the sunset cruise. That is so romantic. We just did a sunset/snorkel cruise on Black Pearl. It was awesome. They only take 20 people and have shaded seating. We loved it. Someone mentioned only buying jewelry in the Caymans. Aruba is very reputable. It sounds like you've been there before, so you understand that Aruba is not a third world country. If you want to get the ring there, go for it.

Don't know about Aruba but in St Marten the price they would accept for a ring decreased as the days went by when they knew about not being on a cruise. Don't buy the first day.

It is the Black Pearl we are going with. In addition to the small numbers and comfortable seating, there is also a short video to remember the day.

It is the Black Pearl we are going with. In addition to the small numbers and comfortable seating, there is also a short video to remember the day.

Oh that will be perfect!! They video off and on, as they are busy preparing food and drinks, and doing other things. I'm sure if you email them, they can tell you the best time to propose, so that they can capture it on the video. They stop at Boca Catalina for a long time before they start preparing the food, or maybe you can do it on the way back when the sun is setting. Try to sit on the first side that you come to when you get on, to get the best views of the sunset. You need to get there early and be standing right where they dock to get the best seats. You get an A++++ for romantic proposals!! When are you doing this? I'd like to watch the video on their facebook page. I just thought of another jewelry store that is popular called Gandelman, which is also very nice. You'll have lots of great choices.

We are going on Thursday, April 30. Thanks for the seating tip. I was thinking sunset would be the best time.

I'll keep an eye out for the video. Congratulations!

IMO, you should purchase the ring from a trusted jeweler at home. Always buy the stone and setting separately. You can always bargain at your local jeweler. Must easier to deal with the local jeweler then DI (do an online search and read some reviews about them) if you need repairs, cleaning and the yearly check you should have done on the ring.

Despite claims you may read, there aren't any fantastic bargains on diamonds in the Caribbean. Keep in mind duty you may have to pay bringing the ring back into the states, if the price is over your duty free allowance.

I don't know about DI but My husband bought me a ring for our anniversary from Milano diamonds in another port. (I've seen them in every port that I've been.). They were really great and when I needed a repair on my ring we emailed them and took it to their NY location. We could have done it via insured postal service but we wanted to take a day trip to NY. We left the ring with them and they repaired it and mailed it back to me.

The way I see it ...and too late for the original OP but for anyone else considering the same...

Any jewelry purchased ANYWHERE for a significant amount (insert a number which is important to you) SHOULD be appraised.

If my husband were to buy a cocktail ring for me in the Caribbean for anything over $1000 I would have it appraised.

We would pay for it by credit card and hope that it appraised out. If it did not we would contact the store and ask how they would handle it. If no satisfaction we would dispute the charge with our credit card company. If no satisfaction we would toss it up to a bad experience.

If my husband were to buy my engagement ring in the Caribbean for x amount I would have it appraised for insurance purposes.

We would pay for it with my credit card and hope that it appraised out. If it did not we could contact the store and ask how they would handle it. If no satisfaction we could dispute the charge with our credit card company.

Either way if the ring did not appraise for its true value I would be "stuck" with a ring which is going to become my most sentimental valuable which forever would be a bad reminder of a business deal gone bad.

Why take a chance? Like others have said use someone trusted at home.

If you are reading this thinking that I have been burned in the past, just the opposite. There is one Caribbean jewelry store my parents and grandparents have bought numerous pieces of jewelry from over the course of the past 20 or so years. When my grandmother and mother died, their jewelry was appraised and ALL pieces purchased from this jewelry store appraised out WELL above the purchase prices. The most valuable piece appraised at more than 275% of the purchase price.

Good advice above. I would only add, and I come from a family of jewelers, that appraisals can be pretty much meaningless. This does not guarantee you could resell the item for anything close to the appraisal value.

I guess you could find it comforting that your weren't "ripped off", but I really, really would never consider purchasing such an important piece on vacation.

I thought I would give an update to my original post. My plan to propose on the Black Pearl on Thursday was thrown off when I found out that the stores were all closed on Friday for Labor Day and I was leaving on Saturday. I had to regroup and proposed during a sunrise walk on the beach Tuesday. I had done a lot of research and found that Kays downtown had a lot of good reviews from repeat customers. I felt that if I did pay more than back home, the experience was worth it. We still did the Black Pearl cruise and it was fantastic. The funny thing is that Joann, one of the owners, bought her ring at the same Kays.

Congratulations on your engagement! I actually remembered the date and was watching the Black Pearl videos to try to see your proposal. Thanks for letting us know that you proposed at a different time. I couldn't tell anything from the video, other than the title, She said yes! I really like Kay's Jewelers. I'll be visiting them on my search for a new tanzanite ring on my next visit. Hope you had a great time in Aruba.

I actually held up a sign that said "She Said Yes" but at one point when she had her floatation belt and mask on, they went to take her picture and she said no, so they thought she didn't want her picture taken at all. We were sorry they misunderstood, but it was a great time. That's me in the still shot when you hit the play arrow.