Beware of Diamond Marquise in Mazatlan

[SDHALFAN]

I well remember the dockside merchants at Isla de Margarita - some of the better ones any where in the Caribbean!

 

 

Oddly enough I don't remember the dockside merchants at Isla de Margarita. I say "oddly" because I am usually one of the vendors' best customers.

 

However it was many years ago that we were there and now that I think about it we were for some reason not able to dock where the HAL ships usually dock but had to sail around to the other side of the island and I believe we docked at a container-type port.

 

I still managed to leave some dollars with the local merchants and I did love Isla de Margarita. We had a fantastic tour guide who spoke excellent English and knew his island and its history.

 

Valerie:)

[bepsf]

Back in cruisings earlier days, CD's would get kickbacks from port merchants to recommend their stores to passengers - CD's could earn much much more than their salaries on these kickbacks and many retired quite comfortably from this side business! Eventually the cruiselines wised up and brought this in-house - the stores pay the fees to the corporations and you get multi-colored fliers under your door and "Port Talks" that are nothing more than infomercials about where the line wants you to shop.

One should also be very wary of the jewelry that they are buying nowadays - so much of the real gemstomes that are sold on the Caribbean are not certified, but come from countries that support terrorism, etc.

Like MercedMike says - buy your good jewelry from someone you trust at home. If you must buy something to remember your vacation by - find the beach vendors and buy the shell necklaces and glass beads that they offer - those are the types of purchases that you'll never regret and the memories are the same!

:)

(BTW, MercedMike - I went to High School in Atwater - Class of 83!)

:D

[jagsfan]

I bought a lovely unset ruby in Bangkok, examined it carefully. When I got

home I took it to my jeweler with a couple of Amsterdam diamonds to be set

into a ring. He showed me a slight flaw that I know wasn't there when I

chose it. I wear the ring and no one has ever noticed, but I'm sure it was

deliberately switched when they wrapped it. The funny thing is that I get

a beautiful Christmas card from the Bangkok store every year, since 2000.

Regarding other jewelry, I have bought in Cardow's, Little Switzerland, and

Columbian Emeralds in the Caribbean. In every case, when my jeweler

appraised them for insurance, they were at least worth what I paid.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I would trust those 3 stores.

[Gary & Judy]

Havew bought Jewelery on the Islands but we only buy from Bernard Passman. His stones and Black coral are wonderful plus a wonderful warranty, and they really back it up. Great company. Only one we buy from away from home.

[SDHALFAN]

I bought a lovely unset ruby in Bangkok, examined it carefully. When I got

home I took it to my jeweler with a couple of Amsterdam diamonds to be set

into a ring. He showed me a slight flaw that I know wasn't there when I

chose it. I wear the ring and no one has ever noticed, but I'm sure it was

deliberately switched when they wrapped it. The funny thing is that I get

a beautiful Christmas card from the Bangkok store every year, since 2000.

Regarding other jewelry, I have bought in Cardow's, Little Switzerland, and

Columbian Emeralds in the Caribbean. In every case, when my jeweler

appraised them for insurance, they were at least worth what I paid.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I would trust those 3 stores.

 

 

 

Quite honestly Bangkok jewellers are notorious for "switching". More than 30 years ago, while on our honeymoon in Bangkok, my husband bought himself a beautiful ring with a cat's-eye stone in it. It was too big so he left it at the store to be sized - huuuuuge mistake. When he got the ring back it was very nice but definitely not a cat's-eye. Since he was in the U.S. Navy and was due back aboard ship ASAP there was nothing much he could do about it - the only good thing is that back in those days jewellry was so inexpensive in Thailand that he did not pay an exhorbitant amount for the ring in the first place.

 

I, personally would never consider buying gemstones abroad. The only reason I am thinking about checking out the pearls in Tahiti and Bora Bora is that I have the names of a couple of reputable dealers. I don't expect to get a bargain price and I'm not sure that I will actually buy anything - but at least I will look.

 

Gary & Judy: I have to agree with you that Bernard Passman's jewellry is exquisite. It's very pricey but well worth the expenditure.

 

Valerie:)

[serendipity1499]

I well remember the dockside merchants at Isla de Margarita - some of the better ones any where in the Caribbean!

 

Whoopee...Never been there but will be there in Nov...I'm looking forward to it!:)

[scopewest]

While in PV we dutifully checked out our ship's guaranteed store, and then noticed right next door another cruise line's guaranteed store. I said I guess that means we can't shop there but we actually did. My best and funniest find was on the dock at Ensenada several years ago where I found some bead necklaces for $5 each. The "turquoise" colored one actually rubbed off on my neck but luckily it washed off. Funny enough the green colored one gets raves from people! We went back there last year but alas, that style of necklace was nowhere to be found in the stalls.

[arzz]

Several years ago we took a cruise to the Greek Islands that started with a 3 or 4 night stay in Athens. (Not on HAL) We were with our son who, even at 14 or 15 years, was totally enamored with the ancients and we spent our glorious pre-cruise days following my son's itinerary through the antiquities of Athens.

 

On board we met two women who were traveling together. They had spent their pre-cruise days at the jewelry stores where they were plyed with oozo at every store. One of the two ladies, I will call her Queenie, was a "career shopper" who could appraise your jewelry from across the room. In fact it was not unusual to see her grab a woman's tennis bracelet and tell her how many carats she was wearing as well as offer an assessment of the quality of the gold...... Well, it seems that Queenie did "so well" in Athens that she spent all of her trip money (and then some) in the jewelry stores before even she even boarded the ship. Not at all bothered by what she had done she confidently attempted to solve her problem by calling her husband back in the states and ask him for more money. Much to her chagrin he just said NO.

 

To this day we wonder how she managed in the markets of the Greek Isles without any money!