Please share your jewelry shopping tips!

[martdm]

I'd really appreciate any tips anyone has about shopping for jewelry in port.

[margie1221]

Diamonds International - specifically St. Maarten. Awesome customer service and terrific prices. Can upgrade or trade in pieces bought during previous trips (they have shops on practically every island as well as NYC, Miami and other major U.S. cities - just need to have your sales slip to verify you bought it at a Diamonds International store).

 

Are you looking for anything in particular???

[Shanafan]

I have great luck in St Maarten at Joe's Jewelry. Going back for the 4th time next week. Hope to come home with a nice piece or two ( or more ) :D

[ria]

St. Maarten, House of Tanzanite brand, great, Had damaged a ring and they repaired it cheap! Have shopped twice at Gems International 69A Front St. We drive a hard bargain and they always negotiate.

 

I love to do most of my shopping in St. Maarten. I've read others prefer St. Thomas... not me.

[FinelyCruising]

Going back to St Maarten in April just to shop for jewelery!

[Merion_Mom]

I agree with Lisa (Shanafan). Here's another vote for Joe's Jewelry in St. Maarten. Odd name for a fine jewelry store, but what the heck. The customer service and attention are patient and awesome. Sometimes when you are shopping in a port in the Caribbean, you go from store to store and see mostly the same pieces over and over again. At Joe's, they definitely had more items that we HADN'T seen in other stores. We went around and back and forth, and each time we came back to Joe's to check on the items again that we had liked, the price went down a little. :)

 

Carol

[jezzdogg]

forget the Islands. The cheapest jewelry and watch prices are on 47th street in NYC. There are two watch places that discount more than the Islands do and designer pieces are also discounted in many of the exchanges. Was speaking to a store owner and he wasked me where I was from...told him NYC. He said, that 95% of the jewelry sold on the islands come from 47th street

[FinelyCruising]

...but it's so much more fun to shop in the islands:)

[tootsieh]

Does anyone know the best place to buy John Hardy or David Yurman in St. Maarten or St. Thomas. Thanks

[FinelyCruising]

Thats what I have my eye on for this trip. I recall there were several stores which had one or the other, one was like a museum for Yurman. I don't remember the name but I'll find it when I get back there!

 

If you have not been, the stores are lined up on both sides of the street and it's a blast to shop. There is also a store which sells Lonchamps bags and the prices for the shoppers in all the colors and sizes were unbeleivable. Will be stopping there again too!

[truffles2]

tootsieh, A H Riise in St. Thomas has David Yurman and two places in St. Maarten--one a couple of doors down from the Casino where the tenders used to dock and the other down the same street in the direction of the new pier. They discount 10% (used to be 15%) and you also save sales tax so you will save about 18%.

[martdm]

forget the Islands. The cheapest jewelry and watch prices are on 47th street in NYC.

 

Thanks but, since I'll be cruising the islands and not NYC, this is pretty irrelevant.

 

Thanks everyone who provided their tips! Any good spots in Nassau?

[Bunt]

My sister and I have bought at Joe's Jewelry for years - see Steve (I think he's in the third store down as you walk into town - or just ask at the first store where he is located. He gives great service.

[bosteph]

My advice to anyone shopping for jewelry (anywhere) is to be an informed consumer. Shop around at home. This will give you an idea on the quality and price that you would have to pay in a store near you. Knowing the home price before you get there might help you to resist impulse buying.

 

I am a confirmed jewelry-aholic :D. It's sickness that I fully accept and I won't give it up!

[jlifeisgoodfaye]

And the BIGGEST tip I can provide is this.......don't drink the mimosa offered at jewelry stores! that leads to champagne without the orange juice and that leads to a HUGE credit card bill!!!!

 

I also recommend taking their price, whatever it is on whatever kind of jewelry, cut it in half and negociate up from there. But, you won't remember to do this if you're drinking the mimosa!!

[Gem Lover]

I am also a Jewelry addict. I have read many books on diamonds and colored gemstones. It is important to be an informed consumer. I find the prices on colored gemstones to be quite good in the Caribbean. There are a few stones that we don't see too much of in the US. The list includes Imperial Topaz which ranges in color from a sherry red to a pale yellow, Tsvarorite Garnet which is kelly green in color (it is as lucious as an emerald without the inclusions), Aquamarine, that is a true glazier ice blue (in the States it looks almost colorless) and the tourmaline family which has pink, green,& watermelon to name a few. Pink tourmaline is beginning to become more popular in the states, but try going into a store and asking to see an Apetite stone.

I should really start a start a support group for jewelry addicts, but I really don't want to be cured. I like Majesty jewelers in St. Marten and I've done well at Kay's and Joe's jewelers. I don't buy diamonds except from our family jeweler. Nobody gives diamonds away. There are too many variables and I'd rather deal with someone I know and trust. Omni is great for gold both in St. Marten & St. Thomas. Check out prices before you cruise. For gold you want to know what the gram weight is, so you can make a comparison.

Have fun and happy shopping,

Gem

[khank]

Jezzdogg - We're going to be in NYC at the end of March. Are there any specific jewelry stores on 47th Street that you recommend? Thanks for any info you can provide!

[clbdsnygrl]

Here are some tips for buying jewelry anywhere :)

 

Be informed before you buy.

 

If you are buying diamonds you are NOT going to get a great deal overseas; any reputable diamond merchant will base their prices off of the current Rapaport Rap sheet. Anyone who is trying to sell way below Rap prices is probably not selling you a diamond! Be on the lookout for diamond simulants (CZ, YAG, GGG, moissanite, etc). Only buy a diamond that has been certified by a reputable grading lab; GIA and AGS are two of the most reputable!

 

For colored stones; ask about treatments. A good jeweler will tell you if a stone has been treated and they will give you instructions on how to care for your stone. There are a vast majority of color enhancing treatments that are not stable and exposure to heat can cause the stone to change color.

[Philly Steve]

And...always, always ask "Is this your BEST price?"

[jezzdogg]

If you e-mail me at Jezzdogg@aol.com I will send you some names of the watch places and the places that discount the designer piesces, such as Roberto Coin, David Yurman way more than the Islands do. For Gold me use Summit II. He is on the left side of the block, if you were walkig up 47th street toward 5th Ave. He is in the middlle of the block. His ex-wife has the orginal summit store on the other side of the street, but her selection is poorer and her gold prices considerbly higher. Remember when buy gold, to have them weigh the piece in front of you and give you the price her gram they are charging you.

[emmy]

Great thread here and I am learning lots :)

 

I have also purchased at Joe's Jewelry in St. Martin and plan to visit again in April. I actually prefer the jewelry shopping in St. Martin and just seem to find the things I want there.

 

Emmy

[judy&steve]

You are right -- everybody and their brother owns a shop in St Maarten or St Thomas. After a while it all looks the same. I would never buy anything at Diamonds International. I think they are very expensive and their stuff is seen in every store on the island. Their watch prices are especially high.

We have been pricing a certain watch stateside for about a year. The prices vary a lot between stores here as well. Most good (non-mall stores) jewelry stores will discount whatever the manufacturer allows. You don't have to ask for it, they just do it. This particular watch was priced at $X at the mall store and $X-20% at other stores. The price was still a little high. When we saw the watch at DI, they wanted the same $X as the original store in the mall. This was their best price. We wound up at Little Switzerland and found the same watch in St. M for a lot less than the store at home. By then, it was a good price and Steve really wanted it. Could be that the watch was already last year's model, but we bought it. Little Switz also has Roberto Coin jewelry which is discounted exactly as much as our store in Baltimore discounts it. The only difference is the tax and you will wind up paying duty if you go over the allowance.

I bought an alexandrite ring in Aruba years ago. I was so nervous that it was fake, but it turned out to be the real deal. I took it to several different jewelers before any of them felt comfortable appraising it. I did have the option of returning the ring. It appraised at EXACTLY the same price we paid for it. I was pleased that it wasn't fake. No one is giving anything away in the Caribbean or 47th STreet! We supposedly got the ring for half price and what we got was a beautiful stone in a mediocre setting for exactly what it is worth.

Bottom line --

If you love it and have to have it, then buy it.

[SlightDraw]

My advice is do a little homework. We new the DW needed an upgrade to her diamond earrings. 1 tcw..looked around here before, decided on cut, clarity, color. In St. Thomas we did some shopping. We went to them all, with those numbers in mind so we could somewhat compare......Bought from Bouchands in St. Thomas. It wasnt one of those glamorous places, with all the glass cases and tones of sales people. Nope, just the owners wife and son. They also sold camersa, film etc. Not the place you would think would be the deal. Wrong. I got 1 tcw way under than state side. Bouchands appraised way over what I payed. Came home and a local jewler apraised way over that and was impressed. I asked him how they can sell for so much less. Volume he says.

 

Also, in St. Marteen the son was treated to some gold and silver chains an NBA player would be gealous of. And it did not crack my credit card.

[bosteph]

One more thing on CZ's...

 

My jeweler has warned me that sometimes the makers of CZ's will put some small inclusions in them to make them seem "real". You can't assume that a slightly included stone is "real".

 

I have real stones, created stones and simulated stones. I knew what each of them were at the time of purchase and paid accordingly. Just make sure that you ask lots of questions.

 

Good luck on your purchases - I hope that you pick up something fabulous :D.