Jewelry stores in port

[sjnc]

My husband and I are sailing on the Carnival Breeze in May. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary.

We have talked about getting anniversary bands. We would like something unique. Does anyone have suggestions on where to shop in the ports of

Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas, or Grand Turk

Thank you,

sjnc

[cb at sea]

If you're looking for a "bargain", you probably won't find that at any of your ports.  If you simply want something...then if you find something you like, buy it.

 

San Juan and St. Thomas are American territories...absolutely NO bargains there.  Amber Cove is a "manufactured" port for the cruise line.....it's like a private island, but it's not entirely the same as most (which are simply extensions of the ship).  Can't help with Grand Turk.

 

You might want to google "jewelry stores" for all of your ports...see what you come up with.

 

Used to be, good bargains could be found, but that ship sailed long ago!

[Essiesmom]

What constitutes 'unique' to you?  Think about it.  Look online.  Ask in local jewelry stores.  Attend local arts festivals, the larger the better.  I have many unique pieces of jewelry that I have purchased from the artisans at arts festivals.  Have an idea of what you are looking for and price.  then visit the jewelry stores in port and see if there is anything you like.  Know the value of what you are looking at.  

   When in port, check out all of the stores, not just the ones recommended by the cruise line, and they are recommended because they give a kickback to the 'shopping expert'.  EM

[Suzanne123]

I’ve been cruising the Caribbean for almost 30 years, and the jewelry stores are not what they used to be.  I used to buy jewelry on almost every trip from Little Switzerland or Cardows, but the prices and quality are not any better today than what I can get at a local independent jewelry store ( not a chain that you see in the mall) or bluenile.com.  YMMV.

At the very least, price some rings locally for comparison before you get to the islands. 

 Congratulations on the anniversary, and I hope you find something pretty.

 

 

[marco]

Save your time and just enjoy the ports.  There are many jewelers here in the states where you can design and they will make bands.  That way you will get EXACTLY what you want.  Happy Anniversary!!!!!!

 

 

[George C]

We really like imperial jewelry in st Thomas bought my wife’s engagement ring there 29 years ago and many other things over the years , really good people and prices 

[Hlitner]

My advice to the OP is shop at home (or at very reputable companies online) with merchants that you respect and trust.  The tales of great bargains for quality jewelry in the Caribbean are greatly exaggerated.

 

Hank

[1025cruise]

Buy at home from a reliable jeweler.

 

[George C]

Just looked at TripAdvisor reviews for imperial jeweler in st Thomas it has 562 excellent votes out of a total of 578. 

[sjnc]

Thank you all for your advice. Not sure what we will do

[donaldsc]

None of the above.  Go to your local full service non-chain jewelry store or a local craft show.

 

I don't do jewelry but a friend who does buy jewelry and knows what she is buying has told me that if you don't know jewelry, make sure that you know your jeweler.

 

DON 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations on your 50th.

 

Shop at home!!  Better quality and better prices.

[simplyrubies]

Perhaps you could make a compromise - buy a nice anniversary band back home, where you are likely to find better quality for better prices. This would also give you time to shop around and compare prices. Once you arrive at the port, if budget allows, perhaps you can pop into a jewelry store to pick a small piece for yourself and your husband. Then you can pick what you like without having to worry about having to settle for something you don't like or buying something for fear of potentially missing a good find later on down the road.

 

Happy 50th anniversary!

[zqvol]

On 3/9/2019 at 5:02 AM, sjnc said:

My husband and I are sailing on the Carnival Breeze in May. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary.

We have talked about getting anniversary bands. We would like something unique. Does anyone have suggestions on where to shop in the ports of

Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas, or Grand Turk

Thank you,

sjnc

 

Buy them at home. You never know what you get in the Caribbean, and finding something unique is probably not going to happne since the places you are visiting sell to the masses.

[SRF]

Port stores KNOW that tourists will pay through the nose.    And price accordingly.

 

Most times, you will pay double to triple what a local would pay for the same item.  

[Corby114]

Over the years we have purchased a few items from Cardows Jewelers and Onmi Jewelers In St Thomas and never had a problem. We also had a family cruise in November 2016 when close to thirty family members stopped at Trident Jewelers in St Thomas because my nephews mother in law is personal friends of the owners. If your looking for a particular item I would either purchase it at home or call one of the Jewelers in St Thomas prior to your cruise. Also, in reference to the ports your are sailing too St Thomas by far has the biggest selection of stores in the Eastern Caribbean area.

[BDRebel]

On 3/11/2019 at 5:23 PM, SRF said:

Port stores KNOW that tourists will pay through the nose.    And price accordingly.

 

Most times, you will pay double to triple what a local would pay for the same item.  

Don't pay the marked price. Offer them less than you are willing to pay. Most island shops will deal with you -- including Diamonds International. A 20% discount is easy, 40% may be possible.

[SRF]

Maybe more.

 

We were in Hawaii (I have relatives there) and dressed to go out for a nice dinner, but dressed island style.  If I am there for more than a few days, I start sounding local.

 

We were early, so went into a tourist jewelry shop.  Wife saw a nice pink coral bead necklace and asked to see it.  I am wondering why bother.  So she asked the price.  The person waited a bit, until an obvious tourist left the shop, turned to us and said, "For you $135."  Which was a good price.  We bought it.  Tag said $350. 😄

 

[JEDMELK]

Although we have bought pieces in several islands in years past (including Imperial Jewelers as mentioned) the bargains of years gone by are definitely not really there any longer. Either the store owners and/or the manufacturers have learned that they can and have increased prices quite a bit which really means that there are just very, very few real bargains. There is such a range of quality that can be used which makes things less valuable, period.
 

If my wife and I were going to be doing this, we would go to our local jeweler and sit and talk through this to get exactly what we wanted. We have done this at home with great success. You can pick their brain, let them look around for ideas for you and go back to see what they can come up with. My guess is that you would get a much better value, get exactly what you want from a local business (which is always nice) and if you have an issue or a question, they will be there to answer you. All of the above plus, you may even have enough time to get these made before you leave so you can wear them throughout your cruise celebration.

 

ONE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER, you want to be happy wearing these for the next 50 years!

 

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary