Tanzanite International - opinions

[ClaudiaB]

OK so I love tanzanite. It's beautiful. Anyone know if the so-called "deals" at Tanzanite International (or the Diamonds Intl.) are any good, and is it a rip-off, or can I honestly get something nice?

I'd like to if it's worth it. I've been in those stores on the islands dozens of times, talked to them, listened to the sales pitches. But I'm not stupid, I just wondered if anyone had any real experience. You know, with actually purchasing something and getting an appraisal at their trusted jeweler back home, etc.

Sailing on Equinox again on 3/11 and just might do some shopping.....

[Essiesmom]

I purchase things that I like...I'm not looking for a steal, but I do tend to stick to the clearance bins, and bargain like crazy. If you know what you are looking at, and like the price, go for it. I have never had any purchase appraised...I wear for the look/beauty. EM

[biker1972]

Don't believe the hype you hear on board from the the shopping "expert" who is just a shill for the companies that pay to be exclusive to the ship's shopping guide. Unless you are an expert, you won't know the value of anything that is put in front of you, and remember that even at home there is a huge mark-up in jewelery/gems. That said, if you find something that you like and the price fits your budget, you should consider the purchase. There are no guantees in life, so have fun; just don't expect a $1000 ring to be worth $1000. ;)

[2SeaWithMe]

I purchased a tennis style diamond & tanzanite bracelet and diamond & tanzanite earrings in 2004 on our honeymoon. I honestly only wanted the bracelet and was half bargaining for fun...the bracelet was listed at $825 and I paid I believe $375 for both.

 

Of course, this was 2004 and gold was considerably less expensive at that time. I have never had them appraised but our my in-laws are jewelers. I'd obviously still have to pay them for a full appraisal, but they did verify that the quality was exactly as stated, and I would have likely paid around $750ish for the bracelet in the states (in 2004). The tanzanite was a good quality purplish blue and not the amethyst looking stones I've been seeing more often lately.

 

Now THAT being said..I wandered in and out of some DI and TI international stores in a Nov. cruise and I was astounded by how overpriced everything was. No one in those stores were doing any type of bargaining and they wanted ridiculous prices for everything.

 

For example, a green amethyst and diamond 14k ring, with the amethyst being approx. 2 cts and the diamonds small and of ok quality (surrounding a marquise cut amethyst) they wanted...drumroll....$1900. The gentleman at the counter came down approx. $100 and kept telling me I wouldn't have to pay taxes. I have similar rings at home I've gotten at places like gemstv (when they were around) or bidz or sam's club and paid possibly a 1/10 of that.

 

I think with the price of Gold, and the sheer number of these outlets now just steps from each other, in my experience I saw no bargains. Now, I have no experience if you're someone who will drop $10,000 on a right hand ring, to know if you can do better in that store. I like to buy genuine pieces, in the $100 to $700 range, but I'm also not above buying gold plated silver if it's really cheap. I don't buy "costume" jewelry in the sense of what department stores sell because I know I can get something better for $30 more with genuine stones.

[Italy52]

About 6 years ago we went to Tanzanite International and purchased a ring, a necklace, and a pair of earrings. When I got back home I had the items appraised --- appraisal came in about $100 more than we paid. My jeweler told me he could have matched the price had we told him ahead of time what we were interested in. Always pays to check locally before buying on vacation. The jewelery settings were the main attraction for us as we had not seen anything like it locally. Fortunately, we came out ahead --- other stories I have read were not as fortunate.

[gilmanalex]

Their prices are a little "interesting". We were in St Thomas last spring and were looking at some diamond stud earrings. I actually had to pull up Blue Nile on my phone and compare prices. Sure what they were offering was about 500 dollars cheaper but it was white gold vs. platinum and the stones had more inclusions more color etc. In order to even get them down this low our "diamond buyer" or whatever the name is of the girl on the ship that does the shopping had to go back there and whisper things to them. It was all BS we all know they get a kickback for incentivizing our sales.

They basically brought out lower level stuff and were saying "see it's way cheaper". When they realized we knew our 4C's and were shopping for higher end that's when it became apparent their prices were the same if not worse. They simply didn't carry what we were looking for. I had to tell my GF that "look, if a 'diamond is forever' you may as well pay $500 more and get what you really want".

[Kellie Poodle]

Before the mid 90's I don't think I even heard of the gem. Does anyone else here remember back in the late 1990's when Home Shopping Network was telling everyone to buy Tanzanite NOW because the mines were running out?

 

It seems that I've heard that claim several times in the last decade and still they open whole stores selling the stuff. Quite a feat for a gem that was supposed to be no longer obtainable by the year 2000 ;)

 

I agree that it is a pretty, colored, semi-precious stone, but is it really rare? Is it really worth what they are charging?

Edited February 17, 2011 by Kellie Poodle

[kitty9]

Don't get fooled by "fake" tanzanite. Unless you really know the stones, you really can get ripped off. First, make sure it's not lab created. They're doing that a lot lately. Second, make sure it's not been laser treated to enhance the color. And finally, the best and most expensive stones are NOT light in color. I see some of those shopping channels selling tanzanite that's very light lilac in color. That's not a good stone. Real tanzanites are deep blue/purple with some red highlights deep in the stone. A really good tanzanite can run as much as $5k a carat.

 

Shop at home first before buying anything on an island. I've found a lot of those stores are no better than snake oil salesmen. Just because the ship recommends a store doesn't guarantee they're honest. It just means the store paid the cruise line for their advertisement.

[Italy52]

Before the mid 90's I don't think I even heard of the gem. Does anyone else here remember back in the late 1990's when Home Shopping Network was telling everyone to buy Tanzanite NOW because the mines were running out?

 

It seems that I've heard that claim several times in the last decade and still they open whole stores selling the stuff. Quite a feat for a gem that was supposed to be no longer obtainable by the year 2000 ;)

 

I agree that it is a pretty, colored, semi-precious stone, but is it really rare? Is it really worth what they are charging?

 

I do remember being told the mines were running out. In fact, DH and I just heard that statement a couple of days ago on something we were watching as we were changing channels. We had a good laugh over that one. :)

[Lsimon]

Tanzinite International is a division of Diamonds International.

 

Try Googling either company's name and you'll see a few web sites reporting major complaints. Try googling either name along with the word "complaints" or "rip-off" and you'll see so many complaints you won't ever want to get close to the place!

 

These places are well known as marketing through cruise lines' "recommend" lists or referrals from "on-board shopping consultants". All Cruise Lines have these operations and they are run by a third party contractor. The dirty secret here is that this is basically a huge misinformation, con like, advertising/marketing scheme. I say this as the "recommendations" and "consultants" are presented in manner that makes it look like they are presented by the cruise line based on due diligence or some sort of quality review. In fact they are based on an advertising program where the only qualification is the payment of advertising fees and/or commissions. Most cruisers totally miss this fact and believe they are going to stores that have been screened for some sort of quality performance as opposed to those which have paid for the recommendations and referrals. The on-board shopping consultant is a employee of the third party advertising/marketing company.

 

Of course with all that said, the whole operation of these stores is gigantic with locations in nearly every port frequented by cruise ships cruising from the USA and probably elsewhere as well. They must have many thousands of customers a good percentage of which must be happy with their purchases. The bottom line is that you need to be a knowledgeable shopper and not just rely on the "reputation" of the store. You also have to accept the risk of shopping at a store that you can't just walk into to dicuss a problem without returning to the island or port of call.

[gentlemancruiser]

OK so I love tanzanite. It's beautiful. Anyone know if the so-called "deals" at Tanzanite International (or the Diamonds Intl.) are any good, and is it a rip-off, or can I honestly get something nice?

I'd like to if it's worth it. I've been in those stores on the islands dozens of times, talked to them, listened to the sales pitches. But I'm not stupid, I just wondered if anyone had any real experience. You know, with actually purchasing something and getting an appraisal at their trusted jeweler back home, etc.

Sailing on Equinox again on 3/11 and just might do some shopping.....

 

Because you don't want to be ripped off, the best thing I can say is SAVE your money and purchase something of quality and value at home! It may not have the sentimental value of being bought in an exotic port, but at least you'll be getting a much better deal.

Having been to several Caribbean islands on land based vacations before I discovered the wonderful world of cruising I was amazed how shops would charge higher prices when cruise ship's in port. It still happens in Key West and several other ports. It happened at a Little Switzerland store in St. Maarten a few years ago when I was staying for a week. The jewelry prices went down by 45% after the ships left for the day.

[Gwendy]

OK so I love tanzanite. It's beautiful. Anyone know if the so-called "deals" at Tanzanite International (or the Diamonds Intl.) are any good, and is it a rip-off, or can I honestly get something nice?

I'd like to if it's worth it. I've been in those stores on the islands dozens of times, talked to them, listened to the sales pitches. But I'm not stupid, I just wondered if anyone had any real experience. You know, with actually purchasing something and getting an appraisal at their trusted jeweler back home, etc.

Sailing on Equinox again on 3/11 and just might do some shopping.....

 

I spent some time in the DI store in Cabo san Lucas, it was a very hot day and the store was air conditioned, while I was waiting for an excursion.

 

I was browsing and the salesperson decided I was the shopper of the day. The earrings and ring I was looking at came in at $2500, by the time I had left, my excursion was going, they were down to $1000. Still too dear for me. But my feeling is if they can drop the price that much in 20 minutes what would I have really been getting????

[Gwendy]

OK so I love tanzanite. It's beautiful. Anyone know if the so-called "deals" at Tanzanite International (or the Diamonds Intl.) are any good, and is it a rip-off, or can I honestly get something nice?

I'd like to if it's worth it. I've been in those stores on the islands dozens of times, talked to them, listened to the sales pitches. But I'm not stupid, I just wondered if anyone had any real experience. You know, with actually purchasing something and getting an appraisal at their trusted jeweler back home, etc.

Sailing on Equinox again on 3/11 and just might do some shopping.....

 

I spent some time in the DI store in Cabo san Lucas, it was a very hot day and the store was air conditioned, while I was waiting for an excursion.

 

I was browsing and the salesperson decided I was the shopper of the day. The earrings and ring I was looking at came in at $2500, by the time I had left, my excursion was going, they were down to $1000. Still too dear for me. But my feeling is if they can drop the price that much in 20 minutes what would I have really been getting????

[spencerdrivecruiser]

For what its worth I would put Park West Galleries and DI AND TI on the same level of integrity. Enough said?

[Lsimon]

For what its worth I would put Park West Galleries and DI AND TI on the same level of integrity. Enough said?

 

Yes.

 

I wrote a post someplace a few weeks ago that I think it is terrible that the cruise lines in general, and Celebrity in particular, have these types of marketing activities on board. I truly hate deceptive marketing that skirts the rules but at the same time has all sorts of deceptive practices such as using shills and hiding true relationships. While I'm sure that a good percentage of their customers might be happy I also have no doubt that most of their customers wouldn't buy if they were fully informed of all the facts and relationships involved in these marketing programs.

[bellybutton530]

Not for me. I keep walking past their stores.

[chezcarp]

DH and I looked for several years for a tanzanite and never saw any real "deals." We ended up buying a stone in Grand Caymen and, because it wasn't set, it was duty-free.

Edited February 18, 2011 by chezcarp
typo

[ORV]

One thing to note though, just because a store is on the ship approved list doesn't mean it's bad. I just don't use that as a prerequisite as to where I shop when on vacation.

 

I use my own judgement. On our last cruise we were in some jewelry store and inquired as to the size of a diamond which I knew was in the 20 point to 35 point range. The sales girl said they didn't have them marked and asked her supervisor. I was told by him it was a 1/2 carat. when I questioned that he said well maybe it's not that large. I turned to my wife and said, "I'm not comfortable shopping here, let's go." Any major purchase you are going to make it's important to be pre informed.

[Essiesmom]

Just to illustrate a paradox...Celebrity ships (and Cunard) have HStern jewelry shop onboard...But they are not on the recommended list for the ports (only shops I know of are in St. Thomas) because a few years ago, they decided not to participate in the payback... EM

[CruisinCadie]

In 2007, in Cabo, Dh bought me a tanzanite ring. It was an eternity setting, with diamond chips in between the tanzanite. I had it appraised when we got home and I learned it was worth about $50 less than we had paid for it. My thought was, okay, we could probably have headed for the door one more time and they'd have come down the last $50. Did I get a good deal? No. Was I WAY overcharged? No. And it's a lovely ring and goes well with some of my dressier outfits, so I'm happy with it.

 

Kathy

[driscruisers]

I agree with some of the other posters, you have to be somewhat educated in what you are looking to get and do your homework as to what something may cost in the states. They can tell you its tax and uty free all they want, but most times they have the prices jacked up so they can lower the price and show you "what an amazing deal they are giving you!"

We just bought a beautiful Tanzinite and diamond ring from DI in St. Maarten. It's amazing how the numbers on their little calculators keep dropping every time you walk towards the door.

We bought some stuff from a store in Cozumel last year and got an amazing deal on a 1 carat ruby pendant and a pair of 1/2 carat tanzinite earrings, the store wasnt on the ships recommended list. Had them appraised in the states, both were worth just about $500 more than what we paid! So there are deals to be had, just don't be afraid to go outside of the ships recommended shopping and don't fall for DI or TI being the only game in town.

[misterbuds]

We were in St. Martin three or four years ago with some friends of ours. We went into one of the jewlery stores right in that pier area. Not sure of which store, but it was one of those listed in the cruise ships flyers. My husbands friend was looking for a high end watch, can't recall the name. He knew his price as he had checked back in the States before he left. Prices were the same if not higher he said.

 

Funny thing was that while he was looking at the watches, us girls were just casually looking through the cases at some of the jewelry when one of the salesmen approached us and commented on my diamond/sapphire ring that my husband had purchased for me from a reputable jeweler back home for our 5th anniversary. I always get comments from people on the ring as it is a very pretty sapphire blue. But, what got me was he asked to see my hand and the ring on my finger and then proceeded to say to me, what a lovely tanzanite ring!!! I politely corrected him and said it was a sapphire. He appeared shocked. What I was thinking was "Buddy, Your a jeweler?? If you can't tell the difference between a sapphire and tanzanite, do you really think i would ever buy jewelry from you???"

 

We all were laughing about it on the way back to the ship. Like everyone says, educate yourself before you go so you know your prices and what you are looking for. You don't want to be taken, especially on such an expensive purchase.

[cecil1]

For what its worth I would put Park West Galleries and DI AND TI on the same level of integrity. Enough said?

 

Why do people pay good money for a cruise to an exotic Island or two, and then spend their time their trying to beat a "bargain" out of a jewellery stand? If you are spending good money on a jewel, why buy it from someone you will never see again? Your local store will give you the same deal, and if thing breaks will fix it. Why not find a 'happy hour' and drink cheap pina coladas or beer and forget the stress?

 

I just don't get people on cruises buying gems with poor warranties, and missing the Island they paid to get to!?! Why not just sit at home and watch the Shoppers Channel? Way cheaper, and they have a guarantee.

Barbara:confused:

[cecil1]

Yes.

 

I wrote a post someplace a few weeks ago that I think it is terrible that the cruise lines in general, and Celebrity in particular, have these types of marketing activities on board. I truly hate deceptive marketing that skirts the rules but at the same time has all sorts of deceptive practices such as using shills and hiding true relationships. While I'm sure that a good percentage of their customers might be happy I also have no doubt that most of their customers wouldn't buy if they were fully informed of all the facts and relationships involved in these marketing programs.

 

 

If you ever want the fright of your life, look up the chats on Art auctions at Sea. They are the most fraudulent, rip-off artisians going. On shore, they would be arrested immediately. Their side step is that once you are out of American jurisdiction ( being Canadian, I don't know exactly the miles............but I thiink it is less than 100 miles) they are not legislated by US rules.

 

They will sell you a Rembrandt etching for $500....frame it, ship it to your :)............'ya right!! The real deal should be about $8000.00!

 

They have been thrown off the high-end cruise lines. I hope Celebrity is next?

Cheers, Barbara

[jere1mt]

Several years ago while shopping at a TI store in St.Thomas my wife found a pair of tanzanite earrings that she liked. We knew we could not buy as large stones as she might want but the salesperson assured us that we could up grade at anytime in the future and they would credit us with what we had paid as long as we had our paperwork. We bought what we could afford at the time and on our next cruise we planned on upgrading them to larger stones. We took the earrings and the paperwork back to the same store in ST. Thomas but we were told that they don't upgrade tanzanite stones only diamonds. The store manager said it must have been a new salesperson who was misinformed about the guaranteed upgrade that they supposidly offer. You can't beleive anything they say.

Edited February 22, 2011 by jere1mt