BAD St. Martin Jewerly store..."ULTIMATE Jewelers"

[Weeze624]

:) My wife has purchased many pieces of jewellery in St. Thomas and Cozumel over our last 15 cruises in 7 years and we had nothing but excellent service and quality. We have a local gemolist and personal friend who never fails to appraise our purchases anywhere from 50% to 250% more than our purchase price. Our jewellery store in St. Thomas has taken rings with defects back and returned them to us here in Canada promptly FedEx ppd. would highly recommend Asantas in Drakes Alley' date=' St. Thomas - see Sakina a real charmer!:D [/i']

Another place I went to on St. Thomas was Imperial Jewers (recommended by a doc I know). I got a gorgeous slider that appraised quite well upon return to the states. I actually then purchased from them an omega bracelet I eyed up while there but did not want to limit myself since I had other islands to visit. They graciously wrote the information out and honored the exact price when I emailed my cc info. See Joe if you visit and tell him Louise & Larry say hello!

[gaileeh]

Well, let me put it this way -- I am a Diplomate Gemologist of the GIA and a jewelry appraiser with over 20 years experience. I WOULD NOT GO TO ANY JEWELRY STORE in the Caribbean - -I would seriously recommend that major purchases be made at a reputable local jeweler who will solve problems like this face to face.

 

In the Caribbean we buy t-shirts and coffee mugs.

 

;)

 

Good advice. Be very wary of what you are purchasing. I have bought only gold pieces in the Caribbean, nothing with stones, and little of that. If you are not very knowledgeable about jewelry be very cautious.

[MercedMike]

There have been so many posts on this board and this thread to the effect of, "I bought it for $X and at appraised for $XXX at home," that I thought a bit of first hand information from an experienced jewelry appraiser would be interesting.

 

I worked in the retail jewelry business for over 30 years, but am no longer in that business. Unlike the majority of retail jewelers, I completed the Gemological Institute of America courses in Diamonds and Colored Stones and passed the examinations for my Gemologist Diploma. I received very thorough training in identification and grading of stones of all types.

 

BUT -- and this is an important BUT -- I received essentially zero training from GIA in the pricing of jewelry for appraisal purposes. The actual process of putting an "appraised value" on any piece of jewelry depends very much on the experience of the jeweler and the market in which he operates.

 

The majority of jewelry appraisals are made at "retail replacement cost" and are for insurance purposes. That is, if the piece was lost , what would it cost to replace it with a check from the insurance company. Obviously, this puts the appraiser in a sort of a predicament to be sure that his appraisal is high enough not only to cover current costs, but the ever increasing prices of some items. In other words, appraisers have a certain tendency to be on the high side. OTOH, some appraisers who are affiliated with a particular retail business want to compete so much that they have a tendency to lower their opinion of any competitive merchandise and will be on the low side. This is why many so called "price guarantees" require a comparative appraisal made by a Gemologist not affiliated with a retail store -- a very hard guy to find!

 

So -- when you cite the comparative appraisal you got on your purchase, consider that may have been made by an grader without professional training, based on his experience in his particular market, and with a built in bias. Jewelry appraisal is a very subjective thing, despite consumer feelings that it should be an exact science.

 

I have done lots and lots of appraisals for people who got some sort of a "bargain" while they were traveling. I still restrict my souvenir purchases to t-shirts and coffee cups. If your souvenir budget is bigger than mine, buy it, wear it, tell all your friends, "It is from my cruise!" Just don't depend too much on that appraisal, high or low.

>:-)

 

Mike, Gemologist, GIA

[rolloman]

Thanks for your resume MercedMike, unfortunately we do not have any openings that fit your qualifications at this time.

 

Jewelers are like car salesman, all of them can tell you stories of how they landed the big one. I have made some good deals in the Caribbean on certified GIA diamonds, I also have made some good deals in the NYC diamond district. Its all about being educated before you go into a negotiation.

[zebra36]

Mike,

 

Thanks for the thoughtful post re: apparisals. It does make one wonder about such disparity in value placed on the same item by the seller vs an appraisal by a third party.

[BluDream]

Can't believe I just found this thread..... My "chore" today is to write a letter to our credit card company.... We purchased a ring for $1100. US and when we received our bill, Tuesday, we were charged $1,828.27.... Again.... Elite Selections International, Ave Rafael E. Melgar # 301, Cozumel.... person we "dealt" with.... Sergio Lunes... assuming he did not give a "phony" name:( Yes, we were stupid.!... but it happened... We had been on a tour we purchased from RCCL and the guide really pushed how great this "new" store was... and that it would "soon" be on the approved RCCL shopping guide..... If anyone knows who to notify at RCCL shopping I would like to send them a letter also.....

[RareBird]

Can't believe I just found this thread..... My "chore" today is to write a letter to our credit card company.... We purchased a ring for $1100. US and when we received our bill, Tuesday, we were charged $1,828.27.... Again.... Elite Selections International, Ave Rafael E. Melgar # 301, Cozumel.... person we "dealt" with.... Sergio Lunes... assuming he did not give a "phony" name:( Yes, we were stupid.!... but it happened... We had been on a tour we purchased from RCCL and the guide really pushed how great this "new" store was... and that it would "soon" be on the approved RCCL shopping guide..... If anyone knows who to notify at RCCL shopping I would like to send them a letter also.....

 

a receipt would solve all problems. dispute with credit card agency and show your receipt for $1,100. the store must provide a signed copy for $1,8xx ... what a nightmare :mad:

[BluDream]

Thanks for your comments.... do have a receipt showing $1,100.... BUT it is "written" on the slip... the printing is in pesos... but will include and see what happens.... also have a "Certificate of Authenticity" with the $1,100 written.... going to give it a try....

[dutchess43]

After reading all of these post's I am so happy that I talked Dh out of buying me a ring. Not that I don't love jewelry on the contrary I do. But felt that old saying if it's toooo good a deal WATCH OUT! I was on a tanzanite kick & found a ring I liked quite a lot with diamonds. Almost dropped dead when the price quoted was 35,000. After wanting to leave etc. the price came down to 9,000. Now lets be honest how can there be so much of a mark up? I know that jewelry sometimes has a 3 times mark up but this was way up there. I convinced DH that we don't know these jewelers & I no longer believe in the ships recommendation's so we walked out with them in tow after us. What a scene in the street trying to get us back in. This just turned me off more & convinced me that we were doing the correct thing. I have a great reputable jeweler near where I live that I make my purchases from. Even if I have to pay more I know they take very good care of me & no hassles. I also stick to non jewely items when I am traveling.

[balanceok]

We've not had many problems with jewelry bought in the Caribbean, which unfortunately for me, has been quite a bit. Actually, I'm very grateful to avoid the tax charged in the US and benefit from the discounting at many of these stores.

 

We shop primarily for David Yurman jewelry, so the discounting in the Caribbean is wonderful.

 

Our only difficulty was in Cozumel. When we came back for the ring after it had been sized, I noticed that they had changed the stone in the setting (this was not a Yurman piece). Needless to say, we did not buy the ring, nor would we shop in that store again.

 

I will continue to avoid small shops with bargains that are too good to be true, but am grateful for the many reputable stores on these islands.

[Langley Cruisers]

MercedMike, I also thank you for your thoughtful and informative posts within this thread. Many thanks.

 

~Karen

[SugarNSpice8104]

Laura contacted Bernard and he went there about 3 times until they sent my mom a new ring. They wern't too happy with him going in and asking what their problem was. I am so thankful for his help.:) :)

[RichardK]

I always like the reports of people, after they’ve gotten home, they take their purchases to their local jeweler and the item is appraised for 2x or even 3x what they paid for it.

 

However, I’ve yet to hear of one story where their jeweler offer to PAY THEM 2x or 3x what they paid for it. When that happens I’ll listen, and want to know the store in the Caribbean they bought it at……………..

[hermang]

The bottome line is do your homework before you go to any jeweler in the Caribbean.

 

We have purchased several thousand dollars worth of jewelry from Kay's Jewelers in St. Maarten (not the chain store) and have wonderful luck with all the pieces.

 

My wife had a small channel set diamond fall our of her wedding ring and they replaced the entire ring for us no questions asked. They are a family run store; 2 in St. Maartens, 1 in St. Kitts and 1 in Aruba.

 

I highly recommend them and will continue to purchase jewelry from them.

 

All pieces have appraised at home for way more then we paid for them.

 

We also have had good luck at Kay Jewelers - also with DI especially with the mounting for my DW's engagement ring. Cardow is also a very reputable house and all are "cruiseline" approved. Our appraisals here have always been much higher than what we paid in some cases double. As one port shopping guide said - never buy jewelry from a guy who sells T Shirts

[lady_cruiser]

I have only bought loose stones in the Caribbean - I was able to get an accurate carat weight on them and see them through a scope. I have bought two tanzanites and two tsavarities for prices far better than I could have found here is the USA, but I did bring them home to be mounted and set by a local jewelry designer. Best of both worlds....

 

Question for you. Did you bring your own scope or use theirs? And how hard is it to learn how to use the jeweler's scope?

[minnie00]

I just wanted to say that we bought high end watches at Azura Jewelers in St Thomas and jewelry at Diamonds International as well....

and in St Martine we shopped at Joe's Jewelry and made some more high end watch purchases...

I would recommend all 3 to others. Joe's Jewelry goes above and beyond...

I bought a watch there only to have the battery die on the ship that night. well St Martine was our last stop...

I went to the shopper lady on board (forgot her name now) and she took it back to the Joes on the next time they stopped there and they fixed it and shipped it to me in the U.S.....I was happy with their customer service !!

[dogsrule]

I just returned from st martin and felt that I got a very good deal on a blue diamond ring but at a much higher price than was previously mentioned. However, I had done my research on color, and various other qualities. If you know your jewelry, the merchants won't be so quick to sell you a bad piece. Having said that, I dealt with Jewels in Paradise at 4A Front Street. Would go back in a flash if I had the cash!!!!:D

 

FYI-this is a family owned business and I dealt with Peter.

[mamacat3]

Laura contacted Bernard and he went there about 3 times until they sent my mom a new ring. They wern't too happy with him going in and asking what their problem was. I am so thankful for his help.:) :)

 

 

Bernard is just the best. He is a true gentleman and a wonderful person. Anyone going to St. Martin should book a tour with him. In St Thomas his cousin runs it for him. Bernards Tours. Here is the link

http://www.bernardstours.com/

[curlyd]

Bernard is just the best. He is a true gentleman and a wonderful person. Anyone going to St. Martin should book a tour with him. In St Thomas his cousin runs it for him. Bernards Tours. Here is the link

http://www.bernardstours.com/

 

Yes he is supposed to be wonderful and I hope to get a chance to tour with him the next time I am there. I did book a tour with him March 07, I was the first to request his services. Unfortunately he added others to the tour from another ship, which would have been ok but the other ship got in earlier than ours did. His e-mails to me got us mixed up and bottom line, we ended up stranded on the pier with no tour.

 

He was a gentleman and when we returned home there was an e-mail from him saying he was sorry he missed us and that the next time we came he would give a tour for free. That's great but I booked him for March 07, I was the original reservation, and we got right off the ship as soon as we docked. He should have waited for us since it was he who mixed up the times and the ships.

 

So maybe next time we are there we will tour with him because everyone says he is the best and I believe them. I was just disappointed.

 

Now back to the threads subject - since we couldn't tour I did purchase an anniversary ring on an RCL approved shop - 1st one on the left - it was set in white gold and I wanted it in yellow gold. They said they could reset it before the ship sailed. The agreed price was good, the stones were and still are beautiful but the yellow gold NOT - what they did was electroplate it and now 1 year later the yellow gold has worn off and I have a beautiful white gold anniversary ring. Not what I wanted, not what I purchased, won't buy again because I prefer to stick with my jeweler here where I can take it back if there is a problem.

 

St. Maarten wasn't a good port for us last year.:(

[Ocean Boy]

I always like the reports of people, after they’ve gotten home, they take their purchases to their local jeweler and the item is appraised for 2x or even 3x what they paid for it.

 

However, I’ve yet to hear of one story where their jeweler offer to PAY THEM 2x or 3x what they paid for it. When that happens I’ll listen, and want to know the store in the Caribbean they bought it at……………..

 

A friend of mine is a jeweler and he appraised a bracelet form me. There are two prices you have to consider. There is the appraisal price that he would sell it for if he had the piece in his store and, of couse, there is the price he would pay for the piece. Obviously, people are not going to be offered retail price from a jeweler. How would he then be able to sell it at a profit? That, I think, is why no one is offered 2-3 x the price that they paid. He gave me a price that I should insure the braclet for. That is what it would cost to replace the bracelet.