Jewelry Scam in Cozumel

[lander6991]

Buyers beware! My family was told by RCL that shopping in the plaza by the pier was safe and recommended, HA! I have been battling with the store and my credit card co for months. We cruised in March of 2017.

 

I purchased what I was told was genuine tanzanite and diamond jewelry from a store called Opalo Cuzamil. When I got home, one of the "diamonds" fell out. When I took it in to be repaired, I was told it was all FAKE! Cubic Zirconia. I had to have it appraised, which cost me more money. Capital One is dragging me over the coals about covering me for the fraud. I will not be putting it back in my wallet!!

 

Please do not waste your money on anything other than cheap tourist items and Tequila while in Cozumel.

[nascarcruiser]

Come to find out the tanzanite I bought was a synthetic stone. I was upset at first but then was like ok could I tell it was fake nope. Odds are a real one wouldn't have been affordable. Just remember if the price is too good to be true there's a reason

[crewsweeper]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and providing a warning to others. Caveat emptor.

 

I've always suspected these jewelry store that pop up in every port are mostly scams. Why any one would want to wait until a cruise port to purchase items available from reputable jewelers at home, is beyond my comprehension and experience. I can understand if it is something unique to the area. but tanzanite and diamonds and gold jewelry are available at your local mall.

 

Any tax $ or small "discount" you might save will disappear if there is something wrong once you get home.

[hammer76]

Shopping in Cozumel can be as safe as at home. You can save a good bit of money compared to prices in the US. Educate yourself before you go on what you want. You can find good deals on diamonds, gold, silver...... and tequila.

[geeko1]

my daughters engagement ring came from coz and it turned her finger green. the idea that shopping in coz is as safe as at home is absurd.

[Purvis1231]

Yes, it easy to get taken so before you buy walk away and check the price and reputation on the internet. We bought some titanium wedding bands but when got home we saw them in Walmart cheaper.

[Keith1010]

Sorry about your experience.

 

Did you purchase the item with a credit card? If so, any recourse to have them stop payment to the jeweler?

 

Keith

[perditax]

I don't see how the average consumer, even if they "do their homework", would be able to differentiate real gems from created, what type of metal they're looking at, etc.

[geeko1]

I don't see how the average consumer, even if they "do their homework", would be able to differentiate real gems from created, what type of metal they're looking at, etc.

 

 

bingo that

[Cuervosar]

Buyers beware! My family was told by RCL that shopping in the plaza by the pier was safe and recommended, HA! I have been battling with the store and my credit card co for months. We cruised in March of 2017.

 

I purchased what I was told was genuine tanzanite and diamond jewelry from a store called Opalo Cuzamil. When I got home, one of the "diamonds" fell out. When I took it in to be repaired, I was told it was all FAKE! Cubic Zirconia. I had to have it appraised, which cost me more money. Capital One is dragging me over the coals about covering me for the fraud. I will not be putting it back in my wallet!!

 

Please do not waste your money on anything other than cheap tourist items and Tequila while in Cozumel.

 

You got ripped off at a tourist trap? Shocking.

 

Honestly, what did you think was going on?

 

On the other hand, I can take care of Capitol One for you. Small upfront fee, bit of a contract but no worries, I'll clear it up. Do it all the time.

 

PT Barnum lives!

[Keith1010]

I don't see how the average consumer, even if they "do their homework", would be able to differentiate real gems from created, what type of metal they're looking at, etc.

 

I agree.

 

This is why unless we are purchasing something very inexpensive or a name brand from a jeweler we have checked out a ahead of time we never purchase jewelry on a cruise. Instead, even if we pay more we purchase it at home not only at reputable jewelers but also where we can take our time and not make a quick decision that we might regret because we decided to quickly.

[sid_9169]

For the life of me, I can't see how anyone would even consider buying "diamond" jewelry in a Caribbean port, where there is absolutely no recourse once you return home and find out you've been had...

[perditax]

For the life of me, I can't see how anyone would even consider buying "diamond" jewelry in a Caribbean port, where there is absolutely no recourse once you return home and find out you've been had...

 

I'm really curious how the whole thing got started, how jewelry came to be associated with cruises and cruise ports. I just tried a quick google, found this so far:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-glass/cruise-ships-financially-_b_1531590.html

 

...and stuff like this, no end:

 

https://www.today.com/money/jewels-purchased-vacation-destinations-may-be-overpriced-t12481

 

I actually started a thread about a week ago asking about buying lower-end jewelry during my next trip (because I really know nothing about this), and it seems I'm much better off with the cheap stuff on Amazon that admits it's fake to begin with.

Edited August 20, 2017 by perditax

[wannasail4ever]

I do not know the name of the store, but it was inside the port shopping area in Cozumel where RCCL normally docks. This store was one of the first businesses on the left coming off of the ship. The salesperson tried to sell me about a 12 ct. Tanzanite stone for $400. It even was taken out of a box that still had packing "stuff" on it. This dude was really a hard sell too. Of course, knowing jewelry as I do, I knew that there was no way it was anything but synthetic. Best advice: Do your homework and know what you are looking at and should be paying for. I have purchased several items in St. Thomas that were appraised higher than what I paid. All were from stores with stateside service if needed. No compaints. Favorite store: Imperial Jewelers in St. Thomas. Huge word of mouth recommendations.

 

Macy

[bptex]

I bought my wife's engagement ring from Diamonds International in Key West and it actually had real diamonds and was real gold. I know this because after having them repair it twice and rebuild it once I finally had a local jeweler melt it down and reconstruct the whole thing. Thankfully the raw materials were as described, the workmanship though left a lot to be desired.

 

You are saving the sales tax by buying internationally, that's about the only benefit.

[Anyislandwilldo]

My son in law bought my daughter's wedding set in Jamaica for $1900. After he got home the stone was coming out so he had to send it to New York to get repaired. After he had his appraisal done, it was valued at $4000.00. There are some positive stories out there but maybe he just got lucky.

[xcell]

My son in law bought my daughter's wedding set in Jamaica for $1900. After he got home the stone was coming out so he had to send it to New York to get repaired. After he had his appraisal done, it was valued at $4000.00. There are some positive stories out there but maybe he just got lucky.

 

Don't Appraisers increase the value for insurance purposes?