Diamond earings

Need help.Taking cruise on breeze in May.Wife wants new diamond ear rings from shop on board.For 45 wedding anniverary.Has anyone ever bought diamonds from shops? Also what carat? and how much? thanks.

If you are going to buy diamonds on board or in port, make sure you price the same item at several retail stores in your area first. Then you'll know if you're getting a good deal.

In all honesty you would be better off to purchase them from a trusted jeweller from your home town or city. That way should there be any warranty issues you will get good service from people you know and can go to any time.

My husband has bought me some very beautiful pieces over the years, and even bought me a tanzanite ring on the Carnival Valor in 2008. The ring is lovely, and when taken to my own jeweller to be certified for insurance purposes it was valued at more than he paid. However, we would likely never take that chance again. When spending that much money it's always nice to support your local community and buy from a trusted business. But this is just my opinion :)

experience has taught me that jewelry looses its value the minute you purchase it, you'll never get back what you paid for a diamond. as an investment there are lots of better options. but the one thing jewelry does afford is lots of meaning and memories. i always buy earrings everywhere i go and every time i wear them it brings back all the joy of the vacation, the people i was with, and the fun we all had.

your wife will love that you take the time to buy the earrings on board. they will always have special value irregardless if they are worth what you pay for them. choose what you and her like and enjoy and the memories will last as long as you both are around.

congratulations on 45. my grandparents made it to 66 so i'm sure you will have many more years to enjoy the meaning behind the earrings.

Unless you know diamonds and can estimate their value, would purchase from a reputable local jeweler with whom you have a relationship.

Personally I would not know a perfect stone from a piece of junk so would never take a chance buying this away from home.

experience has taught me that jewelry looses its value the minute you purchase it, you'll never get back what you paid for a diamond. as an investment there are lots of better options. but the one thing jewelry does afford is lots of meaning and memories. i always buy earrings everywhere i go and every time i wear them it brings back all the joy of the vacation, the people i was with, and the fun we all had.

 

your wife will love that you take the time to buy the earrings on board. they will always have special value irregardless if they are worth what you pay for them. choose what you and her like and enjoy and the memories will last as long as you both are around.

 

congratulations on 45. my grandparents made it to 66 so i'm sure you will have many more years to enjoy the meaning behind the earrings.

Wow, what a nice post. Sure beats some of the mud slinging one sees around here.

Personally I would not know a perfect stone from a piece of junk

Same for me....

experience has taught me that jewelry looses its value the minute you purchase it, you'll never get back what you paid for a diamond. as an investment there are lots of better options. but the one thing jewelry does afford is lots of meaning and memories. i always buy earrings everywhere i go and every time i wear them it brings back all the joy of the vacation, the people i was with, and the fun we all had.

 

your wife will love that you take the time to buy the earrings on board. they will always have special value irregardless if they are worth what you pay for them. choose what you and her like and enjoy and the memories will last as long as you both are around.

 

congratulations on 45. my grandparents made it to 66 so i'm sure you will have many more years to enjoy the meaning behind the earrings.

Wow a fellow user of irregardless. Determined to make it a word

You can take a class on board to learn about Diamonds. Definately price shop and look at them for clarity. We have been very happy with Jewelry bought in port and with a watch I bought on board. The prices were great compared to buying locally.

I bought my wife a gold necklace in St Thomas 15 years ago. I told the sales lady that it had to be strong enough becuase my wife worked in day care at the time and kids always pulled on chains. It has yet to break. They will help you find what you want, just don't give them a price range up front!

The one issue with purchases in the gift shop is that they report your purchases to Customs. Of course everyone is "supposed" to list their purchases and if they go over their allowance then they pay duty. I know for a fact they will check a list from the gift shop when you disembark to make sure you list it as one or your purchases...even if you have not exceeded your allowance. The last time we cruised they were doing this.

If you buy in one of the ports, you decide, right or wrong, if you claim your purchase. Some just wear 'em off the boat.

Besides, you will have a much better selection in a port. Just do your homework about what you expect to pay.

Im sure she will love it no matter where you buy it..... Very thoughtful!:D

experience has taught me that jewelry looses its value the minute you purchase it, you'll never get back what you paid for a diamond. as an investment there are lots of better options. but the one thing jewelry does afford is lots of meaning and memories. i always buy earrings everywhere i go and every time i wear them it brings back all the joy of the vacation, the people i was with, and the fun we all had.

 

your wife will love that you take the time to buy the earrings on board. they will always have special value irregardless if they are worth what you pay for them. choose what you and her like and enjoy and the memories will last as long as you both are around.

 

congratulations on 45. my grandparents made it to 66 so i'm sure you will have many more years to enjoy the meaning behind the earrings.

That is a good way of looking at it and I agree. I would not buy jewelry as an investment either. Whatever i pay for it is based upon what it is worth to me. Of course with the exception of my wedding set, I do not own any jewelry that i paid more than $150 for. :D

:)Bought a diamond ring in grand cayman never had a problem also bought on ship never had a problem. I just buy from the shops Carnival tells you to. Have fun and enjoy the cruise. It is an investment in love.

Have bought several pieces on board over the last 10 years or so. Most expensive being a tanzanite and diamond ring. I think I paid $600 for it. It is beautiful and I wear it every day. Never bought anything in port. My daughter bought a necklace she fell in love with in st. Thomas. She paid $2,000 for it, never did anything like this before. She had it appraised and it is definitly worth what she paid. I'm going again in May and I am sure I will come back with something. No regrets ever!!:o

Do your homework at home BEFORE you leave - price size & quality. Decent diamond earrings will come with an appraisal by a registered gemologist - including a photo and description with size, cut, color & clarity ratings. Visit a local jeweler and pick their brain a bit. Look at different sizes, cuts, and qualities. Then you can shop away from with a little more confidence - or find that the best deals are at home.

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! 45 years, wow!

I'd be cautious about buying diamonds or any other precious stone either onboard or in one of the ports. Definitely do some research ahead of time and get a good idea of what quality and prices are available in your local stores.

If you buy from the onboard shop you might have a better chance of a return if there is something wrong with your purchase. But as another poster said your purchase will be reported to Customs when you get back.

As for buying in ports...I'd just be super-careful about that. No doubt there are some great deals out there but there are no doubt some scams too and once you get back on the ship you may find it impossible to correct any problems.

Hope you have a great trip and can find the perfect pair of earrings, either at home or away!

We had been looking for a pair of diamond earrings to match a diamond necklace and diamond bracelet dh gave me for different occasions. We found a pair we liked when we cruised on Dream. We kept going back and back, as I am cheap and didn't want to spend the money. However, each time we went back the store clerks kept dropping the price. We had an idea of what the earrings would have cost in the U.S., and we know we got a great price. (ended up getting 20% employee discount from the manager, on top of the sale price CCL wanted) I love the earrings, and I love my dh even more!:D

Need help.Taking cruise on breeze in May.Wife wants new diamond ear rings from shop on board.For 45 wedding anniverary.Has anyone ever bought diamonds from shops? Also what carat? and how much? thanks.

Don't forget, Mother's Day is in May, and I'm sure you'll see lots of Mother's Day jewelry sales advertised on TV and in the paper. If your cruise is after Mother's Day, why not take advantage of one of the sales and get her ear rings from one of your local jewelers, as a combination Mother's Day / anniversary gift? You may find a better deal than what you'd get on the ship. And congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! We'll be celebrating our 26th anniversary on our upcoming cruise on the Liberty (along with my big 6-0 birthday).:D

I have 2 good friends who are jewelers. They both have cruised and will tell you that you're better off buying in the states. As my friend said,"...they all come from NY anyway". Plus, you're warranty is harder to take care of for a lost stone, re-rhodium white gold, etc. I have only bought one ring for my wife in St. Thomas. I bought it for $599, and it was appraised for over $2000.00. It was a sapphire (natural), and diamond ring. The color of the sapphire was brilliant.

First cruise, he got me 1/2 carat black (natural) diamond earrings set in 14k white gold. They came with screw backs and a COA. These appraised for about $100 more on land. I love them, wear them almost every day.

The second cruise, I got him a men's 14k white gold ring with channel set white and blue (treated/enhanced) diamonds. This ring could be found online for about $200 less than I paid. This also came with a COA, but they couldn't locate that until the last day.

Just like anything, there will be some bargins, and some rip offs. Buy what you love, up to what you can afford. Overall I still prefer buying jewelry onboard than in port (if you must buy it during the vacation). Sometimes they run sales toward the end of the cruise too.

Wow a fellow user of irregardless. Determined to make it a word

i love that word..irregardless of it being a real word or not. :D

i use it all the time and it drives my english major friend cray-ze! hehehe

it should be a word...we say it, people know what we mean...lol

Need help.Taking cruise on breeze in May.Wife wants new diamond ear rings from shop on board.For 45 wedding anniverary.Has anyone ever bought diamonds from shops? Also what carat? and how much? thanks.

as others have stated, shop locally so that you will have an idea what you are looking at when you get onboard.

there is a lot that goes in to determining the price of a diamond. for example, i have a friend who has a huge rock on her finger...huge diamond, but in my opinion, it's ugly. it may be several carats, but not pretty, it's dull, no sparkle.

my wedding ring is wayyy smaller than hers, but it sparkles brilliantly!

i believe there are 4 C's in determining the value of a diamond

Carat=weight

Clarity

Cut

Color

Each of the C's will determine the price of your diamond. The more facets (cut) on your diamond will cost you more...but this gives it that beautiful sparkle along with a great color and clarity.

You may pay more for a smaller diamond that's a better quality. For me, it's all about the cut and the sparkle. i love to see my diamonds sparkle.

I love it when the sun catches my hand or my earings and sends dancing rainbows around the room.

so bigger isn't always better...at least for me. for my friend, she's happy with her lackluster chunk of a diamond. i'll take my 1/4 the size of her ring anyday over hers.

i know i didn't really give you any details on prices etc, as these can change too due to price of gold.-which btw, gold, platinum etc can make a difference in price too.

you can always shop locally, and then while on the cruise, surprise her with the gift that you purchased in advance.

either way, she'll love them if they come from the heart!

Wow a fellow user of irregardless. Determined to make it a word

And I'm determined to make you stop :p

If you are going to buy any jewelry in ports, my opinion is to only buy from a large chain store like diamonds international. They are located on pretty much every island in the caribbean and have many locations in the states and other major countries so I feel more at ease buying with them over most places.

Don't do it. It's a suckers bet.