Jewelry in ports

Ok...just wanted some opinions on the jewelry stores in port. Effy, DI.

Are their prices comparable to what you find at home?

There were some gorgeous rings in the shops during my September Alaskan cruise.

Be very careful purchasing jewelry while on a cruise. When you have issues it can be very difficult to get assistance from a store that is thousands of miles away. Better to purchase locally so you can invest some time and get the best piece for the best price.

I agree w/being careful. I bought a watch that stopped running not long after I got back to the ship. Had battery replaced and still didn't work. Had to

send it to manufacturer insured at my own cost to get repaired.

Works fine now BUT was a hassle to get it running.

Don't do it. Just don't do it!

Do your research at home, really know what you want and what the cost might be. If you are talking a large sum of money (diamonds, gold, etc) I'd purchase from a jeweler close to home, so if there are any problems, they are easily solved.

If you are talking a simple souvenir, I found a small jeweler in Dawson City Yukon and watched him actually make a small gold ring with a mammoth ivory stone. Cost was only $99 so that's where I bought my jewelry.

In the Caribbean, I found tri-gold bracelet, ring & small turtle pendant at 40% sale. I was happy with the prices, so I made the purchase.

The last night of my New England Canada cruise, the jewelry store on-board the ship had a 50% off sale, so I purchased a small diamond pendant I had my eye on. Priced at $400 I wouldn't have bought it, but at $200, I felt it was a decent price.

And in Europe (Italy & Greece) I actually switched to silver for my jewelry purchases because gold was just toooooo expensive.

Only you know what you are interested in and what you are willing to pay. Don't be fooled by Diamonds International and the like. I'm sure you could find what you want closer to home for a decent price. Try name brand jewelers outlets if you want a better price. We have a Zale's Outlet that beats any regular jewelry store price.

We have had a very bad experience with a certain international diamond store. My eternity ring lost a diamond less than 6 months after purchase. They were impossible to deal with, you have absolutely no guarantee. In the UK such a problem would have resulted in replacement of the ring, we had to pay for it to be sent to New York, and pay for the diamond replacement. The problem was in the design of the setting, and in poor workmanship but they would accept no responsibility whatsoever.

Buy nearer home and if you are from the UK don't touch them with a barge pole!

Have bought many rings with all types of stones and settings from many small jewelers throughout the Caribbean, as well as some of the big-name chains. Have never been burned nor had a quality issue with a single one. (Knock on wood) :D

Bought a Citizen watch from a small shop on St. Thomas in 1995. The owner sized the band for me, I wore it out of the store and then every single day until 2012, when I finally replaced it. But it STILL runs like a charm.

I pay scant attention to which merchants the ships recommend because it's a business arrangement for them, not any real guarantee of quality. Many small, honest merchants get passed over because they can't afford to pay the cruise line a cut. Those are the ones I seek out because they want/need good word of mouth to stay in the game.

I pay a LOT of attention to the store, the merchandise, and the salesperson. If anything seems fishy, I walk away.

You have to trust your own judgment.

We've been dealing with the same Jeweler in St. Thomas for over 15 years. We even get Christmas cards from them. I ALWAYS recommend them to friends and family.

We bought expensive rings at a local jeweler at the port in St. Marten. A friend of ours who vacations there and worked in his store recommended him. I don't know if we are allowed to say the name of the store on CC but it would be a dancer who wears a tutu if that helps any.

I got a beautiful emerald and diamond ring and DH got a ruby. Our local jeweler looked at them and said there was no way he could have sold them to us for the price we got there.

I think the thing is to do your research and be careful where you shop. There are good deals to be had.

We bought expensive rings at a local jeweler at the port in St. Marten. A friend of ours who vacations there and worked in his store recommended him. I don't know if we are allowed to say the name of the store on CC but it would be a dancer who wears a tutu if that helps any.

 

I got a beautiful emerald and diamond ring and DH got a ruby. Our local jeweler looked at them and said there was no way he could have sold them to us for the price we got there.

 

I think the thing is to do your research and be careful where you shop. There are good deals to be had.

Yup, because in St Maarten the wholesellers give the jewelry stores a much better deal than anywhere else. It's a fact.

We've been dealing with the same Jeweler in St. Thomas for over 15 years. We even get Christmas cards from them. I ALWAYS recommend them to friends and family.

Yes, I know that store, and receive Xmas cards also...."Imp..." something (;)). Very nice store to deal with. I had made a purchase and 2 years later upgraded the item and they allowed the exact purchase price as a trade, word of mouth, no receipt required although I brought it with me. Not sure if they are on the ship list or not but I'd vouch for them...purchased a 5.5 ct tennis bracelet for $4000, a year later it was appraised by a independent jeweler (who had no vested interest in this) for almost 3 times that amount ($11k)...I'm a believer!

Know your jeweler is always good advice.

We have seen what appear what appears to the same stores in

Alaska

Mexico

St Thomas

St Martin

Bahamas

etc

etc

etc

Just amazing how many people buy jewelry from a store they will never see again (in most cases)

If you know what your doing you can get some great deals in Mexico. We usually pay one third of the original asking price. If it is a diamond my wife uses her small electronic diamond tester. The best deals are usually a couple of streets off of the beaten path. We have a key phrase if it something she really wants and I am the mean one that says NO.

trying to figure out the name of that jeweler. Going to St martins in Jan. Looking to buy a ring replacing the one my grand-daughter threw in the garbage. At two watching the garbage can cover go up and down amazed her. Didn't realize until it was too late to check. :(

We bought expensive rings at a local jeweler at the port in St. Marten. A friend of ours who vacations there and worked in his store recommended him. I don't know if we are allowed to say the name of the store on CC but it would be a dancer who wears a tutu if that helps any.

 

I got a beautiful emerald and diamond ring and DH got a ruby. Our local jeweler looked at them and said there was no way he could have sold them to us for the price we got there.

 

I think the thing is to do your research and be careful where you shop. There are good deals to be had.

Go to a jeweler that is recommended by the shopping director of the cruise. They guarantee the purchase. We purchased a very 5,000 ring in Alaska. When we got home I had it appraised. Its value was 1,400. I contacted the cruise line . They had us mail the ring to them. They sent it to an independent appraiser. We then received a full refund. So be careful.

Ok...just wanted some opinions on the jewelry stores in port. Effy, DI.

Are their prices comparable to what you find at home?

There were some gorgeous rings in the shops during my September Alaskan cruise.

trying to figure out the name of that jeweler. Going to St martins in Jan. Looking to buy a ring replacing the one my grand-daughter threw in the garbage. At two watching the garbage can cover go up and down amazed her. Didn't realize until it was too late to check. :(

.... a BALLERINA wears a tutu.....check it out

Also be careful using credit. A friend of mine bought some rings in Cozumel and a few months later someone tried to charge 500 on her card.

.... a BALLERINA wears a tutu.....check it out

I felt horribly pressured by the people in Diamonds International in Nassau this week. I walked out without buying anything. Effy was a different experience all together though. The woman who waited on us was funny, and I got something in my price range. Go to the jewel and gemstone talks before you go to port, because you will get amazing discounts that way. However, I found that DI was more expensive than what I'd find in the Mall here, and I didn't really expect that.

We've used the same jeweler for the last 10+ years. I adore him and we keep I touch all the time! He does amazing work.

We've been dealing with the same Jeweler in St. Thomas for over 15 years. We even get Christmas cards from them. I ALWAYS recommend them to friends and family.

Don't go to D.I. Learned my lesson the hard way.:(

All of the "recommended" stores the cruise ships give you have to pay % of their sales to the cruise line. I owned a fine jewelry store for many years in New Jersey and have a wonderful jeweler that we have used in St. Marteen for over 10 years. He has an office in NYC and has amazing quality and prices, he even lets you return and upgrade or exchange when you go back. It is called Dazzling Gems 10 Front Street. There are at least 50 of us who cruise that use him as well as friends who have homes on the island

I set in on a DI push onboard ship a couple of cruises back and couldn't believe what the woman was telling folks. She was telling folks that a diamond with a color of G or H and clarity of SI was a better diamond than a D with a VS or VVS rating. I thought I had misheard so raised my hand and asked if she could repeat that and she did. I then commented that a D color is a colorless and she kept saying "no it is a yellowish color". She kept telling folks how these G with an SI were your best buys and that was what they specialized in. Yes they will be more inexpensive but there is a reason and they aren't better than a D or E with a VS or VVS rating unless the cut is totally botched.