Diamond shopping - advice please!

My bf and I are thinking about buying a loose diamond while in St. Thomas or St. Maarten. I've done a bunch of research already about what we want to get and have read a lot of the recent posts on this board. I'm looking for some more advice/suggestions/words of wisdom from those of you who have experience. What stores are reputable? How much in savings should I expect? Any bargaining tips? Any warnings or horror stories I should know about? Any info would be much appreciated!! Thanks!! ;o)

Do as much research as possible prior to your trip. Decide what size of diamond and qualities you are looking for. Choose what style of ring setting you want also.

Visit as many jewelers in your area and make notes on prices, qualities etc. Take all of this with you on your cruise.

Contact some of the jewelers prior to your trip via email and tell them what you are shopping for. Try to be as specific as possible. When you arrive at their store they will have a few pieces set aside just for uyou to look at. You are no not just one of the masses but a friend they have been coresponding with. Most of the jewelers spend at least an hour or so a day in the evening catching up on their email.

There are a few bargaining tips and things specific to the Caribbean shopping experience on our website, such as being the first customer of the day etc. Shopping for jewelry in the Caribbean can be a very nice experience if you are fully informed.

CaribbeanBlue

http://www.*****.org

All regular SXM visitors will have their favorite jewelers.

We've been visiting St. Maarten since 1981, and dealing with the Alwani family, which owns both Shiva's and Trident, across from each other on Front Street, for over 15 years. We really appreciate their attention, the selection and the great prices. They specialize in upscale pieces and larger diamonds, but have a great overall selection, especially in nice loose stones.

Your best tool is education. Learn about diamonds and other jewels for what makes a quality stone or setting. Run down to your local jeweler before you leave and look at the items that you may be interested in buying. Learn all that you can about the pieces. Check what their price is when they have their “50% off” and the "we pay the sales tax" sales. Remember, no sales tax down island -- that by itself would save well over $100 on a $1500 purchase here in California.

When you get to SXM, visit the shops and price the items you checked out at home. Compare prices along Front Street, the service from the various shops, and how comfortable you feel with the sales staff. Also check out how cold their free beers are.:)

For us this means buying from Shiva's or Trident. If you go, be sure to ask for Gary and Mary Ann's special discount. Work with any of their crew, but ask if Ajay, Varkha or Raj are available for special treatment.

Also, we often work with Shiva's via e-mail to purchase jewelry for friends here. In the past several years we've facilitated several rings, several diamond tennis bracelets, a couple of diamond pendants and numerous sets of earrings.

gary

Thanks Gary! I e-mailed Shiva's and Trident - hopefully they have what I'm looking for!

I saw your post, over on the St. Thomas board, that the stores don't have what you're looking for.

Care to share with us what that is? Our friends have several thousand loose diamonds in stock, and even though it is low season, I'd guess that if what you are looking for is less than 10 carats they will have it.

Send me an e-mail (it's in my profile here) if you would like to discuss further.

gary